The EU ups the pace in higher education. The new strategy makes universities cornerstones in bringing education, research and innovation ever closer together.
On 18 January 2022, the European Commission (EC) published their highly anticipated policy package for higher education, consisting of a Communication on a European Strategy for Universities and an accompanying proposal for a Council Recommendation on building bridges for effective European higher education cooperation.
As it is not long until 2025 when the European Education Area (EEA) should be realised, the strategy aims to accelerate the process of convergence in the higher education sector in Europe. The EC puts the universities, especially the European university alliances, at the centre of this transformation. Compared to the previous European strategies for higher education, the new strategy highlights the positive dynamic of the sector and the crucial role of universities in tackling the global challenges including the digital and green transitions. The ambitious process to create an ever closer European university (eco-)system is necessary for Europe to “get a seat at the geopolitical table” as Michael Murphy, president of the European University Association (EUA) put it in response to the strategy. According to the strategy, this will only be possible if more connections and synergies between education, research and innovation are achieved, e.g. if academic career paths are planned in a more long-term and holistic way. EC Vice-President Margaritis Schinas (Promoting our European Way of Life) called the ambition of this strategy and of the EEA a “mega Bologna plus process”, suggesting higher pace and ambition compared to the European Higher Education Area (EHEA).
So what does the strategy actually contain? The main proposals aim to remove administrative and other barriers in the transnational collaboration between universities and to foster flexibility for students and researchers to work and study across Europe. In order to achieve this, four key initiatives are put forward: First, the existing European university alliances should be funded sustainably, and their number increased from currently 41 to at least 60 alliances by mid-2024 (which represents about 10% of all HEI in Europe). This means that existing alliances will be expanded and new ones funded; additionally the alliances are now open for associated partners from Bologna countries. Switzerland provides special funding for Swiss higher education institutions (HEI) to join the alliances. Second, European university alliances and other types of HEI alliances should be given a new legal statute to facilitate deeper long-term cooperation by eliminating legal barriers. In 2022, different legal statutes will be piloted by the existing European university alliances, and in 2024 a definite legal statute should be proposed. Third, a European degree should be developed, which would be automatically recognised across the EU. Building also on the experience of the Erasmus Mundus programme, the EC will develop criteria for such a degree in 2022 and examine different options by mid-2024. As the creation of transnational degrees is very complex due to differing national regulations and challenges in recognition, the EC proposes to eventually move from individual programme accreditation to institutional accreditation. As quality assurance is a key issue in this regard, the EC will propose in the near future an update of the 2006 Recommendation on further European cooperation in quality assurance in higher education. Following the first Forum of universities for the future of Europe from 26 January 2022, the French Presidency of the Council of the EU will further hold a follow-up conference reuniting the European universities in June 2022, at which the first European diplomas for selected joint degrees shall be awarded. Fourth, the use of the European Student Card should become generalised: In 2022, a unique European student identifier will be made available for all Erasmus+ students, and in 2024 for all students in the EU. This will likely take the form of a wide-recognised QR code as a new element on the student cards in the EU. Alongside these key initiatives, the harmonisation of the recruitment of students, lecturers and researchers, the establishment of common transnational campuses and the creation of common structures for training and research will be advanced; and this in turn calls for joint IT infrastructures.
Lastly, in order to monitor the progress of the implementation of the strategy, the EC will set up a new European Higher Education Sector Observatory in 2023. This observatory should study progress and annually publish a European Higher Education Sector Scoreboard.
Sector associations such as the European University Association (EUA) or the Guild welcomed the proposals as they bring new momentum to the sector, while at the same time doubts on how realistic the initiatives are remain. As education is in the competence of the EU Member States, the success of the proposals will strongly depend on the national implementation. Member States would need to change national legislation or give up competences, especially when it comes to awarding European degrees and adopting a common quality assurance; the success of such processes under the Bologna framework has been limited so far, Switzerland is one of the few countries that went ahead and joined the European Quality Assurance Register for Higher Education. The EC’s main instrument in support of the proposals, the only element with significant EU funding, are the European university alliances; they should act as pathfinders in testing and implementing the innovative proposals. Student representatives from the existing European university alliances support the transnational convergence in European higher education in a Manifesto on the Future of European Universities. They particularly support the creation of more joint multicultural and multilingual degrees, more access to online courses across the continent and student representation in the governance of the European universities. Switzerland as a member of the Bologna process and with the participation in the European universities initiative will also be concerned by and contributing to the ever closer cooperation and convergence between education, research and innovation.