The Meeting of Inclusion & Diversity (I&D) Officers organised by the SALTO Resource Centre for ID in Education and Training took place from 23 to 25 March 2026 in Zadar, Croatia, bringing together around 30 Officers dedicated to strengthening ID within the Erasmus+ and European Solidarity Corps programmes. The meeting provided an important space for cooperation and forward-looking discussions, with a strong focus on shaping the new edition of the Erasmus+ ID Strategy for the next Programme period (2028 – 2034).
The meeting, which was facilitated by experienced inclusion experts Sunčana Kusturin and Gisele Evrard, opened with a presentation by the SALTO ID ET team, who shared the results of their work over the past year, ongoing activities, as well as SALTO’s plans for 2026, going into 2027. This perspective was closely linked to preparations for the next Erasmus+ Programme period, inviting participants to reflect on their long-term priorities and the opportunities emerging from the cooperation amongst themselves and with SALTO.
Throughout the meeting, the central emphasis remained on the revision of the ID Strategy, a process already started by SALTO ID ET and SALTO ID YOU in dialogue with the European Commission. After initial informative input on the current state of affairs by Ms. Dora Lukač (Acting Head of SALTO ID ET), the meeting programme entailed thematic and sectoral working sessions, allowing participants to actively contribute their insights about open issues and suggestions for new modalities in addressing exclusion in European education and training. The discussions were structured around specific questions in the treatment of inclusion mechanisms, as well as around overarching topics concerning outreach and support to persons with fewer opportunities or ways of monitoring and evaluating the work done in this regard by NAs and SALTOs.
A session on the second day of the meeting led by Fruzsina Smolka (SALTO Resource Centre for Training and Cooperation Activities (TCA) in Education and Training) was dedicated to TCAs and LTAs as valuable channels for dialogue with beneficiary organizations which can be used to mainstream the horizontal priority of inclusion and diversity into E+ in an even more meaningful way. In addition to this, Tajana Krstonošić (SALTO ID ET) presented about the development of one of SALTO’s new tools, E+ Inclusion Support Measures at a Glance, which gave ID Officers the chance to discuss the existing inclusion measures and possible changes to be made to them.
An added value to the meeting was the contribution by Ms. Anastazija Stupar (European Commission), who held a presentation about the most recent considerations and developments in the evaluation of the ongoing E+ programme period and the design of the upcoming one. Additionally, Ms. Stupar took part in the discussions between ID Officers to take stock of their constructive input which will feed into the strategic shaping of the next Erasmus+ programme period. This connection between NA practitioners and policy development highlighted the importance of the meeting as a platform for meaningful contribution.
Beyond the formal programme, the participants also had the opportunity to explore the city of Zadar and experience inclusive events taking place locally, offering an additional perspective on inclusion in practice. Overall, the meeting underlined the shared commitment of all the stakeholders involved to building a more inclusive future of European education and training.