Over the past two decades, eTwinning has helped a generation of teachers to build enduring cross-border connections and collaborative projects.
eTwinning is the European Union’s flagship initiative for online school collaboration. It provides an online space for teachers and schools to work together and develop national and international projects in a safe online environment.
Planting the seeds of a community of teachers
When eTwinning was launched in January 2005, its vision was clear: to connect teachers across Europe through meaningful collaboration. The initiative took off, with 10,000 teachers from 7,000 schools in 27 countries working together across almost 2,000 projects in its first year.
Recognising excellence in collaboration
Recognition has always been an important part of the eTwinning experience. The first eTwinning prizes were awarded at the first annual conference in Linz, Austria, in 2006, celebrating outstanding projects. National Quality Labels were introduced, and since 2007 the European Quality Labels have been an important symbol of excellence in Europe-wide eTwinning projects.
Expanding horizons
The community of eTwinners has expanded rapidly over the years. By 2009, Türkiye, Croatia and Romania had joined, and by 2010 there were 100,000 registered teachers on the eTwinning portal. 2010 also saw the introduction of online courses, giving teachers opportunities to enhance their skills alongside colleagues from across Europe.
eTwinning extended its reach even further in 2012, welcoming new member countries including Armenia, Republic of Moldova, Tunisia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan and Georgia. This expansion added a new multicultural dimension to the eTwinning community. In that year alone, 35,000 teachers joined, taking part in nearly 5,000 projects. Meanwhile, the eTwinning for future teachers initiative also started equipping the next generation of educators.
The 10th anniversary in 2015 saw celebratory events across Europe, including in new members Liechtenstein, Serbia and Albania.
Building global connections
In 2018, eTwinning further expanded its reach by including Lebanon and Jordan, creating new partnerships between teachers in the Middle East and Europe. For the first time, over 100,000 new registrations were recorded in a single year. 2018 also saw the launch of the eTwinning School label, which rewards schools that embrace eTwinning values like European collaboration, inclusion and innovation, shared leadership and student agency.
Even during the challenges of the COVID-19 crisis, eTwinning helped schools stay connected and continue their collaborative projects. In 2022, eTwinning was integrated into the European School Education Platform, joining two major platforms for school education. Montenegro became part of eTwinning the same year, and was followed by Palestine1 and Kosovo2 in 2024.
Looking ahead
Over these 20 years, eTwinning has connected 1.2 million teachers from 295,000 schools in 46 countries, who have run more than 160,000 projects and reaching over 3 million pupils. But the impact of eTwinning goes beyond numbers – it’s about the friendships that have formed, the innovative methods shared and the thriving European community of teachers that has been created and continues to evolve.
Since 2014 eTwinning has been supported by the Erasmus+ programme, ensuring that synergies with other European Union initiatives offering opportunities for schools and educators will continue.
Source: European Commission | European School Education Platform | Discover | News (https://shorturl.at/5XkBR)