European integration has led to significant social developments over the years. The latest example is the proclamation of the European Pillar of Social Rights, which reaffirms the EU’s commitment to ensuring better living and working conditions throughout the EU.

We focus on

• Equality between men and women
• The fight against poverty, social exclusion and discrimination
• Aging society and long-term care
• Social inclusion of vulnerable groups

The objective is the promotion of a high level of lifelong education and training, the mobility of learners and teachers in Europe and the development of a sense of belonging to the Union.

In July 2020, the Commission published a communication entitled ‘European Skills Agenda for sustainable competitiveness, social fairness and resilience’ (COM(2020)0274), in which it proposed twelve actions to help individuals and businesses develop more and better skills

We focus on

• Skills intelligence
• Inclusive learning and teaching
• Skills throughout life
• Learning ecosystems

EU citizens have the right to travel, live and work throughout the Union. An effective system has been put in place and is constantly evolving in order to fully implement these rights. The Charter of Fundamental Rights brings together in one single text all the rights of the individual, grouping them around several major principles: human dignity, fundamental freedoms, equality, solidarity, citizens’ rights and justice.

We focus on

• Combatting all forms of discrimination
• Gender equality
• Rights of the child

The internal market is an area of prosperity and freedom, providing access to goods, services, jobs, business opportunities and cultural richness. Continuous efforts are required to ensure the further deepening of the single market, which could yield significant gains for EU consumers and businesses. In particular, the digital single market opens up new opportunities to boost the economy (through e-commerce), while also cutting red tape (through e-governance and the digitalisation of public services). Despite these substantial moves towards a (digital) single market, challenges remain. COVID-19 has brought back some obstacles to the four freedoms (free movement of goods, services, capital and persons).

We focus on

• Freedom of establishment and freedom to provide services
• Intellectual property

European environment policy rests on the principles of precaution, prevention and rectifying pollution at source, and on the ‘polluter pays’ principle. Multiannual environmental action programmes set the framework for future action in all areas of environment policy. They are embedded in horizontal strategies and taken into account in international environmental negotiations. Environment policy has recently been moved to centre stage in EU policy making, with the European Commission launching the European Green Deal as the main driver of its economic growth strategy.

We focus on

• Nature and biodiversity
• Marine and coastal environment
• Circular economy

Digital transformation is the process by which companies embed technologies across their businesses to drive fundamental change. The benefits are huge: Increased efficiency, greater business agility and, ultimately, the unlocking of new value for employees, customers and shareholders. Digitalization is rapidly transforming the labour market. Digital technologies are influencing our everyday life, at home, at work, when we do sport or look for entertainment – and this requires a set of digital skills that is continuously evolving. But are we ready for the digital future, or better still, are we ready for the digital present?

We focus on exploring the concepts of digital literacy and digital competence, and integrating digital skills as a core component of all curricula, as foundational skills.

Research and innovation are the main driving forces behind economic growth and progress in the information society. Sometimes they are the result of a single innovator’s hard work. Increasingly however, innovation is driven by the collective efforts of international groups, consortia, networks of excellence, and research labs, who build on each other’s findings and work together to achieve new breakthroughs.

We focus on

• Research & innovation strategies
• Technology transfer mechanisms
• Innovation policy frameworks
• Innovation financing