Europe is one step closer to a European Joint Degree
The European Commission has approved the so-called Higher Education Package to support this initiative.
In the end of March, the EU Commissioners adopted a long-awaited set of proposals for strategic documents to bring European higher education closer to a European Joint Degree. The move is linked to the objectives set out by the Commission in the European Strategy for Universities and European Recommendation to promote effective higher education cooperation, both approved in 2022.
The so-called Higher Education Package contains three key documents:
- Commission Communication on the Blueprint for a European degree.
- Proposal for a Council Recommendation on attractive and sustainable careers in higher education
Both draft Council Recommendations have been forwarded to the Council of the European Union for discussion by EU Member States, and only after their approval or possible modifications can the proposals be implemented.
The Commission Communication on the Blueprint for a European Degree
In this accompanying document, the Commission presents the added value of the Common European Diploma for HEIs, students and employers, as well as for Member States and the EU, and the criteria that the European Joint Degrees should follow to ensure their quality (see Annex to the Proposal for a Council Recommendation on a European Quality Assurance and Recognition System in Higher Education). These criteria are based on the results of 6 one-year pilot projects testing the European Degree Label, in which Charles University was involved through the Ed-Affiche project and the 4EU+ alliance. The Commission will publish the final results of the pilot projects in a report this autumn.
The European Degree will not be issued by any new entity at European level, but by HEIs or possibly by alliances of European universities, if they have the legal status and the necessary authorisations. If Member States decide to implement the Degree, it should be incorporated into national legislation as a new type of qualification, while being awarded by HEIs on a completely voluntary basis and not replacing national diplomas. The aim of the European Joint Degree is to provide an interdisciplinary international curriculum relevant to the labour market, with an emphasis on the necessary transversal skills, green and digital transition, inclusion and European values and multilingualism. Such programmes are designed to enhance the global attractiveness of European higher education and research and to develop the innovation potential of Europe's universities. The Degree should be awarded digitally and should be automatically recognised across the EU.
In the Communication, the Commission also included several recommendations for Member States to provide effective support and a positive ecosystem for the creation and implementation of the European Degree. This can be done, for example, by extending institutional accreditation as much as possible and by implementing the so-called European Approach to Quality Assurance for Joint Programmes. Member States can choose to opt dierctly for the implementation of the European Joint Degree or for a European Degree Label, which certifies that the Joint Programme meets the conditions of the European Joint Degree and is added to the "standard" Diploma.
In order to support the necessary reforms in this respect, the European Commission proposes to establish a Joint European Degree Lab in 2025. In the same year, two targeted Erasmus+ calls will be launched both to support policy reforms (targeting ministries, national accreditation bodies and other relevant actors involved in the legislative and national framework, including universities and social partners) and to support the creation of a European Joint Degree for higher education (taking inspiration from Erasmus Mundus). There could also be a new annual EU-level conference "European Degree Forum", organised by the Commission together with the Member State holding the Presidency of the Council of the EU at the time.
Proposal for a Council Recommendation for a European Quality Assurance and Recognition System in Higher Education
This document is based on the need to strengthen mutual trust between universities. It aims to facilitate international cooperation and mobility, to enhance institutional quality assurance, to create a new European framework for an external, inter-institutional approach to quality assurance and to link quality assurance and automatic recognition more closely. In this document, the Commission provides recommendations divided into 4 pillars:
In the first pillar, the Commission recommends that Member States, inter alia, ensure that quality assurance systems are able to respond to key societal and economic developments affecting higher education in line with ESG and reduce the workload, bureaucracy and costs for higher education institutions associated with external quality assurance processes. States should also ensure that institutional systems of internal quality assurance cover the full range of an HEI's educational offer, including micro-certificates.
In the second pillar, the Commission aims to develop an inter-institutional approach to quality assurance for alliances of higher education institutions to undergo a joint external evaluation of their common internal quality assurance arrangements. The Commission invites Member States to support HEIs in establishing robust internal quality assurance processes and developing institutional accreditation. Member States should also enable HEIs to use the European Approach by removing unjustified barriers and ensuring that the use of the European Approach is not financially disadvantageous compared to national accreditation processes.
The third pillar of the Recommendation focuses on establishing the basis for the European Degree, concretely that Member States adopt criteria for a European Joint Diploma (or label). The pillar also includes a recommendation to allow EQAR-registered quality assurance agencies to award a European Joint Degree Label and to give HEIs and alliances of HEIs the possibility to award a European Degree Label on the basis of internal quality assurance.
The fourth pillar refers to automatic recognition and recommends, inter alia, that Member States develop and issue clear guidance to HEIs on how to distinguish between automatic recognition and the right of HEIs to decide on the admission of students. The Recommendation also focuses on encouraging HEIs to focus on learning outcomes and competences related to the level of qualification rather than on specific curriculum content in the admissions process when assessing foreign qualifications.
Proposal for a Council Recommendation on Attractive and Sustainable Careers in Higher Education
The third document focuses on improving academic careers in European higher education and consists of three pillars:
The recommendations of the first pillar include support for the involvement of administrative staff in transnational cooperation activities, the development of long-term career perspectives and talent management measures aimed at academic and administrative staff involved in the coordination and management of higher education alliances. Member States should also promote lifelong learning opportunities for academic and administrative staff, including study leave to improve the skills needed for international educational activities.
In the second pillar, the Commission focuses on teaching and learning and recommends that Member States, for example, ensure that human resources policies recognise and similarly reward the diverse roles of academics, or consider including indicators that assess the level of innovation and quality of teaching and learning in existing quality assurance and assessment processes for academics.
The third pillar relates to equality, diversity and well-being. The Commission recommends that Member States promote respect for collective agreements, effective social dialogue and the autonomy of social partners. States should also take supportive measures to ensure attractive, inclusive and competitive working conditions, including ensuring academic freedom, diversity and gender equality.
Learn more on the European Commission website. You can also read the minutes from an IGLO Higher Education working group, which took place on 9 April and focused on this topic.