The 2025 European Education and Skills Summit brought together ministers, policy makers, social partners, educators, youth, businesses and civil society around a shared concern: Europe’s growing skills crisis. Throughout the day, speakers linked basic skills, STEAM competences, digital and AI related skills, civic education, teacher careers, Erasmus+ mobilities, VET and youth participation into one big question: how can European education systems support economic growth while also strengthening social cohesion and democratic stability.
Across plenary and parallel sessions, a clear picture emerged. Europe will not remain competitive if education is treated as a cost, and democracy will not remain resilient if education is reduced to a narrow talent pipeline for the labour market. The Summit repeatedly highlighted that education is Europe’s most strategic long term investment, one that must be designed and funded with the same seriousness as infrastructure or defence.
The Summit was closely followed on by our Head of Future Skills, Adelina Dragomir, who drew conclusions from the sessions and compiled this article, to report back to our community that the themes we work on every day at GEYC employability, STEAM, transversal competences, digital and green skills, civic engagement and inclusion are at the core of the new European agenda on education and skills, not on the margins.
Setting the ambition: keynote by Roxana Mînzatu, Executive Vice President for Social Rights and Skills, Quality Jobs and Preparedness, EC
Roxana Mînzatu, Executive Vice President for Social Rights and Skills, Quality Jobs and Preparedness, opened the Summit by presenting the political project she calls the “Union of Skills”. Roxana Mînzatu described this Union as a shared European endeavour rather than a Brussels initiative. In her view, member states, regions, universities, VET providers, companies, trade unions, youth organisations and civil society all co own this agenda. The role of the European Commission is to create synergy, break silos and make sure that education and skills are not only discussed in one council formation but in all relevant policy arenas, from employment to finance and industry.
Roxana Mînzatu stressed that skills policy is at the same time economic, social and democratic policy. She pointed to tools such as a minimum social spending target that explicitly includes education, training and skills, as well as the Commission proposal to raise the Erasmus+ budget from 27 to 41 billion euro in the next financial period. For her, Erasmus+ is no longer just a mobility programme, it is a strategic lever to strengthen systems, from early childhood to adult learning, and to build a stronger European demos through student and staff exchanges.
In her keynote, Roxana Mînzatu also announced work on a human capital recommendation embedded in the European Semester. Each year, this would allow the Union to issue evidence based warnings on where more investment is needed in basic skills, STEM and STEAM education, vocational education and training, or teacher development. She invited participants to act as ambassadors of this agenda beyond the education community, arguing that education has to be visible at meetings on fiscal rules, competitiveness, security and even defence if Europe is serious about its long term resilience.
Inspiring transformation: the speech of Britta Seeger, Mercedes Benz Group
Britta Seeger, Member of the Board of Management of Mercedes Benz Group, delivered the inspirational speech of the Summit. Britta Seeger brought in the perspective of a company undergoing one of the most profound transformations in European industry, from traditional combustion engines to electric and software defined mobility. She explained that this shift is not only about technology and factories, but about people and skills, and about how an employer like Mercedes Benz can be a genuine partner to education systems.
Britta Seeger underlined that the automotive sector used to rely on relatively stable occupational profiles for decades. Today, those profiles are changing at unprecedented speed. Mechanics need to understand high voltage systems, production staff work with advanced robotics and data, and engineers must combine classical mechanical expertise with software, AI and cybersecurity. For this reason, Britta Seeger described how her group invests massively in reskilling and upskilling its workforce, offering tailored learning pathways that allow employees to move into new roles rather than becoming obsolete.
In her inspirational address, Britta Seeger called for much closer cooperation between companies and education and training providers, from vocational schools to universities. She argued that dual learning, apprenticeships and practice oriented programmes can only succeed if they are co designed with industry and if learners see that there are real, high quality jobs at the end. At the same time, Britta Seeger insisted that this collaboration should not reduce education to short term employer needs. Instead, it should combine strong foundations in STEAM subjects with transversal competences such as critical thinking, creativity and the willingness to learn throughout life. For her, the future competitiveness of Europe depends on whether it can offer young people meaningful learning journeys that connect classrooms, workshops and cutting edge workplaces.
Future proofing education: partnerships between education and companies
Anders O. Bjarklev: deep foundations and evolving practice
Anders O. Bjarklev, President of the Technical University of Denmark, began by reminding the audience that higher education sits at the far end of a long educational chain. Anders O. Bjarklev receives future engineers after years of schooling, and everything he can do at university level depends on the foundations laid in primary and secondary education. In his view, future proofing starts with giving learners enough time and support to master basic concepts in mathematics, physics and chemistry, because those conceptual tools can remain useful for 50 years and can be applied to technologies that have not even been invented yet.At the same time, Anders O. Bjarklev insisted that engineering programmes cannot remain abstract. In close collaboration with companies, his institution deliberately exposes students to concrete technologies, tools and methods that are highly relevant on the labour market today. He recognised the tension. Much of that applied knowledge will inevitably be outdated in five or ten years. For this reason, Anders O. Bjarklev described engineering education as standing on two legs: one leg is robust conceptual understanding, the other is specific, fast changing content that makes graduates ready to contribute from day one.
To sustain this balance, Anders O. Bjarklev argued for structured, long term partnerships between universities and businesses. It is not enough to have one enthusiastic contact person in a company. Instead, top management needs to commit, and collaboration should be anchored in multiple relationships and joint projects. That way, when a staff member moves on, the cooperation does not collapse. For him, such institutionalised co creation is the only way to keep curricula aligned with societal challenges such as the green and digital transitions, while preserving the academic integrity and long term mission of universities.
Giulia Meschino: lifelong learning ecosystems and parity of esteem
Giulia Meschino, Director of the Lifelong Learning Platform and expert in vocational education, brought the VET and adult learning angle to the discussion. Giulia Meschino framed future proofing as building learning systems that are at once sustainable, agile and human centred. She recalled the long standing vision that people must be able to learn throughout life, and translated it into today’s realities of rapidly changing technologies and labour markets, new forms of work and demographic shifts.For Giulia Meschino, this implies cultivating a genuine culture of lifelong learning where all forms of learning count. Formal programmes, non formal activities and informal experiences in communities and workplaces should be recognised and validated. This recognition is especially important for adults who need to upskill or reskill in mid life. Flexible pathways, modular offers and micro credentials can help, but only if they are embedded in coherent strategies and supported by guidance and counselling.
On governance, Giulia Meschino strongly rejected hierarchical models where universities and schools are seen as the “top” and VET providers as second class. She highlighted Centres of Vocational Excellence as a promising example of equal partnerships among education and training providers, companies and local authorities. In these centres, stakeholders co design curricula, organise work based learning, and experiment with solutions for regional skills needs. For Giulia Meschino, such hubs show that vocational education and training can be a first choice that drives innovation, rather than a fallback option.
Lonne from NRB Group: digital ecosystems and “hardcore” soft skills
Lonne, representing NRB Group, emphasised that adaptability is becoming a central professional attitude in a digital world. Lonne pointed out that technology will keep evolving and that both newcomers and existing employees must be ready to learn, unlearn and relearn. Drawing on a reference to Darwinian adaptability, she suggested that the key skill of the future is the willingness and ability to evolve with one’s environment.To support this, Lonne described how NRB Group works with universities and so called “social schools”. The company co chairs a university chair where students work on real projects, and it collaborates with institutions that give second chances to people who did not follow traditional engineering paths. However, Lonne acknowledged that these partnerships are still too piecemeal and fragile. Curricula often remain static, while business realities change quickly, and coordination between actors is not yet systematic.
In her intervention, Lonne also argued for a different view of soft skills. She proposed relabelling them “hardcore” skills because they are so fundamental to success in technology rich environments. In recruitment, NRB Group looks at communication, teamwork and problem solving as closely as technical competences. From primary school onwards, learners should be supported to develop digital awareness and these transversal abilities. For Lonne, companies have a responsibility not only to demand skills from education but also to invest time and resources in co designing learning experiences that help people redefine their roles alongside new tools such as artificial intelligence.
Laure Morvan: reinventing learning and the technology quotient
Laure Morvan, Managing Director at Accenture, argued that Europe needs to reinvent learning at system level, just as many companies have reinvented learning inside their organisations. Laure Morvan explained that in her firm everyone is expected to have a basic “technology quotient”, regardless of their function. Finance staff, HR professionals, marketers and consultants all work with digital systems, data and increasingly AI based tools. Education systems, in her view, should mirror this reality from primary education onwards.Laure Morvan underlined that the main problem is not a lack of content. Online resources abound, but they are not curated or structured. The real added value of schools and universities is to help learners navigate this sea of information, sequence it, and create space for reflection and discussion. She suggested rethinking how classroom time is used, focusing face to face moments on project based work, interactive discussions and problem solving, while more individual study of curated materials can happen online in a flexible way.
The Accenture representative insisted that links between education and the world of work must become far more systematic. Today, she observed, companies might participate in one off events, give a talk in a school or host a hackathon, but this rarely leads to lasting change. Laure Morvan called for institutionalised partnerships at the level of education authorities, universities and schools. Together, they could co design short, industry relevant micro credentials that reflect how people increasingly learn in “snippets”. For her, such co created pathways are essential if Europe wants to keep its workforce employable in fast changing sectors like AI, cybersecurity and digital services.
Ben Butters: SMEs, co creation and early exposure to work
Ben Butters, CEO of Eurochambres, made sure that the voice of small and medium sized enterprises was clearly heard. Ben Butters started from a personal place, explaining that both his parents were teachers in a small village school. This gave him a deep respect for the profession and a sense of how local and community based education can be. From his current position representing chambers of commerce, he sees that many entrepreneurs find it more difficult today than five years ago to recruit people with the right skills.Ben Butters praised dual VET models in countries like Germany, Austria and Luxembourg, where companies and education providers work hand in hand. In those systems, firms help design curricula, provide apprenticeships and ensure that qualifications match labour market realities. However, he warned that such good practice is not yet widespread across Europe, and that SMEs in particular struggle to engage because they lack dedicated HR or training departments.
For Ben Butters, the way forward is to move from consultation to co creation. Rather than merely asking businesses for feedback on reforms, public authorities should invite them into the design process, especially through intermediate structures like chambers of commerce that can speak for many smaller firms. He also emphasised the value of early exposure to the world of work for young people. Even short placements can help students understand themselves better and see the relevance of what they learn in STEM, VET or general education.
Sander Dankelman: wide curricula and “skills to flourish”
Sander Dankelman, representing Dutch primary education, offered a powerful reminder that future proofing starts in the earliest years. Sander Dankelman told the story of a school with declining results that had focused almost exclusively on reading, writing and mathematics. In search of answers, the staff turned to research and found a surprising conclusion: narrowing the curriculum was hurting both basic skills and broader development.Sander Dankelman explained how the school shifted to a wide curriculum that included arts, culture, science and general knowledge, taught through interdisciplinary projects rather than fragmented short lessons. Over time, this led to better results in basic skills, as well as stronger critical thinking and a deeper understanding of the world among pupils. He noted that similar movements are happening across Europe, particularly in primary schools that see themselves as preparing children not only for employment but also as citizens and as individuals.
The Dutch representative warned against an overly narrow understanding of “basic skills”. If education focuses only on a minimal level of literacy and numeracy, he argued, the risk is that we will end up with basic employees and basic citizens. Referring to international analyses, Sander Dankelman suggested that we should talk about “skills to flourish” instead. Schools should help children discover their talents, become autonomous, and learn to question whether our current economic and social systems are just and sustainable. In his words, education should teach children “to topple us a bit”, a phrase that resonated strongly with the audience.
From shortages to strength: how to reimagine the teaching profession in Europe?
Anders Adlercreutz: autonomy, trust and research in Finland
Anders Adlercreutz, Minister of Education in Finland, opened the session on “From shortages to strengths” by explaining why Finland still has many candidates per teaching post. Anders Adlercreutz emphasised that Finland treats teaching as a highly qualified profession, requiring a master’s degree and linking classroom practice closely to pedagogical research. Teachers are expected not only to apply methods but to reflect on them and contribute to knowledge on what works.
Anders Adlercreutz underlined that Finnish education is designed to be egalitarian and uniform. Parents can trust that the local school is as good as any other, almost all schools are public and run by municipalities, and teachers are well trained everywhere. Faced with challenges such as declining results or shorter attention spans, Finland’s response is not to increase inspection or central control, but to give teachers more autonomy while investing in research on pedagogy, digitalisation and student wellbeing.
The Finnish Minister pointed to international survey data in which around 60 percent of Finnish teachers say they feel appreciated by society, much higher than in neighbouring countries. Anders Adlercreutz linked this to a general culture of trust. Teachers have real professional space at classroom level to adapt curricula, and they are involved in shaping municipal and national frameworks. Quick fixes are avoided. Instead, there is a long term commitment to excellence through continuous development, collaboration between schools and universities, and constructive dialogue between the Ministry and the teachers’ union.
Zrinka Mužinić Bikić, Croatian State Secretary for Education: investing in teachers’ status and careers
Zrinka Mužinić Bikić, the Croatian State Secretary from the Ministry of Science, Education and Youth, presented an ambitious reform agenda aimed at tackling teacher shortages. The Croatian State Secretary began from a simple premise: investing in teachers means investing in the future. For this reason, Croatia has focused both on material improvements and on recognition, promotion and safe, supportive working environments.
She highlighted that since 2016, teachers’ salaries in Croatia have increased by more than 100 percent, with over 67 percent growth in the last six years alone. Crucially, salaries continued to rise even during the pandemic, when the wider economy contracted and private sector pay declined. This, she explained, was meant to send a strong signal that teaching is a priority profession, central to the country’s long term development.
Beyond pay, Zrinka Mužinić Bikić described new legal frameworks for career progression, including roles such as mentor, advisor and excellent advisor. These roles bring higher status and financial benefits. Each year, the Ministry publicly honours more than 500 education professionals for outstanding work, including financial awards. To attract new teachers in STEM and in disadvantaged regions, Croatia has created scholarships for students in STEM teacher education programmes, offering 600 euro per month in return for a commitment to work in schools after graduation. Additional financial benefits are provided to teachers in islands and rural or depopulated areas. She concluded by stressing the importance of continuous professional development and measures to strengthen teachers’ self confidence and openness to innovation, which in turn support retention.
Jelmer Evers: treating teaching as a real profession
Jelmer Evers, Director of the European Trade Union Committee for Education, brought a strong profession centred view. Jelmer Evers began by affirming that teaching can be a wonderful job. When schools are good communities, teaching is about curiosity, building knowledge and creating a sense of belonging. He agreed with studies showing that many teachers still like their work. However, he pointed to worrying indicators: in many countries, teachers feel overworked, underpaid and not treated as professionals.
Jelmer Evers argued that while we talk about “the teaching profession”, in practice teaching is often not treated like other professions. He recalled his own experience as a new teacher, saying that he was not taught the history of his profession or about teachers’ associations and unions during his initial education. This left him unsure whether he was part of a strong professional community or just an isolated worker in a classroom. For him, this reflects a systemic failure to build professional identity and voice.
Drawing a parallel with the medical profession, Jelmer Evers explained that in professions like medicine, practitioners themselves play a central role in setting standards, shaping education, organising induction and continuous professional development, and co deciding curricula. For teaching, he called for much deeper involvement of teachers’ organisations in education reform at local, national and European levels. He stressed that reforms should be done with the profession, not to the profession. Only then will we see real respect, meaningful career paths and improved recruitment and retention.
Fergal McCarthy: trust, autonomy and societal recognition in Ireland
Fergal McCarthy, Principal of Kinsale Community School and member of the Executive Committee of the European Federation of Education Employers, offered a view from the school leadership side. Fergal McCarthy described teaching as both a caring and an enlightening profession. Teachers, he said, are central to giving children the mobility to move on in life, both socially and economically. He pointed out that in Ireland, teaching is a master’s level graduate profession, which reinforces its status and attractiveness.
Fergal McCarthy shared a striking example of trust in teachers. A recent survey by the Medical Council had asked which professions are most trusted in Ireland. The expectation had been that doctors would top the list. Instead, teachers were identified as the most trusted profession, with doctors in second place. Fergal McCarthy linked this to the structure of the Teaching Council, Ireland’s regulatory body, which uniquely has a majority of practising teachers. While many regulators in other sectors have moved to external majorities, Ireland has maintained a practitioner led model.
For Fergal McCarthy, this trust translates into real professional autonomy. He recalled how, after worrying national results in literacy and numeracy and concerns raised by major employers, Ireland chose not to blame teachers but to involve them in re examining practice. Schools were asked to review their literacy, numeracy and digital strategies, and teachers were supported to innovate. He urged European institutions to support the identification of excellent pockets of practice, for instance through Erasmus+ projects, and then help build clusters that allow school leaders and teachers to learn from each other across borders.
Arja Krauchenberg: parents as co educators and co creators
Arja Krauchenberg, representing the European Parents’ Association, reminded everyone that parents are also educators. Arja Krauchenberg offered a simple but powerful calculation. If we look at the life of a child from birth to 18 years, including sleep, schools account for only about 20 percent of their time. The remaining 80 percent is spent elsewhere, including at home, in communities and online. This means we cannot expect teachers and schools alone to fix every societal challenge.
For Arja Krauchenberg, this reality calls for a whole community approach, not just a whole school approach. She stressed the importance of cooperation between schools, families, sports clubs, music schools and non formal education providers. She also reminded the audience that the origins of compulsory schooling in Europe were often about producing obedient subjects for absolutist rulers. Today, however, we want critical thinkers, responsible citizens and people who can navigate complex digital environments. That requires different methods and a different understanding of basic and civic skills.
Arja Krauchenberg highlighted the need to build trust among teachers, parents and students. She pointed out that learning happens through relationships and that many people can remember a subject they excelled in largely because of an inspiring teacher. She warned that too much emphasis on narrow skills risks producing uncritical consumers rather than active citizens. For her, digital literacy is not just about six hours per day on a device, but about learning how to use digital tools thoughtfully. She called for more project based and inquiry based learning, and for schools and parents to co create education systems that are fit for democratic societies in the 21st century.
From targets to talent: closing Europe’s STEM gap
Urban Kodrič: STEM as an engine for inclusive development
Urban Kodrič, State Secretary at the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Innovation of Slovenia, presented a comprehensive national strategy for STEM. Urban Kodrič began by stressing that Slovenia does not see STEM as a narrow group of technical subjects but as a powerful engine for sustainable and inclusive development. This includes green and digital transitions, regional cohesion and social inclusion.
Urban Kodrič underlined the importance of starting early. Slovenia supports a wide range of activities from preschool and primary school through to universities. These include school projects, national competitions and mentoring programmes. He highlighted two concrete initiatives. The “We Will Be Engineers” programme brings together around 70 partners and has already reached more than 9 000 young people. The “Female Engineer of the Year” award celebrates female role models and aims to dismantle gender stereotypes in engineering, which has helped increase female participation.
The Slovenian State Secretary also presented micro credentials as a key tool to address STEM drop out and job out. Micro credentials are now part of national legislation and allow learners to gain short, flexible sets of competences worth from 1 to 9 ECTS credits. For Urban Kodrič, these offers are not only useful for lifelong learning, but can also help students who have dropped out of STEM programmes to re engage and complete their studies. Slovenia has also put in place a Digital Education Action Plan that starts from kindergarten, where children learn the basics of digital thinking without screens, and extends through higher education and adult learning.
Isabel Meza: building STEM capital and pathways for girls
Isabel Meza, Programme Manager of the STEM Passport for Inclusion at Maynooth University, brought a sharp focus on gender and socio economic inequality in STEM. Isabel Meza stressed that lower participation of girls and women in STEM is not a “girl problem”, but a system problem. For her, the solution lies in building what she called “STEM capital” for students, especially those from disadvantaged and underserved communities.
Isabel Meza explained that STEM capital has at least two dimensions. The first is “what they know”. This means every girl should have a chance to learn to code, build a robot, analyse a data set or design a simple product during compulsory schooling. Importantly, these experiences should not be reserved for a small selected group, but built into the curriculum so that every girl has the opportunity. When girls manage STEM tasks, their self confidence grows, and so does their motivation to engage with STEM subjects.
The second dimension is “who they know”. Isabel Meza underlined that girls need access to relatable STEM role models who look like them and share similar backgrounds. In the STEM Passport for Inclusion programme, Maynooth University partners with more than 600 mentors from industry. Students meet women working in a wide range of STEM jobs, visit workplaces and complete work experience placements. Isabel Meza shared the story of a student who loved home economics. Through mentoring, she discovered food science as a STEM field and is now exploring university courses in that area. To make such mentoring effective, she emphasised the need to train mentors so they understand the structural barriers girls face and can act as champions both for students and inside their companies.
Pieter Moerman: vocational excellence and long term skills networks
Pieter Moerman, co founder of the Dutch Catapult network and board member of the Talent Platform for Technology, focused on vocational education and training. Pieter Moerman described VET as the “most important sector” for making transitions real, because it provides the practical skills needed for green technologies, health innovations and many other areas. He stressed that while STEM graduates from universities are crucial, technicians and VET graduates are equally indispensable.
Pieter Moerman pointed out that STEM participation in VET remains low across Europe, including in the Netherlands. Traditional VET programmes tend to attract mainly those who already know they want a technical job from a young age, while many other students are motivated by broader goals such as contributing to the energy transition or to better healthcare. For him, STEM pathways need to be made more attractive by showing these societal missions, not only the technical content.
Pieter Moerman praised the European initiative on Centres of Vocational Excellence and the emerging STEM centres as key instruments. These centres connect VET providers, companies and regional authorities in skills networks that offer work based learning, role models and co designed curricula. He argued that the priority now is to upscale and stabilise these networks through long term policy alignment and investment, rather than launching countless short term projects. For Pieter Moerman, only durable cooperation between VET and businesses will give learners and companies the confidence to commit fully to STEM skills development.
Stephanie Schlunk: supporting STEM teachers and open educational resources
Stephanie Schlunk, Chair of Science on Stage Europe, put the spotlight on teachers from a STEM perspective. Stephanie Schlunk began by stating that teaching must be made attractive again. Too often, she said, teaching is seen as overworked, underpaid and under appreciated. To change this, she called for better working conditions: smaller class sizes, more equipment, reduced weekly teaching hours to allow time for collaboration and professional development, and a positive social climate in schools.
Stephanie Schlunk emphasised that short term measures are needed alongside structural reforms. She suggested welcoming career changers into teaching in a responsible way, especially people coming from research or industry who can bring fresh perspectives into STEM classrooms. In parallel, she pointed to the lessons learned during the pandemic about the potential of online teaching, which can be used to complement in person STEM education.
Science on Stage Europe, Stephanie Schlunk explained, focuses precisely on supporting and connecting STEM teachers. Every two years, the organisation hosts a European festival where teachers selected through national competitions present innovative projects, for example on AI in STEM education, the Sustainable Development Goals, or links between food and science. Teachers return home from these events inspired and with concrete ideas to try out. Science on Stage Europe also develops and shares open educational resources created by teachers for teachers, which cover real world topics and show students the relevance of STEM in their lives. For Stephanie Schlunk, giving STEM teachers recognition and transnational networks is essential for keeping them motivated and in the profession.
Markku Markkula: STEM ecosystems and local green deals
Markku Markkula, Vice President of the European Committee of the Regions, brought an ecosystem and territorial perspective. Markku Markkula insisted that STEM is not just a school subject, but part of a wider ecosystem that includes research, innovation, education, industry and local government. He recalled the knowledge triangle concept adopted by the European Council about 15 years ago and argued that research, innovation and education must be tightly connected everywhere, with STEM integrated into each.
Markku Markkula highlighted the role of cities and regions in climate action. Around 70 percent of climate mitigation measures, he noted, are implemented at local level. For this reason, he argued that Europe needs “local green deals” that combine industrial strategies, climate targets and skills development. STEM education and VET are central to these deals, which can turn city districts into real life laboratories for sustainable technologies and practices.
Drawing on his experience in Espoo, Finland, Markku Markkula described how a new metro station area has been developed around a cluster of institutions: a research centre, a VET institute, a secondary school and several companies working on innovations such as synthetic fuels made from captured CO2 and green electricity. In this environment, learners at all levels can participate in project based learning that connects STEM theory with hands on work in living labs. For Markku Markkala, such ecosystems show how STEM education can directly contribute to economic growth, climate neutrality and exciting career prospects for young people.
Education at a crossroads: democracy, digital and basic skills
Enrico Letta: completing the single market with a fifth freedom
Enrico Letta, former Prime Minister of Italy, addressed the Summit by video to frame the final plenary. Enrico Letta recalled that the European single market was built on four freedoms: goods, services, capital and people. He argued that in today’s world, a fifth freedom must be added: the free movement and full integration of education, skills, research and innovation.
Enrico Letta linked this fifth freedom to the mandate EU leaders have given to the European Commission to complete the “leftovers” of integration by 2028. For him, completing the single market now means not only removing remaining barriers to traditional flows, but creating a truly integrated European space for talents and knowledge. He mentioned ideas such as a European degree and a stronger role for skills and innovation in the economic governance of the Union.
The former Prime Minister stressed that education, skills and research are now at the heart of global competition. Regions that succeed in attracting, developing and retaining talent will be the ones that thrive economically and politically. Enrico Letta urged all European institutions and stakeholders represented at the Summit to push their leaders to put education and skills side by side with other top priorities at the European Council, and to move quickly so that by 2028 education and skills are fully embedded in the single market.
Henna Virkkunen: digital skills, democracy and the Democracy Shield
Henna Virkkunen, Executive Vice President for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy, brought together the digital and democratic dimensions of education. Henna Virkkunen recalled that she started her political career as Minister of Education and Science in Finland, which is why education and skills remain close to her heart. Today, she is responsible for digital and frontier technologies as well as security and democracy at European level, and she sees strong links between these portfolios.
Henna Virkkunen explained that technology and working life are changing fast, and that citizens need good basic skills and a strong motivation to keep learning and updating their competences. She referred to the Digital Decade targets, which include having 20 million ICT specialists and ensuring 80 percent of adults have at least basic digital skills by 2030. She noted that current figures show a significant gap to these targets, which is why skills and STEM, including AI related know how, must be top priorities.
In the context of the Democracy Shield presented just one day before, Henna Virkkunen detailed three pillars. The first is about the information space, including enforcing new EU rules that require online platforms to take responsibility for illegal content and disinformation, and strengthening the economic and editorial independence of free media. The second pillar focuses on safeguarding democratic institutions, including free and fair elections and the rule of law. The third pillar aims to build societal resilience, where education plays a key role. Henna Virkkunen stressed that without media literacy, digital skills and critical thinking, people are vulnerable to fake news, manipulation and online scams. For her, investing in civic and digital competences is essential not only for democracy and security, but also for economic growth, since stable, democratic societies are better places to invest.
Nela Riehl: inclusion, basic and civic skills and Parliament’s role
Nela Riehl, Chair of the European Parliament’s Committee for Culture and Education, spoke both as a former teacher and as a mother. Nela Riehl emphasised that education policy at European level must always keep inclusion in mind. For her, competitiveness and inclusion are not opposites but must go hand in hand. If Europe wants to strengthen its economy, it must make sure that everyone, regardless of background or where they live, can access quality education and develop their talents.
Nela Riehl pointed to persistent under representation of women and minorities in higher education and in decision making roles. She argued that this must change, including in STEM fields and in the governance of universities. She also underlined the need to invest in educational infrastructure and in good working conditions for teachers across Europe, so that the profession becomes and remains attractive for passionate people. As Chair of the CULT committee, Nela Riehl said she works to promote innovation in education policies and to support initiatives that foster civic, basic and digital skills.
On basic skills, Nela Riehl acknowledged the debate about definitions and terminology. For her, literacy, numeracy, science and digital skills are crucial, but so is civic education. She argued that civic education should be seen as a basic competence and integrated in curricula across Europe, not treated as an optional extra. She also warned that Europe is sometimes too slow in supporting not just younger generations but also adults to adapt to a rapidly changing digital information space. Nela Riehl mentioned upcoming work in the Committee on media literacy and stressed that the Parliament will keep pushing the Commission to set clear targets and to measure progress in both basic and civic competences.
Roxana Mînzatu, Executive Vice President for Social Rights and Skills, Quality Jobs and Preparedness, EC: education at the centre of Europe’s political agenda
In the closing plenary, Roxana Mînzatu returned to reflect on what she would “take home” from the Summit. Roxana Mînzatu said she felt both encouraged and challenged by the diversity of voices and ideas. Encouraged because there is a strong community that believes in education and skills, challenged because the tasks ahead are huge and will require coordination across many policy fields and institutions.
Roxana Mînzatu underlined that one of her main responsibilities is to create more synergy between education, skills and employment, and to fight fragmentation. She described how she works with two Directorates General, attends councils on labour and social affairs as well as on education, and tries to connect issues such as teachers’ careers, VET, adult learning, green and digital transitions, and social rights. She acknowledged that this is demanding work and that there are limits to time and capacity, but insisted that it is essential to overcome silos.
In her final remarks, Roxana Mînzatu invited everyone present to act “like apostles”, spreading the message that education must sit at the right place in political debates, budgets and media coverage. She reminded participants that Erasmus+ calls worth 5 billion euro had been launched the day before, and that the themes discussed at the Summit, from citizenship and media literacy to STEM, IT and teacher empowerment, can be reflected in how projects are designed. She urged stakeholders not to keep these conversations within the education community, but to engage colleagues working on budgets, competition policy, defence and other fields. For her, education is at a crossroads, and only a genuine whole of society effort will ensure that it leads to economic growth, social cohesion and democratic stability.
Why it matters for GEYC
The strong emphasis on STEM pathways, vocational excellence, micro credentials, Erasmus+ opportunities and lifelong learning gives us new arguments and frameworks to support young people and educators in Romania and beyond. It also helps us refine our own Future Skills work, from designing learning experiences that mix technical and soft skills to advocating for policies that value youth work as part of the skills ecosystem. By participating in events like the European Education and Skills Summit, GEYC can bring European conversations home, translate them into concrete activities for young people, and make sure that the voices of our communities are heard when the future of skills in Europe is being shaped.