More, Different and Better

A European Commission survey in 2010 showed that 56% of UK citizens don’t know how decisions are made in the European Union. I must confess that, until recently, I didn’t really know the difference between an EU regulation and an EU directive, despite a degree in politics!

So the European Association for the Education of Adults (EAEA) training, which I attended earlier this month with Emma Cliffe from our Campaigns Team, was a welcome chance to learn more about decision making at a European level. Designed specifically for younger staff working in adult education, the course gave us an overview of the European institutions and their roles. It also allowed us to meet with colleagues from around Europe and reflect on how NIACE’s work in the UK links in to work at the EU level and beyond.

Our fellow participants were drawn from a diverse range of countries and organisations. As well as representatives from DVV International and DIE in Germany, we had Nikola from the Centre for Civic Engagement in Montenegro; Nastassia who works for Education without Borders in Belarus; and Alve from the Kista Folk High School in Stockholm, Sweden, to name but a few. There was a good mix of people from EU member states, accession candidates, and countries still some way from EU membership, which made for an interesting discussion with the policy officer from the Directorate-General for EU enlargement.

All the participants came away from the course with a much clearer understanding of how EU legislation is drafted, scrutinised and approved. We met with representatives from each of the three EU institutions, including Heinz Becker MEP from the European Parliament, the Danish education attaché Mette Andersen, and Riikka Vihriala from the European Commission. The group had stimulating discussions regarding effective advocacy at EU level, how our national work can contribute to EAEA’s projects, and how best to sustain and expand the newly formed network created by the course, with a focus on meeting the needs of younger staff in adult education across Europe.

A major topic of conversation throughout the week was the European Commission’s proposal for Erasmus for All, which seeks to roll the existing Erasmus, Grundtvig, Comenius and Leonardo programmes into one and run them alongside a sport initiative. There are concerns in some quarters that, although the current budget proposal for the adult education share of this new fund represents a real terms funding increase, without the distinctive Grundtvig brand the overall profile of adult education at a European level will be diminished. The proposal will be discussed again in the European Parliament’s Committee for Culture and Education Culture in November, so it will be interesting to see how this progresses.

One thing which struck me repeatedly throughout the course was the huge distance between learners and EU decision makers. The numerous layers of advocacy bodies, each with distinctive agendas, introduce real potential for the dilution of messages from national organisations. NIACE’s new role as the UK Co-ordinator for the EU’s Agenda for Adult Learning is therefore a vital opportunity for a national body to give a voice to learners at an EU level.

Overall, the week was very useful, not just for its content but also because it provided an opportunity for the next generation of adult education staff to get together and take the time to consider the big issues we face in our own countries; issues which we found to be, more or less, the same across Europe. Participation in adult education, learning for an ageing society and widening access to learning are common concerns, recognised at a European level but manifested in different national contexts. The challenge, then, is to ensure that the innovative practice which deals with those issues at local and national levels is communicated upwards to decision makers at a European level.

Finally, I’d like to thank Gina Ebner and the organisers at EAEA for putting on the course, Grundtvig for funding me to attend, and NIACE for encouraging me to go – it’s always good to have the opportunity to practice what you preach!