Introduction

Over the past decade the countries and territories of South Eastern Europe have faced, and continue to face, unprecedented changes in their political, economic and social spheres. Many institutions, enterprises and individuals are ill-prepared for the complexity and depth of the changes that are fundamentally transforming work and social life. In order to respond effectively to permanent change, OECD countries and EU member states are now placing much more importance on lifelong learning, which emerged as a key policy issue towards the end of the 1990s as a strategic response to globalisation, the knowledge economy, continuous market and technological change, growing unemployment and rising social exclusion. In 2000 the Feira European Council asked EU member states and their partners to develop ‘coherent strategies and practical measures with a view to fostering lifelong learning for all’. Governments have put in place and are adjusting policies and institutional arrangements to ensure lifelong access to opportunities for acquiring the knowledge and competences essential for economic, social and personal development.

Transition has had a major impact on the skills that enterprises need in order to maintain and improve their competitiveness and, in particular, the skills needed by small and medium-sized businesses. With economic transition and privatisation, former state or socially owned industries in South Eastern Europe have closed or restructured, or are in the process of doing so. This has led to high levels of unemployment, in particular long-term unemployment.