To help the New Independent States and Mongolia address central issues related to lifelong learning, the European Training Foundation organized a project on lifelong learning that involved the following countries: Armenia; Belarus; Georgia; Kazakhstan; Kyrgyzstan; Mongolia; the Russian Federation; Ukraine; and Uzbekistan. The project's principal component was a seminar on the conceptual aspects of lifelong learning and the current state of its development in the European Union and New Independent States. Each country prepared a national report outlining its current lifelong learning activities and policies. The European Commission contributed a memorandum on lifelong learning that defined lifelong learning as "all purposeful learning activity undertaken on an ongoing basis with the aim of improving knowledge, skills, and competence" and identified the following priorities for action: (1) value learning; (2) information, guidance, and counseling; (3) investing time and money in learning; (4) bringing together learners and learning opportunities; (5) basic skills; and (6) innovative pedagogy. Two broad recommendations directed toward the New Independent States emerged from the conference. The first was to raise awareness of the importance, components, and principles of lifelong learning. The second was to develop a more systematic approach to establishing lifelong learning policies and the legal framework underpinning them. (A table detailing the basic skills identified in the country reports is appended.) (MN)