Working with the EU and its Member States

Our activities are devised and delivered in the context of EU policies. Our work helps to strengthen relations between the EU and EU neighbouring countries, and we contribute to improving the relevance and effectiveness of EU technical and financial assistance in those countries. Human capital development – that is, improving people’s skills and capabilities – requires high-quality, well-governed, and innovative vocational education and training systems that are responsive to labour market needs. Our work in support of reforming these systems in EU neighbouring countries plays a pivotal role in building regional stability, improving national economic prospects, and enabling the aspirations of millions of people.

Our European framework

We operate within key EU instruments’ policy-driven approach to external assistance: the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance, the European Neighbourhood Policy, and the Development Cooperation Instrument. These are intended to support partner countries to design and implement reform strategies that align with their own national policy priorities. In doing so, external assistance serves the interests of the partner countries and the EU Member States. 

This is reflected in the importance of human capital development for current EU priorities. The EU’s Strategic Agenda 2024-2029 and the European Commission’s Priorities 2024-2029 provide the overarching framework for our work, particularly under the headings of A Prosperous and Competitive Europe, and A Global Europe: Leveraging our Power and Partnerships. The latter places specific emphasis on the EU’s wider neighbourhood, and its promotion of peace, partnerships and economic stability is central to ETF’s mission. EU enlargement also remains a key priority, with human capital development playing a critical role in supporting candidate and potential candidate countries on their path to accession. Moreover, the Global Gateway and its operational delivery mechanism Team Europe Initiatives, the EU Skills Agenda, the Global Approach to Migration and Mobility (GAMM), and the European Pillar of Social Rights also guide our activities. 

Strategic partnerships

The ETF’s 2027 strategy, A Strategic Approach to Delivery in Partnership, reflects a strengthened commitment to working with our European and international partners on human capital development. It consolidates this approach against the backdrop of shifting geopolitical and financial realities in the EU and its neighbourhood, with a particular focus on growing existing partnerships and creating synergies under the Team Europe approach. This includes active collaboration with the development agencies of many EU Member States, relationships that will continue to be a priority as we aim to maximise the impact of European expertise in skills and human capital development.

EU neighbouring countries and beyond

The up-to-date and comprehensive nature of our expertise in supporting education and training systems and well-functioning labour markets in partner countries is much in demand. In addition to supporting the work of EU Delegations and the Directorate-General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations, a growing number of EU programmes seek our input to help them deliver projects in EU neighbouring countries. 

The 2008 recast regulation, which introduced flexibility in our geographical scope, enables the European Commission to call upon our expertise in response to specific proposals and with the agreement of our Governing Board. To date, this has been most notable in Africa, which has become a significant area of engagement reflecting the EU’s growing strategic priorities on the continent. This includes the management of the EU-supported African Continental Qualifications Framework project (2023-2026), undertaken in partnership with the African Union Commission, as well as support to vocational excellence development in sub-Saharan Africa.