The concept of Lifelong Learning (LLL) has been present in education history for almost a century. Its origin can be traced back to the 1920’s and 1930’s when lifelong education meant educational opportunities for adults, particularly workers. Half a century later, the concept of permanent education reshaped the idea of LLL and introduced a few more elements to the equation: that learning takes place throughout life; that it is inclusive of various social sectors; that it takes place in different settings (formal, non-formal, and informal) and that it has a range of social, cultural and economic purposes.

Since then, LLL has been an important part of international educational discourse, an emerging field of study and practice, and a flag for policy making across the globe. Ever since the European Commission, the OECD and UNESCO emphasised the need for LLL as a prerequisite for economic growth and social cohesion in a knowledge society (or knowledge based economy) LLL has gained momentum. However, these international organisations (IOs) present different definitions of LLL, and they differ on its purposes. The following paper analyses these IOs’ conceptual dissimilarities and their influence on national and regional education policies, particularly that of the European Commission.

By employing policy, text and discourse analyses, the study examines the purposes and orientations of LLL policies within the European Commission, Spain and the Basque Country, and the influences that the first two have had on the latter. To this effect, the pertinence of transferring public policies (i.e. policy borrowing/lending) between countries and regions is discussed.

The study starts by identifying commonalities in the conceptualisations of LLL, amongst which the following can be mentioned:

• That LLL is about placing learners (and their needs/demands) in the centre of educational methods, programmes and policies;
• That LLL should equip individuals (and societies) to cope with (adapt to and/or transform) today’s fast changing world; and,
• That LLL involves developing competences and opportunities to learn throughout life in an autonomous fashion.

It then proceeds to unveil the different emphases that are given to LLL in educational policy making –and academic literature- by grouping them in three categories: a) LLL for economic growth and progress; b) for personal development and fulfilment; and c) for social inclusion and democratisation.

The paper concludes with a critique to the disproportionate emphasis on the most utilitarian dimension of LLL (i.e. economic growth and employability) in educational policy, and a suggestion to revisit the purpose of LLL by addressing six tensions:

1. The tension between education and learning (as guiding principles)
2. The tension between adaptation and transformation (as educational goals)
3. The tension between learning societies and knowledge based economies
4. The tensions between LLL for employment and economic growth (lifelong earning), and LLL for social inclusion, active citizenship, and personal fulfilment.
5. The tensions between the individual and collective dimensions of LLL (needs, wants, and aspirations

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