EAEA – European Association for the Education of Adults is a transnational non-profit association based in Belgium, with 120 members in 40 countries, representing adult learning and education (ALE) organisations at the EU level. While EAEA’s policy work is based on EU policies and initiatives, it also creates a bridge between EU and non-EU countries in terms of ALE provision and policymaking. EAEA promotes inclusive education for all with a focus on under-represented groups in learning, the acquisition of life skills and key competencies, professional development of educators as well as leaders and other staff in the ALE sector, and excellence and innovation through learner-centred and transformative non-formal learning methodologies and approaches. EAEA provides information on EU policy to its members as well as supports them in good practices exchange and to get involved in Erasmus+ projects, and, at the same time, cooperate with EU institutions, especially the European Commission, but also the European Parliament and the Committee of the Regions, to provide information on new developments at the grassroots level of ALE to the EU level. EAEA also cooperates with national and regional governments as well as the Council of Europe, platforms at the EU level, i.e. LLLPlatform, Social Platform, and SDG Watch Europe, UNESCO and its international body, the International Council for Adult Education (ICAE), to bridge the national with the EU and the global perspective. EAEA also cooperate with EPALE, the European electronic platform for adult learning and education, and promotes staff development and capacity-building among our members and our wider network through our well-established EAEA Younger Staff Training and the new Executive Staff Training. EAEA supports the vision of a learning Europe, where all adults can participate in learning, regardless of their personal or socio-economic background, and supports the transformative power of non-formal learning in adulthood, as outlined in its Manifesto for Adult Learning in the 21st Century.
EAEA has long been involved in addressing the skills gap, providing adult learners with the competencies to adjust to today’s rapidly changing realities and to promote just green change, civic engagement and social inclusion. Improving access to and increasing participation in ALE opportunities is a core and ongoing objective for EAEA.
By leveraging EAEA’s extensive experience in coordinating EU-funded projects and its expansive network within the European Union, EAEA contributed to making ALE more accessible by helping to develop the RALExILA model for registries of adult learning and supporting the implementation of individual learning accounts.
The expertise that EAEA brought to the project included policy development, stakeholder engagement, governance, and quality assurance in adult learning and education.
Building on their extensive expertise in managing and coordinating EU-funded projects, EAEA acted as project manager of RALExILA, leading the coordination of the project and consortium. EAEA was the coordinator and lead of work package 1, which implemented structured and systemic processes for the general management of the project, monitoring its activities (coordination of the WPs, the consortium, financial monitoring, and internal communication) and conducting administrative tasks such as reporting to the funding agency.
As lead of WP1, EAEA was supported by an external expert for the impact evaluation of the project outcomes and by AUC for coordinating the evaluation and quality assurance processes.
Additionally, EAEA coordinated the Advisory Panel and co-led WP4, which consisted of the prototyping and pilot activities of the model in the four partner countries. EAEA led the task of finalising the Handbook for the National Registries for ALE, embedding the results of the piloting activities.
Viola Pinzi
Head of Projects
EAEA Head of Projects, Viola Pinzi oversees the overall coordination of EAEA projects and ensures smooth project application, implementation and reporting processes, together with the other members of the projects team. She is also following developments on EU financing instruments for ALE, especially Erasmus+ and Horizon Europe, and is actively contributing to multi-sectoral working groups. Viola Pinzi joined EAEA in January 2023 and she has 20 years’ experience in the fields of education and employment services, with a focus on social inclusion and ICT tools integration. She holds a degree in Communication Sciences from the University of Siena and MSc in Information Studies from the University of Amsterdam. In the last 8 years, Viola worked as project manager at European Schoolnet, also involved in technical product management, research, training activities and knowledge management, in initiatives such as Better Internet for Kids, Digital Skills and Jobs Platform, Digital SkillUp and Games in schools.
Raffaela Kihrer
Deputy Secretary General and Head of Policy
EAEA’s Deputy Secretary General and Head of Policy oversees coordinating EAEA’s policy and advocacy work, including also ensuring policy relevance of project results. She is an active member of several working groups and task forces that address the European Semester, the implementation of the European Education Area and its policy initiatives, sustainability and global citizenship education, and the financing of ALE. Graduated in International Development Studies from the University of Vienna, Austria, Raffaela Kihrer is also a trained adult educator and certified secondary school teacher with diplomas from the University of Vienna and Free University of Brussels (VUB). She has extensive experience in policy, project and capacity building work in international and European networks. Since 2022, she has also been one of the Vice-President of the Lifelong Learning Platform (LLLPlatform).
Gina Ebner
Secretary General
The EAEA Secretary General oversees the overall management of the organisation and coordination of tasks among the team members. Together with the EAEA Executive Board, members, and staff, she is also preparing the annual budget of EAEA and develops EAEA’s general strategies and vision. She is also actively involved in EAEA’s policy and advocacy work and is often invited to international, European and national conferences and seminars as a speaker and key European expert on ALE. Gina Ebner has worked in adult education for many years and has a background as an education and project manager, experience in multistakeholder and transnational environments, network building, curriculum and product development, knowledge management, and team and project leadership. She also worked as a trainer in adult education. She was President of the European Civil Society Platform on Lifelong Learning (now European Lifelong Learning Platform – LLLP) until 2013 and again between 2018 and 2020.
Angeliki Giannakopoulou
Senior Project and Policy Coordinator
EAEA’s Senior Project Coordinator Angeliki Giannakopoulou coordinates and supports the development and implementation of all EU projects of EAEA, in all stages. Thanks to her strong experience in the work of grass-roots organisations in ALE, she also contributes to EAEA’s policy work by engaging EAEA’s members and organisations working at the grass-roots level in consultation processes.
She holds an Integrated Master’s degree in Computer Engineering and Informatics from the University of Patras and she has certificates in training adult educators and in guidance and counselling. She is also currently finalising a part-time MA in Gender Studies.
Her key areas of interest on ALE are digitalisation and media, safe public spaces (both physical and digital), direct-democratic processes, gender, and intersectionality.
Marina Sakač Hadžić
Communication and Capacity Building Officer
In her role as a Communication and Capacity Building Officer, Marina Sakač Hadžić is responsible for supporting the external communication of EAEA, including managing the social media presence and website, preparing visuals and communication materials, as well as the monthly member newsletter. She contributes to the capacity building of EAEA by organising events, workshops, and trainings, supporting EAEA’s podcast series, and being involved in data sourcing, research, and writing. Additionally, she assists with EAEA’s project work. Marina completed her studies in Ethnology and Anthropology for her BA at the University of Belgrade, followed by an MSc in Social and Cultural Anthropology at KU Leuven. She joined EAEA in January 2023 as a Programme and Events Assistant.
Lisa-Marie Steinkampf
Research and Policy Assistant
As a research and policy assistant, Lisa-Marie Steinkampf supported the implementation and research of the RALExILA project and Partner UP, assisting in general coordination activities and contributing to the creation of key project deliverables. She attained a Bachelor of Social Science from the Technical University Braunschweig and a Master of Sociology from the Leibniz University Hannover in 2023. Previously she has worked as a research assistant and researcher in higher education research, contributing to a panel study on the educational pathways of professors in Germany. In January 2024, Lisa-Marie Steinkampf joined the European Association of the Education of Adults.