In European countries, education of adults takes precedence over education of older adults. In the light of this issue, partner organisations of “Education of Older Adults: Comparing Baltic and Nordic Frameworks” project funded by the Nordplus Adult programme came together for the period of 18 months and invested time and resources to prepare a research study, comparing coordination and financing frameworks of older adult education in Lithuania, Latvia, Denmark, and Iceland. Starting in June 2019, building on peer-to-peer exchange and material gathered during study trips to partner countries, partners engaged in mapping of institutional frameworks, one of the key elements to Nordic success-story (Rothstein 1998), looking to identify ways for Baltic states to “catch-up” their counterparts, and likewise to further improve learning opportunities for older adults in Nordic countries.

The project focused on four different levels: organizational (how is the quality of older adult education programmes assured?), municipal (how do municipal governments coordinate and finance older adult education?), national (which national bodies are responsible for development and implementation of relevant legislation?) and European (how do European structural and other external funds contribute to development of older adult education?) Focusing on one level or combining a couple of these aspects, country chapters aim to arrive at relevant and implementable recommendations for older adult education in respective countries. In cases where improvements are more urgent and feasible, recommendations are provided for the broader field of adult education.