Policy Landscape and Promotion of Life-Long Learning in Croatia in the EU Context (2018–2022)

Abstract

In this paper, we review the EU and national (Croatian) education policy trends related to life-long learning and adult education in the last five years, focusing on the subsequent crises (COVID-19 and the security crisis caused by the war in Ukraine) and their influence on policy processes and documents. We also provide secondary data on trends in Croatian adult education, as well as present the results of empirical research performed on a sample of adult education providers from the Republic of Croatia. Our research aimed to identify how the policy trends have been reflected in the practice of Croatian adult education providers in the last five years (2018–2022), with the focus on (a) the practice of life-long learning and adult education promotion; (b) target groups for adult education providers in Croatia; and (c) how the institutional infrastructure in Croatia has supported adult education providers. The obtained results inform the policymakers and practitioners of adult education of potential discrepancies between policy trends and education practices relevant to small and peripheral EU member countries.