Brussels, 2 June 2026 – Rapid technological change and increasing societal pressures are reshaping education systems across Europe. Against this backdrop, reconnecting learners with the natural world was at the heart of TUI’s Policy Breakfast in Brussels.
Co-organised with the TUI Care Foundation and Salzburg Global, the event gathered policymakers and Brussels-based education leaders to discuss advancing Nature-Based Education (NBE) and climate literacy. The dialogue was moderated by Dr. Ralf Pastleitner, Head of the TUI Group Corporate Office EU.
Bridging Global Roadmaps and EU FrameworksThe discussion explored how NBE can be more effectively embedded within existing EU frameworks to move from commitment to implementation. Participants examined the alignment between the Salzburg Global “
Call to Action” – which was notably presented at the United Nations General Assembly – and the EU’s comprehensive approach to environmental sustainability education, focusing on the
Council Recommendation on learning for the green transition.
According to recent European Commission
findings, only 29.8% of young Europeans report taking action for sustainability in their daily lives. Participants noted that while awareness of environmental challenges is high, it is not always matched by a sense of agency. In this context, NBE can help close that gap by fostering resilience, confidence and a sense of personal and collective responsibility – empowering learners to move from concern to action. Integrating NBE directly supports the
Education for Climate Coalition’s overarching policy priority of intergenerational fairness, ensuring that current and future generations share responsibility for addressing climate change and biodiversity loss.
Defining the Framework and the Role of Data
Veronika Blach, Head of Environmental Programs at TUI Care Foundation, and Dominic Regester, Director Education at Salzburg Global, outlined the NBE framework.
"At its purest or simplest way, it is about having more nature in the classroom and more learning happening outside in nature", stated Regester.
He further noted that in the context of rapid technological shifts and upcoming AI-driven economies, social and emotional skills will be more crucial than ever for future employability. Direct engagement with nature serves as one of the most effective environments to build these essential human competencies. The requirement for robust data and measurement mechanisms was also a central theme. Highlighting a new transdisciplinary initiative, Dominic Regester emphasized the push for "funding to develop a global indicator that could measure how we move the needle on nature-based education," ensuring that educators and policymakers have the necessary metrics to assess the effectiveness of sustainability education programmes and track progress over time.
Local Implementation and Sectoral Integration
From principle to pactice: The discussion turned to how these frameworks are implemented across different levels of governance. Dorota Tomalak, representing the European Committee of the Regions, clarified that educational mandates frequently fall under the jurisdiction of regional or municipal authorities.
“Whilst education is a national competence, when you start breaking it down, it is not national but regional. At the end of the day, the majority of the laws will be implemented by the mayors. So, we need to get to those people and convince them first”, noted Tomalak.
TUI Group’s Ralf Pastleitner (left) together with Veronika Blach, Head of Environmental Programs at TUI Care Foundation (middle), and Dominic Regester, Director Education at Salzburg Global (right).
The TUI Junior Academy and Looking Forward
Building on over a decade of experience, the Foundation’s Junior Academies continue to support NBE projects in tourism destinations worldwide. These initiatives demonstrate that embedding environmental themes into curricula successfully promotes green skills, civic engagement, and supports a just transition to renewable energy and ecosystem protection.
“If you want to have a sustainable destination, if you want to see sustainable growth, if you want to have green jobs in the future, you need to start with education”, stated Veronika Blach.
Blach further emphasised that fostering individual agency and soft skills within these programs is directly linked to the long-term resilience of tourism destinations, as it empowers local communities to actively protect their own ecosystems. Participants also highlighted the growing demand for green skills across the European economy. As Europe advances its Green Deal objectives, education systems are increasingly expected to prepare young people not only with climate knowledge and competencies for emerging green jobs, but also with the social and emotional capabilities that will be essential in the digital transition. In this context, NBE can contribute to developing resilience, collaboration, adaptability and critical thinking, helping learners navigate both environmental and technological change.
The TUI Policy Breakfast concluded by exploring opportunities for joint initiatives and the possibility of an ongoing advocacy and policymaker network to support peer learning and practical implementation across different country contexts.
