EASNIE held its autumn bi-annual meeting in Bratislava, Slovakia, on 5–6 November 2025, bringing together its Representative Board members, National Co-ordinators and members of the EASNIE team from across Europe.
EASNIE Chair Don Mahon opened the meeting, followed by Director João Costa, who shared recent developments in EASNIE’s work and outlined future plans. He noted that 2026 will mark EASNIE’s 30th anniversary – a milestone that he invited member countries to celebrate together through various activities.
Morning sessions featured updates on key activities, including Country Policy Development Support, the European Agency Statistics on Inclusive Education (EASIE), and the Thematic Country Cluster Activities (TCCA). Participants also took part in an interactive ‘poster walk’, exploring the work on learner and family participation, monitoring and evaluation, collaboration and quality assurance in inclusive education that is underway in the six TCCA clusters.
The Representative Board addressed key governance topics, including approving the Work Programme and budget for 2026 and discussing preparations for the next Multi-Annual Work Programme. A significant milestone was the approval of the Republic of North Macedonia’s application for EASNIE membership.
National Co-ordinators exchanged on the visibility, outreach and impact of EASNIE’s work and shared information on national initiatives, such as Norway’s Education Act.
Further sessions provided opportunities for exchanging experiences and initiatives across member countries. Topics included teacher preparedness and professional learning, inclusive curricula and assessment, preventive support measures, and resource allocation.
The day’s meetings concluded with a social programme and dinner hosted by the Slovakian Ministry of Education, Research, Development and Youth. Minister Tomáš Drucker addressed EASNIE representatives, expressing his appreciation for the work that they do towards inclusive education, and stating that it ‘really changes real lives’.
On the second day of the bi-annual meeting, the Slovakian Ministry hosted a conference in collaboration with EASNIE and Comenius University, titled ‘Towards inclusive education: new challenges and approaches’. The conference explored initiatives to improve inclusive education in Slovakia.
The next bi-annual meeting will take place in spring 2026 in Cyprus.
