The purpose of the article is to describe the emerging trends and barriers of continuing education at all levels within Russia’s integration into the European area of research, education and innovation. The research draws upon the problem of the contradiction between the promotion of continuing education best practices of Western European countries into education system of Russia, and the need to preserve the national positive trends. We define the competency-based approach as one of the leading trends in the development of continuing education which stimulates the updating of learning environment, the formation of the federal state educational standards of higher education, professional standards, national qualifications system and the national qualifications framework, social partnership. The problem of mobility of students and teachers, lack of access to necessary information and resources for learning and of network among educational institutions, mass higher education are considered as the barriers, overcoming of which will lead to more effective modernization within national education system.