Deputy ministers and secretaries of state from the European Union Member States and EU neighbouring countries, together with representatives of the European Commission and local institutions, met in Turin on 18 and 19 November for the high-level roundtable “Advancing lifelong learning in the context of EU accession and neighbourhood”.
The meeting was organised by the European Training Foundation (ETF), the EU agency based in Turin, together with DVV International – the Institute for International Cooperation of the German Adult Education Association, which supports adult learning systems and policies worldwide – and under the patronage of the City of Turin. The event helped to accelerate progress in building modern, coherent and inclusive adult learning systems – an essential condition for competitiveness, technological transition, social cohesion and advancement along the EU accession path.
The discussions brought together participants from Albania, Armenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Türkiye and Ukraine, as well as from countries such as Italy, Poland and Slovenia, alongside representatives of the European Commission and the authorities of Turin and Piedmont. Among those present were: Andrii Vitrenko, Deputy Minister of Education and Science, Ukraine (online); Araksia Svajyan, Deputy Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport, Armenia; Andrej Sotošek, Secretary of State, Ministry of Education, Slovenia; Felicia Bechtoldt, Secretary of State, Ministry of Labour and Social Protection, Moldova; and Liudmila Stihi, Secretary of State, Ministry of Education and Research, Moldova.