This report is the first in a series published by the IDEAL (Impact of Distance Education on Adult Learning) project. The IDEAL project ran from October 2013 to September 2015 with financial support from the EU Lifelong Learning Programme. The project aims to: (1) offer insights on the needs of adult learners to both policymakers and distance education providers; (2) strengthen the social dimension of higher education by better meeting the needs of adult learners; and (3) increase the participation of adult learners in higher education through distance education. The aim of this first report is to examine the distance education that European higher education institutions offer, and identify the intended target groups, in particular, adult learners. This report presents a brief overview of the emergence, spread, and current provision of distance education at the European level. For this study, the programs and course units listed on DistanceLearningPortal.com were analysed, and a survey was carried out among distance education providers. The findings go into great detail regarding: (1) providers of distance education; (2) subjects, levels, degrees, and credits; (3) organisation and delivery mode; (4) entry requirements and reported target groups; (5) costs and funding opportunities for distance education; (6) flexibility of the distance education offered; (7) support to students; and (8) drivers for distance education and future expectations. [For the second report, "Distance Education in European Higher Education--The Students," see ED560485. For the third report, "Distance Education in European Higher Education--The Potential," see ED560486.]