Purpose: The paper's aim is to present a critical review of the current European process of co-operation in VET with a special view to the European Qualification Framework and its competence orientation. Design/methodology/approach: The approach reviews the official documentation and the consultation process and a contrastive analysis of the state of the art of research and developments in VET. Findings: In order to make European VET a direct contribution to the revised Lisbon agenda, a more concise shared vision with regard to the processes and structures of vocational education might be needed. Research limitations/implications: It does not seem possible logically and pragmatically to fully abstract from the processes in which competence is acquired and in which it is going to be used. Practical implications: Research and development activities in the European Union should be integrated towards an agenda that covers structures, conditions and processes of learning for the world of work. Originality/value: Apart from a few other contributions, critical accounts of current policies and its implications for research and practice are scarce. (Contains 2 tables and 1 figure.)