Abstract:
The 136-page Progress Report published by the European Commission at the end of 2025 provides an up-to-date EU-level overview of the implementation of the 2022 Council Recommendation on “A European approach to micro-credentials for lifelong learning and employability” across the 27 EU Member States as well as Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway. The report is based on a comprehensive survey of key stakeholders from higher education, vocational education and training (VET), and public employment services. This article briefly outlines the study’s methodology and then focuses on the political embeddedness of micro-credentials (Chapter 6) and the report’s conclusions and recommendations (Chapter 7), with particular attention to developments in Germany, the Netherlands, France, Denmark, Belgium, Austria, and Ireland. Overall, while regulatory and strategic frameworks are emerging in many countries, coherent recognition and quality assurance mechanisms, data-based impact evidence, and sustainable funding remain key bottlenecks, even though some countries already exhibit sector-specific micro-credential ecosystems.
Über die Autor*innen:
- Imke Buß,
Dr., war 10 Jahre als Leitung einer Abteilung Studium und Lehre tätig, bevor sie 2021 ins Wissenschaftsministerium Baden-Württemberg wechselte. Dort ist sie stellvertretende Leiterin des Referats „Grundsatzfragen Studium und Lehre“ - Olaf Bartz,
Dr., Geschäftsführer und Vorstandsmitglied der Stiftung Akkreditierungsrat, Bonn
