More exchange, comparable degrees: This is what the EU Commission expects from European university degrees. She now presented what it should look like. One thing is clear: it should be easier for students.
The EU Commission has given the starting signal for a European university degree. Today she presented her plans, which will be discussed with the EU member states in the coming months. The basis is the European higher education strategy presented two years ago, which is intended to enable more intensive cooperation between universities.
Four years ago, the EU Commission announced the “completion of the European education area” by 2025 and far-reaching steps with the aim of developing joint study programs and forming university alliances. EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen announced reform proposals for 2024 last year, which are now available.
Seal of quality for common European qualifications
However, there is currently no thought of a new standard qualification, which would have to be anchored in national legislation. Instead of a “European qualification” that is automatically recognized, the EU Commission is proposing, as a first step, a supplementary quality seal for common European qualifications on a voluntary basis.
The concept is already being tested in “Erasmus Plus” pilot projects, in which, according to EU information, more than 140 universities from across the EU are involved. In Germany, universities from Darmstadt, Hamburg, Kaiserslautern, Saarland, Tübingen and Trier have been involved in a total of five projects for a year. They are intended to lead to greater quality and automatic EU-wide recognition of qualifications.
“We are responding to the needs of our students, our universities and also the economy across Europe. We must make European higher education even more competitive and networked so that Europe can compete in the race for talent,” said EU Research Commissioner Illana Ivanova in Brussels. “We need a European brand of academic excellence,” added EU Commission Vice President Margaritis Schinas, “that must be a promise to our younger generation.”
Students should benefit
Collaboration between universities should become easier: Students who complete their studies at several universities according to a fixed and coordinated plan should benefit from noticeable added value.
The aim is not to replace existing national solutions, but rather to introduce voluntary supplementary models. The “European university degree” seal of quality is intended to promote student mobility. To do this, you must complete a joint study program at several universities in different countries and in several languages. The seal of quality is intended to complement the degrees that are acquired, for example, at “European universities”.
Universities should develop common curricula
The prerequisite is close cooperation between universities in order to offer joint study programs across several countries. The EU Commission is proposing a “European legal status” for such university alliances so that universities have more leeway to develop common curricula and research projects and to be able to place all their work on a common basis.
The aim should be to promote “innovative educational offerings”. In addition, it should be ensured that universities can set up transnational programs that are of a consistently high level throughout the EU – as a prerequisite for automatic recognition of examinations and qualifications. Professors and other university teachers who work “cross-border” should also “get the recognition and reward they deserve,” confirmed EU Commission Vice President Schinas.
Fundamental harmonization required
There is still a lot to do before the European deal becomes a reality. In the coming months, the plans will be discussed in the Council of the EU and discussed with university experts. After the quality seal, there should be a European university degree, which should be anchored in national laws. Several universities in different EU countries should come together, offer joint study programs and award a European qualification that is automatically recognized everywhere in the EU.
Many universities welcome the reform steps, but also call for fundamental harmonization. A problem within the EU are different standards for allocating the number of hours per ECTS points and different qualification levels. This also applies to the recognition of qualifications for access to study programs.
Financing is likely to be a problem. The development of sustainable common European degrees could hamper private or non-profit universities that do not receive money from national governments. In addition, European degrees should not lead to “parallel” degrees where other degrees are considered inferior.
Andreas Meyer-Feist, ARD Brussels, tagesschau, March 27, 2024 5:46 p.m