The briefing document provides policy context for the 2017 Council Recommendation on graduate tracking, as well as an overview of the steps taken within the context of the European Commission's European Graduate Tracking Initiative, which aims to obtain data comparability and enhance the quality of national graduate tracking measures across the European Education Area.

A key milestone on the way to attaining the initiative's goals was the launch of the European Graduate Tracking Network in May 2022. In 2023, the European Commission will provide a comprehensive overview on the progress made in implementing the 2017 Council Recommendation. It expects graduate tracking to be used at European level by 2025. The briefing also summarises the European Parliament position on graduate tracking.