Education and skills in Europe: the quarter in review (April–June 2026)

Every quarter we look back at what moved in European education, training and skills, and at what it means for the projects we run with our partners. This edition covers April to June 2026. Five developments stand out.

1. AI in education: more time for the rules, teachers at the centre

The EU agreed to give itself more time for the strictest AI rules. Negotiators of the European Parliament and the Council reached a provisional deal on 7 May, Parliament approved it on 16 June and the Council gave its final green light on 29 June. Once the amendment is published, obligations for stand-alone high-risk AI systems — a list that includes education and vocational training, for example AI that decides on admissions or assesses learners — will apply from 2 December 2027 instead of 2 August 2026.

At the same time, education ministers put teachers first. In conclusions approved on 11 May, the Council states that teachers play a decisive role in the learning process and that AI tools must support — and not replace or isolate — them. It asks Member States to build AI literacy into initial teacher education and continuing professional development, and to promote fair access to AI tools for all teachers and learners. On 18 June the Commission and the OECD presented the AI Literacy Framework for primary and secondary education: 19 competences in four domains — engaging with, creating with, managing and shaping AI.

What it means for us: the delay changes the legal calendar, not the need for confident teachers. DUAL.AI.TEACHer, an Erasmus+ Teacher Academy with 11 partner organisations in 8 countries, prepares teachers both to teach with AI and to teach about AI — the kind of teacher development the Council conclusions call for. AI4VET brings the same question into vocational classrooms, with Future Classroom Labs piloted in five countries.

2. New EU targets for 2030

On 29 June the Council adopted the framework for European cooperation in education and training for 2026–2030. For the first time, all EU-level targets sit in one document. Among them: fewer than 8% early leavers from education and training, at least 60% of adults taking part in learning every year, fewer than 15% low-achieving 15-year-olds in reading, mathematics and science, and at least 12% of VET learners spending part of their training abroad. Excellent and attractive vocational education is one of six priorities, and the Council takes note of the Commission’s plan for a European VET strategy in 2026.

The starting point is mixed. Eurostat reported on 4 June that 9.1% of 18–24-year-olds left education and training early in 2025, down from 11.0% in 2015 — but still above the new target. Austria is among the countries where the rate has risen most since 2015, by 2.7 percentage points.

What it means for us: the new targets reward work that keeps young people and adults learning. EASY closes the gap between the skills young people have and the ones employers ask for, with a focus on disadvantaged youth in rural areas. X-VET (November 2025 to October 2028) makes sustainability part of everyday vocational learning, and VETdesign uses Design Thinking to keep vocational training in step with the labour market.

3. Erasmus+ after 2027: the first positions

Negotiations on the next Erasmus+ (2028–2034) began in earnest. On 11 May the Council agreed its first position on the new regulation: it keeps the programme’s structure, gives Member States more say through a programme committee and folds the European Solidarity Corps into Erasmus+, while keeping volunteering visible. On 3 June the rapporteur presented the European Parliament’s draft report, which proposes €47.39 billion compared with the Commission’s €40.8 billion. The Cyprus Presidency’s first budget proposal of 11 June points the other way, at €39.2 billion in current prices. For comparison, the current programme (2021–2027) has about €26–27 billion, depending on how it is counted.

What it means for us and our partners: whatever the final figure, the next programme will be larger than today’s and inclusion will weigh heavily. ENGAGE, which opens governance and civic life to young people aged 15 to 24 in five European countries, shows how participation can be built into a project from the start. Organisations planning projects for 2028 and beyond should follow the negotiations closely.

4. Financial literacy moves up the agenda

On 30 April the European Parliament adopted a resolution on financial literacy and the rise of “finfluencers”, by 502 votes to 46 with 42 abstentions. It notes that only 18% of EU citizens have a high level of financial literacy and asks Member States to treat financial literacy as a key skill in its own right, with age-appropriate financial education in school curricula and through lifelong learning. It also proposes a European Financial Education Day and calls for clear rules for people who give financial advice on social media.

What it means for us: WISE strengthens the financial knowledge, skills and confidence of immigrant women, with practical, gamified resources for adult educators. BRIDGE helps immigrant women stay safe online — increasingly important when financial advice and offers reach people through social media.

5. In Austria: new upper-secondary curricula with media, democracy and AI

Close to home, Education Minister Christoph Wiederkehr presented on 1 April the reform of the upper level of academic secondary schools (AHS-Oberstufe) that the government had agreed at the end of March. A new compulsory subject, Media and Democracy, gets two hours a week; computer science grows from two to three hours and now includes artificial intelligence; and geography and economics give more weight to financial literacy. The new curricula apply from the school year 2027/28.

What it means for us: media literacy, AI and financial literacy are moving into the core of schooling. Teachers will need support to teach them well — the kind of teacher development that DUAL.AI.TEACHer works on at European level.

What to watch next quarter

On 2 August 2026 the AI Act’s transparency rules start to apply, for example the duty to tell people when they are dealing with an AI system. The Commission’s public consultation on the EU Youth Strategy after 2027 is open until 16 July. A Skills Portability Initiative and the European VET strategy are expected later in 2026, and the Erasmus+ negotiations continue. Our next quarterly review follows at the end of September.