The EU Commission's new higher education package contains a blueprint for a European university degree
28 March 2024
The new three-part higher education package consists of the following:
- a Communication on a blueprint for a European higher education qualification
- a proposal for a Council Recommendation on a European Quality Assurance and Recognition System and
- a proposal for a Council Recommendation on attractive and sustainable careers in higher education.
The package aims to facilitate transnational cooperation between higher education institutions, overcome barriers to the development of joint higher education programmes and increase the competitiveness of the higher education sector in the EU.
The blueprint for a European degree is based on the results of six Erasmus+ projects, in which criteria for a European label were developed and tested with the participation of more than 140 higher education institutions across Europe (link). It is also based on consultations with experts from the higher education sector and a call for evidence (link) at the beginning of the year.
- provides for the possibility for internationally collaborating higher education institutions to issue a joint, criteria-based degree (i) on a voluntary basis, (ii) in all three cycles of higher education (Bachelor, Master, Doctorate) and (iii) on the basis of automatic recognition.
- presents two possible access points for higher education institutions: (i) the award of a common, criteria-based “European Higher Education Diploma” label, (ii) the award of a criteria-based European Higher Education Diploma.
- lists in Annex II 16 European criteria for the European degree and label, relating to the categories (i) transnational programme organisation and management, (ii) learning experience, (iii) European values, all of which should be fulfilled upon award.
- encourages Member States to remove legal obstacles to the award of joint degrees and to anchor the European degree as a new type of qualification in national legislation, while respecting institutional autonomy and the principle of subsidiarity.
- supports the implementation of the Bologna Process and the use of existing instruments for joint degree courses.
- provides for the issuing of the quality seal by quality assurance agencies or self-accrediting higher education institutions.
- sees long-standing and well-established programmes in the higher education sector such as Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters, Marie Skłodowska-Curie (MSCA) Joint Doctoral Programmes and the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) as a guidepost for the implementation of European degrees.
- informs about the Commission’s plan to enable new Erasmus+ funding to support higher education institutions in designing European degrees. This is to be based on the proven Erasmus Mundus Design Measures programme.
- presents the funding of Erasmus+ projects (line “Future-oriented projects”) as a financial incentive for member states, quality assurance agencies and higher education institutions for 2025.
Link to the communication on a blueprint for a European higher education degree.
- aims to make quality assurance processes more agile, international and fit for purpose and calls for more streamlined, consistent and consolidated quality assurance procedures.
- sees internal quality assurance systems of system-accredited higher education institutions as conducive to the acceleration of quality assurance procedures and advocates their further expansion.
- sees a need to create a quality assurance framework that enables higher education institutions to evaluate their joint quality assurance system at a cross-institutional and cross-programme level.
- underpins the relevance of the Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area (ESG) and the European Approach to Quality Assurance of Joint Programmes (European Approach) for the consolidation of the European Higher Education Area and the quality assurance of higher education.
- supports the further development of DEQAR, also to promote the visibility and transparency of European higher education qualifications.
- recommends that Member States develop clear guidelines for higher education institutions to distinguish between the automatic recognition of a degree and the right of higher education institutions to decide on admission to a particular degree programme. Link to the proposal for a European Quality Assurance and Recognition System
- calls for greater recognition and appreciation of academic activities and roles in all dimensions of the mission of higher education institutions (teaching, research, strategic, advisory and support functions), which are unevenly recognised, and of the various academic careers, and sees this as necessary for the introduction of European degree programmes.
- advocates a capacity-enhancing effect for higher education institutions through improved conditions for academic staff. This includes sufficient time resources, (long-term) career options, continuous professional development, access and counselling on European and international mobility, promotion of inclusion, diversity and gender equality, better permeability of academic careers and the preservation of academic freedom.
- rroposes that the management of higher education institutions be encouraged to maintain a focus on learning and teaching by devoting as much attention to teaching as to research.
- suggests the development of guidelines for higher education institutions in line with existing frameworks such as ResearchComp.
- points out that it has been developed in synergy with the Council Recommendation on a European Framework for Attracting and Retaining Talent in Research, Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Europe (link) and that the Commission will continue to strengthen synergies.
- mentions financial incentives through the Erasmus+ programme.
The Commission will support EU Member States and the higher education sector through a series of accompanying initiatives (European policy labs, annual European Degree Forum, Erasmus+ support for European pathway projects, design actions) to enable them to adapt existing joint programmes or create new ones leading to a European degree.
Initial reactions from the higher education sector
Initial stakeholder reactions welcome the initiative in principle. According to the EUA (link), however, the success of the initiative depends on the implementation of the Bologna Process and the utilisation of existing instruments and an optional European degree should only be one of many international activities. Science Business (link) points out that there is still a lack of information on the budget of the European Higher Education Package, the effectiveness of which also depends to a large extent on this.
Statement of the DAAD Brussels
The DAAD Brussels Office welcomes the EU Commission’s renewed appeal to remove legislative and administrative obstacles to the implementation of joint study programmes within the framework of European consortia. It points out that the accompanying measures envisaged by the Commission, such as the Policy Lab, should take appropriate account of the diversity of the higher education sector. This includes the participation of different types of higher education institutions such as universities, universities of applied sciences, etc. as well as the diversity of transnational higher education cooperation within and outside European universities. Existing degrees that are already awarded as part of joint degree programmes, such as double degrees or joint degrees, must not be regarded as inferior.
