Referentiality mechanisms in EU education policymaking: The case of the European Education Area

Abstract

In 2017, the European Union (EU) initiated the development of the European Education Area (EEA). The referentiality approach frames an original and timely inquiry into how EU policymakers explain the reasons for the development of the EEA. This inquiry relies on thematic analysis of relevant key policy materials, produced by the European Commission and the Council of the EU. The findings highlight a range of internal and external referentiality mechanisms that EU policymakers use to justify the development of the EEA. Internal references are related mainly to education traditions in the EU as a strong foundation for the EEA and the source of its ideas; the beliefs that the EEA can help overcome the interlocking crises the EU has faced in its recent past in the area of education as well as more generally; as well as the organisation of the EEA as part of the functioning of the EU, with both mutually shaping each other. External references are used to build on this and boost the competitiveness of EU's education sector and the EU as a region in the world. These findings address important gaps in our knowledge about EU policymakers' reasons for the development of the EEA. They enrich the limited literature about the EEA, make a theoretical contribution by extending the application of the referentiality approach and call policy actors at all levels of the EEA to facilitate a shared understanding of the reasons for the development of the EEA to ensure that their work serves EEA's purpose.

The Gender Gap in STEM Careers: An Inter-Regional and Transgenerational Experimental Study to Identify the Low Presence of Women

“…This plan aims to enrich the quality and inclusiveness of Member States' (MS) education and training systems, while adapting to the digital age and advancing the process of the digital and ecological transition [1]. Additionally, the European Education Area (EEA) for 2025 aims to remove barriers to learning and improve access to quality education for all [2,3].…”