Youth and adult learning for the green transition in Italy and Portugal: policy and perspectives of key-actors from multilevel governance

Processes of Europeanisation of multilevel governance enable Member States to align their national policies (horizontal level) with European Union (EU) priority agendas (vertical level) by adopting and adapting measures and guidelines. This analysis compares aspects of youth and adult learning (YAL) in Italy and Portugal related to the implementation of green and sustainable agendas. We are searching for signs of multilevel negotiation and features of policy transfer in the current mechanisms at work in the selected contexts. The study aims to answer the following research question (RQ): how do EU guidelines from the European Green Deal (EGD) influence or shape national YAL policies? We are interested in the perceptions that key multilevel policy actors have heuristically developed about the efficiency of soft law policy tools in allowing Europeanisation to deepen over time, and the challenges this presents in terms of national YAL policy agendas. The comparative research was carried out using a qualitative methodological approach, based on content analysis of four key EU policy guidelines and four in-depth interviews with national coordinators of the last two European Years Initiatives (EYI). The results show the central role of networks of best practice, revealing underlying processes of policy learning.