The EU Member states and higher education sector discussed on 29.04.2024 in Brussels on the next steps towards a European degree and a European legal status for alliances of higher education institutions. UniGR presented the outcomes of its project "Leg-UniGR".
Event on the results of Erasmus+ pilots on the European degree label & a possible European legal status for alliances of higher education institutions
On 29 April 2024, almost 300 representatives of higher education institutions from across the EU, representatives of the Member States, the higher education sector and the European Commission met in Brussels for the event “A blueprint for a European degree: Results of Erasmus+ pilots on the European degree label & a possible European legal status for alliances of higher education institutions. Also more than 1000 people joined the event online!
The objective was to discuss the results of 10 Erasmus+ pilots where universities worked hand in hand with Member States to test a European degree label and institutionalised forms of cooperation, such as a possible European legal status for alliances of higher education institutions. And to discuss on the next steps to make the European degree a reality, based on the related proposal from the European Commission on the blueprint for a European degree.
Representing a variety of methodologies and conclusions, the participating experts unanimously called for further work on the implementation of a blueprint for the European degree and the promotion of transnational cooperation between higher education institutions in Europe. They stressed the need to implement the necessary legislative changes in a coordinated fashion and to provide a framework for sustainable institutionalised cooperation at European level.
10 Erasmus+ pilot projects
In 2022, the European Commission launched an Erasmus+ call on a European degree (label) and a possible European legal status for alliances of higher education institutions. Ten Erasmus+ pilot projects started their work in Spring 2023.
Six pilots aimed to test the European criteria for a European degree (label), pilot a joint European degree label and provide recommendations to facilitate the development and implementation of joint degrees in Europe in line with these European criteria. Four pilots involving alliances of higher education institutions tested a possible European legal status for these alliances. The projects provided recommendations for a possible future European legal status, with specific features tailored to the higher education sector.
UniGR's project "Leg-UniGR"
As one of the pilots, UniGR tested the feasibility of a legal status for European university alliances with its project "Leg-UniGR". It evaluated the grouping's existing legal status as a non-for-profit association under luxemburgish law, assessed other options for a legal status which is fit for UniGR's needs and allows for an improved governance and finally proposed new statutes as an European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation (EGTC).
The project's outcomes were presented during the panel discussions and are documented on the project's website: https://legunigr.uni.lu
The full recording of the conference is available here: CIVIS a European Civic University - YouTube