The 2023 Annual Network Meeting (ANM) of the European Network of Graduate Tracking took place in Stockholm on 10-11 May 2023. The meeting constituted the second in-person gathering of the Network following a Peer Learning Activity (PLA) held in Prague, Czechia, in October 2022. Around 40 members from the Network, including National Reference Points (NRPs) from 20 countries and representatives from European-level stakeholders and social partners, along with the European Commission and members from the Support Service Team, participated in the event. 

The objective of the meeting was to share experiences and results from the past year and to identify future priorities and next steps for the Network and its sub-groups. The meeting included a set of informative presentations providing updates on the European Graduate Tracking Initiative and Eurograduate 2022, as well as country presentations from members of the Network (CY, RO, NO and PL). Relevant topics for the Network were also discussed through a series of parallel action and exploratory workshops.

A key message from the ANM 2023 is the apparent willingness and motivation of Network members to work together to improve graduate tracking. Several positive suggestions and ideas for cooperation were also identified. Below are a few of the key discussions and ideas for the future of the Network and shared graduate tracking initiatives:

• The Network expressed interest in creating smaller groups to address topics in more depth and through a more targeted and solution-driven approach. The development of country fiches could help facilitate this process by exploring areas of expertise, current challenges and interests. The country fiches could also include contact information to encourage further networking and cooperation. 
• Following the preparation and field phase of Eurograduate 2022, there is a strong interest from Network members to be given opportunities to determine the future scope, approach and methodology for Eurograduate 2026. A joint Network and Eurograduate 2022 meeting is planned for early 2024 to discuss results, lessons learnt and future plans. The Working Group on ‘Preparing for the next European higher education graduate survey’ will also continue to discuss Eurograduate 2026. 

Several members expressed interest in addressing issues related to data protection and the implications of GDPR on graduate tracking using administrative data (and combining and linking administrative and survey data). It is expected that this will be the topic of a webinar in December 2023, and may also be covered as part of the Working Group on ‘Tracking mobile graduates’.