The creation of 'European degrees' which will be automatically recognized across the EU are promoting three initiatives to strengthen the cooperation of higher education institutions in the EU, the which were presented on Wednesday by the Vice President of the Commission Margaritis Schinas and the Commissioner for Innovation, Research and Education, Iliana Ivanova.
The proposals address the legal and administrative barriers facing educational institutions in the EU that want to set up competitive joint study programs at undergraduate, postgraduate or doctoral level. As mentioned, the initiatives are based on the institutional autonomy of the universities, respecting, at the same time, the competences of the member states and regional governments in the specific field.
The initiatives concern the submission of a strategic plan for the goal of creating a “European degree”, and two proposals for recommendations to be adopted by the Council of the EU. The first recommendation concerns the improvement of quality assurance procedures and automatic recognition of qualifications in higher education, and the second concerns the need to make careers in the academic sector more attractive and sustainable.
Member States will discuss with the Commission the content of the strategic plan, as well as the two draft recommendations.
In particular, the strategic plan for the creation of a “European degree” concerns the possibility for universities at national, regional or institutional level to proceed, if they so choose, in joint programs based on a common set of criteria agreed at European level.
The strategic plan presented in the relevant communication, issued by the Commission, proposes a specific step-by-step roadmap for cooperation between Member States and the higher education sector.
Authorities and institutions that want to move in this direction will have two possible options.
The first will be to proceed with the creation of a preparatory European marking, which will bring together study programs that meet specific European criteria, and which will result in a “European degree certificate” being awarded together with the degree.
The second concerns the creation of a new type of “European degree” based on common criteria and based on national legislation. It will be awarded either jointly by several universities in different countries or, possibly, by a legal entity set up by the participating universities at EU level. In such a case, students will receive a “European degree” that will be automatically recognized throughout the EU.
Source: KYPE
