COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS European higher education in the world
Date: 2013-07-11
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: cooperation in the field of education, educational system, higher education, international cooperation, recognition of diplomas, school-industry relations, student mobility













EUR-Lex - 52013DC0499 - EN











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52013DC0499

COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS European higher education in the world /* COM/2013/0499 final */









COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO
THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL
COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS
European higher education in the world
1.           EUROPE AND THE GLOBAL
RACE FOR TALENT
Globalisation and technological development
are radically changing the landscape of higher education. Over the next twenty
years the demand for higher education is expected to grow exponentially, from
the current 99 million students worldwide to 414 million[1] by 2030, with China showing by far the highest increase in recent years followed by Brazil and India. The thirst for knowledge and social mobility in emerging economies will place higher
education within the reach of hundreds of millions of citizens around the
world.
Technology and the expectations of students
are also changing. Students increasingly expect to choose what they learn, how
they learn and when they learn, according to their individual needs and
interests. They are ready to do it in their country of origin, abroad, via
courses offered online or via blended forms of learning combining all of these
possibilities. 
Education, and in particular higher
education, is at the heart of the Europe 2020 Strategy and of Europe’s ambition
to become a smart, sustainable and inclusive economy: it plays a crucial role
in individual and societal advancement; and, with its impact on innovation and
research, it provides the highly skilled human capital that knowledge-based
economies need to generate growth and prosperity. Building on the recent
initiatives on Modernising Europe’s Higher Education Systems[2] and Rethinking Education[3], and in response to the Council
conclusions of 11 May 2010 on the internationalisation of higher education[4], this Communication aims to contribute to the objectives of the
Europe 2020 strategy, by helping Member States and higher education
institutions[5]
(HEIs) develop strategic partnerships that will allow Europe to tackle global
challenges more effectively. 
Cooperation at EU level and in a wider
European framework has already facilitated the development of a high level of
comparability, compatibility and exchange among the HEIs and systems of the
European Higher Education Area. The Bologna Process, programmes such as Erasmus,
Tempus, Erasmus Mundus and Marie Curie, and transparency tools such
as the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS) and the European
Qualifications Framework (EQF) have helped EU national higher education systems
to achieve a significant degree of intra-European internationalisation. Yet
internationalisation is a rising phenomenon with a global dimension: beyond the
intra-EU cooperation and mobility issues covered in the Communication on Modernising
Europe’s Higher Education Systems, this Communication analyses the mutually
beneficial opportunities offered by the broader international context, and
promotes where appropriate the use of European processes and tools to a global
audience. 
Europe remains an
attractive destination for mobile learners with a stable share of around 45%[6] of the internationally mobile
student population, a population expected to grow from around 4 million today
to 7 million by the end of the decade. Nevertheless, if European HEIs want to
continue to be the number one destination against a background of increasing
competition from Asia, the Middle East and Latin America, they must act
strategically to capitalise on Europe’s reputation for top quality higher
education. They must increase their attractiveness; actively promote
international mobility of students and staff; provide world-class innovative
curricula as well as excellence in teaching and research opportunities; and
enter into cooperation and strategic partnerships with other HEIs, government
institutions, the private sector and civil society around the world.
Furthermore they must make a stronger contribution to economic growth by
encouraging innovation and ensuring that higher education responds to labour
market needs[7].
Digital education, and in particular the emergence of massive open online courses
(MOOCs) is also bringing new incentives for strategic partnerships between
education institutions, and new opportunities to reach potential students who
may not be able to travel or take a break from employment but who are eager to
profit from higher education offers outside their country. Member States need
to support these efforts by creating favourable conditions for
internationalisation at national and regional level and by tackling remaining
legal and administrative barriers to mobility.
While world economies push for stronger
competitiveness, creating and attracting top talent is no longer an objective
of just a few countries or world-renowned HEIs. Many HEIs are committed to
increase the quality of their courses to attract and retain the very best
students. The internationalisation of higher education will help prepare our
learners, whether going abroad or staying in Europe, to live in a global world,
increasing their experience and knowledge, employability, productivity and
earning power. Similarly, as underlined in the Communication on Enhancing
and focusing EU international cooperation in research and innovation[8], this global movement has
brought new opportunities for higher education institutions to promote
strategic partnerships around research and innovation activities. 
Section 2 of this Communication identifies
key priority areas for HEIs and Member States seeking to increase their
internationalisation activities. The specific actions that the EU will take,
bringing its added value to support these internationalisation efforts are
presented in Section 3, while Section 4 outlines the next steps.
2.           KEY PRIORITIES FOR HIGHER
EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS AND MEMBER STATES: TOWARDS COMPREHENSIVE
INTERNATIONALISATION STRATEGIES
While several Member States and many HEIs
already have higher education internationalisation strategies in place[9], these are often centred mainly
on student mobility: international academic cooperation is often still
fragmented, based on the initiative of individual academics or research teams,
and not necessarily linked to an institutional or national strategy. Effective
strategies should also include the development of international curricula,
strategic partnerships, finding new ways of delivering content, and ensuring
complementarity with broader national policies for external cooperation,
international development, migration, trade, employment, regional development,
research and innovation. A recent survey performed by the European University
Association (EUA) shows that a majority of higher education institutions
consider national and institutional strategies for internationalisation to have
a positive impact on their internationalisation activities[10]
Developing a comprehensive
internationalisation strategy means, above all, positioning a HEI, its
students, researchers and staff, and national systems in all the relevant
activities related to research, innovation and higher education, within the
global scene, in accordance with its individual profile and evolving labour
market needs and economic strategy of the country. To this end, there is no
one-size-fits-all approach, and Member States should tailor their
national strategies to reinforce their strengths, their international presence,
and attract talent, taking into account identified national and intercultural
skills shortages and bearing in mind the knowledge and research needs of their
developing partner countries. The suggested key priorities listed for HEIs and
Member States should therefore be seen as a tool kit of actions that they
should combine, within the framework of a comprehensive strategy, according to
their needs. 
A comprehensive internationalisation
strategy should cover key areas grouped into the following three categories: international student and staff mobility;
the internationalisation and improvement of curricula and digital learning; and
strategic cooperation, partnerships and capacity building. These categories
should not be seen as isolated but as integrated elements of a comprehensive
strategy. 
2.1.        Promoting the
international mobility of students and staff
International degree mobility of students,
the most widespread and probably still the most powerful vehicle for
internationalisation, is changing dramatically in quantity and shape, and in
some cases it has become a critically important source of revenue for HEIs. Every
year there are 7% more tertiary students going abroad, with large numbers from China, India and the   Republic of Korea. While the OECD countries absorb 77% of the total demand
and Asia currently accounts for 52% of all internationally mobile degree
seeking students, the share of mobile students who choose to study in Australia, New Zealand and Russia is growing fast. At the same time, North America (US and Canada) remains an attractive region with 21% of mobile students. More and more, source
countries are also becoming destination countries: China is not just the most
important source country, it already hosts 7% of the world’s internationally
mobile student population. When looking at the overall volume of incoming
mobility, three EU Member States – the United Kingdom, France, and Germany – attract 63% of all students from outside the European Higher Education Area
(EHEA).[11]

Credit mobility as part
of the home degree is increasing, within Europe through its mobility schemes,
within the USA through its study abroad programmes, while similar schemes are
developing and extending in other part of the world, this type of mobility
provides a significant contribution to internationalisation. 
With these increasing mobility flows, the transparency
and recognition of learning acquired elsewhere should be a key priority.
Efforts already made to develop quality frameworks for mobility within the EU
and the wider Bologna Process mean that Europe is the most advanced global
region in this respect. The Erasmus Charter[12] which sets out the fundamental
principles and minimum requirements with which HEI must comply when
implementing the Erasmus mobility scheme, in addition to the Diploma
Supplement and the use of ECTS, all are potentially attractive globally.
World-wide recognition of acquired learning credits should also be strongly
encouraged to enhance transparency and “portability” of learning outcomes
across borders. 
Mobility concerns more than students: staff
mobility brings manifold benefits to the institution and individual. It is an
instrument for the acquisition of new competences, languages and teaching
methods and forges international networks. HEIs should incentivise staff to
increase their international experience and should reward staff appropriately
during career appraisal. Embedding incentives and rewards into an institutional
strategy plays a fundamental role in ensuring successful staff mobility. 
Mobility, and in particular credit
mobility, should be used as a strong incentive for improving the quality of
European higher education. HEIs should develop better services to send and
receive international students or researchers, including individual counselling
to advise on career paths and to facilitate integration into the
city/region/country, with language training where appropriate. HEIs should
compare and upgrade curricula with peer institutions to improve teaching and to
strengthen institutional leadership and management. International student
exchange within a programme framework will provide an incentive for recognition
of foreign diplomas. Mobility will thus have an impact not only on the
development and employability of individuals, but also on institutions. At the
same time, intensive local linkages between universities and the economy are
crucial to use the research and education potential of universities to foster
innovation and growth. 
Rules on immigration of third-country
nationals should support the efforts of HEIs to
increase their international profile rather than creating obstacles to mobility
that weaken Europe's image abroad. The time and cost involved in obtaining the
necessary visas, and/or permits as well as the substantial differences in
practice between EU countries, may act as a dissuasive factor in choosing the
EU as a study or research destination. The recent European Migration Network
study entitled Immigration of International Students to the EU[13] suggests that while Member
States have facilitated the admission of third-country national students to the
EU following directive 2004/114/EC, they can still face challenges as a
result of national regulations and/or practices.
The Commission's recent proposal[14] to recast Directives 2005/71/EC
and 2004/114/EC on conditions of entry, residence and rights of non-EU
nationals for the purposes of research, studies etc., should make it easier and
more attractive for non-EU national students and researchers to enter and stay
in the EU for periods exceeding 90 days. The proposal, among other things, sets
clear time limits for national authorities to decide on applications, provides
for more opportunities to access the labour market during student stays and
facilitates intra-EU mobility.
 The key priorities on mobility for higher education institutions and Member States are to: –                         Focus internationalisation strategies to include a strong student, researcher and staff mobility component, supported by a quality framework including guidance and counselling services; –                         Set up two-way mobility schemes with non-EU countries, embracing a wide variety of subjects and where appropriate targeting fields with skills shortages; –                         Support fair and formal recognition for competences gained abroad for internationally mobile students, researchers and staff, including a better use of transparency and comparability tools and an increased focus on learning outcomes; –                         Adopt, transpose and implement timely the proposed recast Directive merging 2005/71/EC and 2004/114/EC. 
2.2.        Promoting
internationalisation at home and digital learning
The definition of an appropriate level and
pattern of international mobility, for staff as well as learners, should
be part of all internationalisation strategies. But internationalisation should
not benefit only the minority of students and staff in any HEI who will spend
time abroad.
Evidence shows[15] that the highest priorities of
internationalisation policies for EU Member States and individual HEIs are
still the outgoing mobility for students, student exchanges, and attracting
international students. However, mobility will always be limited to a
relatively small percentage of the student and staff population: higher
education policies must increasingly focus on the integration of a global
dimension in the design and content of all curricula and teaching/learning
processes (sometimes called “internationalisation at home"), to
ensure that the large majority of learners, the 80-90% who are not
internationally mobile for either degree or credit mobility, are nonetheless
able to acquire the international skills required in a globalised world. 
The presence on campus of internationally
minded and foreign teaching/research staff in addition to foreign students is
an instrument to expose the non-mobile student majority to international
approaches; it has the potential to enhance the performance of HEIs and the
quality of their education, by encouraging the exchange of course material,
and, increasingly, facilitating the efficient use of virtual campuses,
courseware and cooperation. Disciplinary and multidisciplinary networks can be
vehicles for staff exchanges and for internationalisation of the curriculum. 
Integrating an
international dimension in curricula highlights the importance of languages.
On the one hand, proficiency in English is de facto part of any
internationalisation strategy for learners, teachers and institutions and some
Member States have introduced, or are introducing, targeted courses in English
(especially at Masters level) as part of their strategy to attract talent which
would otherwise not come to Europe. On the other hand, multilingualism is a
significant European asset: it is highly valued by international students[16] and should be encouraged in teaching and
research throughout the higher education curriculum. Additional European
languages skills widen career prospects and determine in part whether skilled
graduates or researchers choose to stay in Europe post-graduation, as
highlighted by the Erasmus Mundus joint degree students from outside the
EU who undertake mobility to at least two European countries. In order to
fulfil their potential to successfully integrate in their host country, mobile
students, researchers and teaching staff need specific support for language
learning, including the opportunity to learn the local language(s), whether or
not this is the language of the study course or research group. 
Digital learning and the widening use of
ICT technology can widen access to European HEI, and can open up the curriculum
to knowledge, materials and teaching methods from all over the world, fostering
new forms of partnerships, synergies and exchanges across disciplines and
faculties that would otherwise be difficult to establish. Increased openness
and access through technology will improve competition and transparency, and
allow HEI to adjust teaching methods and materials to the needs of students who
will work in a globalised labour market. 
This will result in a step change in the
business model of each HEI, by opening the possibility for completely new
audiences (e.g. off-campus international learners; individuals following one
single course but not a complete programme; different age ranges) and for new
services (e.g. learning support provided by teaching staff; assessment;
certification). It changes the social role of institutions as providers of
knowledge and innovation and as contributors to development, putting new
pressures on HEIs to rethink their societal responsibilities in their local,
national and regional context, including the responsibility to build capacity
in emerging economies and developing countries of the world. 
Europe has some of
the best-established distance learning universities providing distance and
blended learning and other non-traditional modes of delivery. The provision of
Open Educational Resources (OER)[17]
and, in particular Open Courseware (OCW)[18]
and Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) has emerged and rapidly evolved in
recent years, growing significantly in sophistication and organisation[19]. 
While online courses and degrees are not a
new phenomenon, the exponential increase in the supply of online education and
digital material, as well as the increase in the provision of assessment,
validation and academic credit by selected MOOCs (an emerging trend
particularly with many HEIs in countries such as the US and Australia) has the
potential of transforming higher education radically. New
trends in digital education and the emergence of MOOCs should be an incentive
for HEIs to rethink their cost structures and possibly also their missions, and
engage in worldwide partnerships to increase the quality of content and of the
learning experience through blended learning. 
Europe must take
the lead in the global efforts to exploit the potential of digital education -
including the availability of ICT, the use of OER and the provision of MOOCs -
and to overcome the systemic obstacles that still exist in quality assurance,
student assessment and recognition, as well as funding. This potential and
obstacles will be addressed in a future Commission initiative. 
 The key priorities on internationalisation at home and digital learning for higher education institutions and Member States are to: –                         Capitalise on the international experiences and competences of the staff of HEIs, aiming to develop international curricula for the benefit of both non-mobile and mobile learners; –                         Increase the opportunities offered to students, researchers and staff to develop their language skills, particularly local language tuition for individuals following courses in English, to maximise the benefits of European linguistic diversity; –                         Develop opportunities for international collaboration via online learning and expand the use of ICTs and Open Education Resources for new delivery modes to widen access, internationalise curricula and pave the way for new forms of partnerships. 
2.3.        Strengthening strategic
cooperation, partnerships and capacity building
New developments such as branch campuses
and online higher education, and the emergence of new knowledge powers, are
changing the balance between cooperation and competition within
internationalisation strategies. 
The economic
importance of international higher education is rapidly growing. A few countries, including popular destinations
such as the UK, Canada, the US and Australia, attach great importance to higher
education as a service that generates a significant source of income (worth £8.25
billion in the UK, and AUD 15.5 billion in Australia in 2010). 
In some EU Member States, such as the
Netherlands, Sweden and Denmark, substantial tuition fees have been introduced
for non-EU learners, which institutions use to raise income levels, allowing
them, for example to offer targeted scholarships to learners from emerging and
developing countries. Other Member States, on the contrary have made clear
political choices to keep tuition fees for third country nationals low or
non-existent as part of their internationalisation strategy and as a way to
attract more international students.
International students have a positive
economic impact on the host country regardless of whether they are charged
tuition fees. A 2012 study[20]
by the Dutch Government shows that if only a modest 2.5% of international
graduates remained to work in the country, this would result in positive
long-term effects on the public finances, over and above the recouped
investment. 
Europe’s higher education systems offer a
number of competitive advantages that should be exploited, such as a strong and
successful track record in joint and double degrees, doctoral schools,
industrial doctorates and the recent development of EIT[21] Knowledge and Innovation
Communities (KICs) in fields of global relevance. But internationalisation
requires more cooperation, with new higher education hubs on other continents. 
European HEIs should position themselves
according to their strengths in education, research or innovation, and forge
partnerships within and outside Europe to reinforce
and complement their individual profile: through joint projects and research
activities, web-based courses combining traditional and new distribution and
delivery channels, including the running of joint or branch campuses in non-EU
countries. Established research networks should be a springboard to launch new
teaching collaborations, and mature education partnerships should nurture new
research projects. 
Evidence shows that Joint and double
degrees are powerful tools: to promote quality assurance and mutual
recognition of qualifications; to attract talent and deepen partnerships; and
to enhance the international experience, intercultural competence and
employability of graduates. Therefore, the EU and Member States should provide
a strong incentive to enhance the role of joint and double degrees in the
internationalisation strategies of European HEIs, drawing on the experience of
the almost 700 European and non-EU HEIs which have already benefited from the
joint and double degrees provided by the Erasmus Mundus programme. Two
particular obstacles make the undertaking of joint programmes difficult for
HEIs, both from the academic and administrative sides, and need to be
addressed: institutional regulations (accreditation procedures, grading
systems, examination and thesis regulations, enrolment procedures or tuition
fees policy), and national legislation (particularly related to the delivery of
joint degrees).
International strategic partnerships
with a balanced involvement of business and higher education are essential for
cross-border innovation to address global challenges. This is particularly
the case in emerging economies where Europe needs to develop balanced
cooperation with centres of excellence in order to ensure a stronger and
sustained local presence. Partnerships which aim to foster entrepreneurship and
innovation, triggering innovative approaches, entrepreneurial skills and
attitudes in learners will bring benefits both to European competitiveness and
to partner countries. A particular potential lies in promoting affordable and
inclusive innovation which could help the emerging economies to tackle their
societal challenges as well as promote market access, trade and investment for
European companies. 
Cooperation with developing countries
and their HEIs should be an element of internationalisation strategies, with innovative partnership models as a means to strengthen both
North-South and South-South collaboration such as joint programmes and learning
and staff mobility. 
There is ample evidence[22] showing that higher education
is key to delivering the knowledge requirements for economic development:
through job creation, better governance, increased entrepreneurship and
intergenerational mobility, and a stronger civil society. European HEIs
acknowledge that they have a key role to play in supporting the modernisation
efforts of emerging and developing parts of the world, as well as to contribute
to finding solutions to global challenges such as climate change or narrowing
development gaps between peoples and nations. Similarly, most Member States
support cooperation and capacity building programmes complemented by EU action
in this field. Students, staff and researchers working or studying in European
host HEIs are often vectors of cooperation with their home institutions and
countries, to develop, coordinate and follow international cooperation
projects. 
In addition to specific, traditional
capacity building actions, mobility itself and in particular credit mobility
has a strong potential to improve the quality of higher education in developing
countries: by accelerating the design of internationalisation strategies and
the use of transparency and recognition tools, and by helping institutions
develop better services to send and receive foreign students or researchers,
and promote the recognition of foreign diplomas.
As highlighted in the Access to Success
project[23],
development cooperation is not always sufficiently acknowledged in the mission
statements of HEIs. Yet the participation of European HEIs in capacity building
in non-EU countries can at the same time be academically rewarding for the
European institutions and form part of their societal responsibility. Working
with HEIs in the countries most in need, such as post-conflict states, and
establishing partnerships with less well-equipped institutions, gives European
HEIs an opportunity to make a strong contribution towards the development of a
particular region and thus establish a long-term strategic link with it. In a
rapidly evolving world, opportunities are changing quickly, and today’s
developing countries will be the emerging economies of tomorrow.
 The key priorities on partnership for higher education institutions and Member States are to: –                         Strengthen the capacity of higher education and research to address global challenges by engaging in innovation-orientated international partnerships and alliances; –                         Tackle the remaining obstacles for the development and implementation of joint and double degree programmes, both at institutional and national level, and improve provisions for quality assurance and cross-border recognition; –                         Provide entrepreneurial and innovative curricula including transferable skills, and create international training opportunities by working together with employers from inside and outside the EU; –                         Ensure coherence between internationalisation strategies and EU development cooperation policies by considering the principles of equity and partner country ownership; use students, researchers and staff from non-EU countries as vectors of cooperation with HEIs in these countries. 
3.           THE EU CONTRIBUTION TO
THE INTERNATIONALISATION OF HIGHER EDUCATION
Member States and their HEIs are responsible for reforming their higher
education systems and for supporting internationalisation strategies. The EU
added value - in collaboration with the Member States and while fully
respecting the autonomy of higher education institutions - particularly through
Europe 2020 and the Erasmus+ Programme within the Multiannual Financial
Framework for 2014-2020 (MFF)[24],
is to provide stronger policy support and financial incentives for
internationalisation strategies. 
The Erasmus+ programme for the
2014-2020 period will provide substantial EU-level investment in the key areas
of internationalisation strategies: international mobility, joint degrees, and
international cooperation partnerships, including capacity building and staff
development in emerging and developing parts of the world. Erasmus+, by
integrating the external instruments, puts an end to the current fragmentation
of the various existing external higher education programmes and aims at making
EU actions more visible, coherent and attractive. 
The Horizon 2020 framework programme
for research and innovation and its education-oriented components - the Marie
Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) for researcher mobility and the European
Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) - will strengthen Europe’s
role and image as a high-quality and socially responsible higher education
provider and will allocate more funds strategically to both incoming and
outgoing mobility of learners, researchers and staff to and from non-EU
countries. MSCA will recruit approximately 20% of all its Marie Skłodowska-Curie
Fellows outside Europe, and foster research-based links with partners around
the world through mobility periods. 
 In order to contribute to internationalisation strategies in the 2014-2020 period through EU funding the Commission will: –                         Provide increased financial support through the new programme Erasmus+ for mobility to and from non-EU countries, reaching up to 135,000 learners and staff; and allow up to 15,000 non-EU researchers to start or pursue their careers in Europe through the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions in Horizon 2020; –                         Support international HEI consortia to develop Joint Master and Doctoral degrees through Erasmus+ and Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions respectively, and provide high-level scholarships for up to 60,000 graduates to take part; –                         Support strategic partnerships for cooperation and innovation, including up to 1,000 capacity-building partnerships between EU and non-EU HEIs. 
The EU contribution will focus on two
policy objectives described hereafter: increasing the attractiveness of
European higher education by improving quality and transparency; and increasing
worldwide cooperation for innovation and development through partnerships,
dialogue and capacity building. 
3.1.        Increasing the
attractiveness of European higher education by improving quality and
transparency
To improve recognition of foreign
qualifications, the EU will continue to engage in international dialogue on
higher education policies with key partner countries and regions around the
world. It will encourage a better understanding of European standards and
tools, such as the EQF, Tuning, ECTS, the Diploma Supplement, the National
Academic Recognition Information Centre (NARIC) network, and the Erasmus
Charter, to enhance the use of these European instruments and their potential
as global standards. At the same time the EU should strengthen policy dialogue
and knowledge of partner countries' education systems and instruments,
including through the Bologna intergovernmental process, as a means to develop Europe's own standards and tools. 
If internationalisation is to increase
quality in higher education, it requires closer cooperation with equivalent
systems in other regions of the world on quality assurance, covering
quality of services offered to mobile learners, quality assurance of the
academic content of their courses, and quality assurance of joint projects and
programmes. Equally, accreditation procedures of degree courses should be the
subject of closer cooperation.
With the growing importance of university
rankings and their impact on branding and therefore on student choice of study
destination, the Commission is supporting the development of a transparency
tool as an alternative and complement to the traditional rankings that
mainly focus on research. The new user-driven, multi-dimensional and
international ranking for HEIs ‘U-Multirank’ will publish its first
results in early 2014. From 2016/17 an independent organisation will run the
ranking. The new ranking approach will communicate the diversity of European
HEIs' profiles, teaching and research strengths and specialisations, and will
be open to the participation of non-European HEIs on equal terms. 
'U-Multirank'
will allow HEIs to position themselves on several indicators such as their
international profile, and to identify complementary and like-minded
cooperation partners; it will enable policy makers, HEIs and students to rank
individual institutions or programmes according to what is most important to
them. By increasing transparency of the profiles of European HEIs, it will
facilitate the ‘matching’ of needs for potential international learners or
researchers, and thereby help boost the attractiveness of a broader number of
European HEIs.
If Europe is to remain highly attractive as
a destination for internationally mobile students against the rising backdrop
of new regional higher education hubs, it should reinforce its efforts to
promote global awareness of the high quality and the rich cultural and
linguistic diversity of European higher education. 
International information and promotion
campaigns at EU level have, to date, been organised through traditional means
such as participation in international student fairs under the Study in
Europe banner, the Study in Europe and Destination Europe[25] websites and
communication tools, a series of European Higher Education Fairs in Asia and
Latin America and activities within the scope of the Erasmus Mundus
programme. The Commission will collaborate with national promotion agencies and
stakeholders in order to complement national information and promotion
efforts on study and funding opportunities, in particular in Member States
with a smaller international student presence, and will promote the European
dimension of higher education outside Europe, with the help of EU delegations
and education and research counsellors in Member State Embassies.
Most EU Member States have set up “one-stop
shop” websites in English that provide mobile learners or researchers with
information and help. National websites announcing study or work opportunities
and funding, e.g. Finland and the Netherlands[26],
are complemented at European level. The Commission will continue to finance higher
education portals[27]
that promote the European educational and scholarship offer across the board,
in addition to the EURAXESS[28]
portal, which lists research job vacancies and links to different services
offering practical information about living in different countries, immigration
tips and social security information. The EU Immigration Portal[29] provides tailored information
both at EU and Member State level on immigration procedures for third-country
national students. Innovative methods will be used to good effect, for
instance, via student and alumni associations acting as ambassadors and
promoters of EU higher education, as well as the use of new media to reach a
digitally literate target audience.
Alumni networks of international education
programmes should be used as a valuable instrument of soft diplomacy, to
influence and engage new audiences in a way that advances the interests of
individual Member States or the EU, and the Commission will work with Member
States to identify best practice. 
 The Commission will: –                         Foster the comparability of qualifications, credits and registration systems through international cooperation and dialogue; –                         Enhance the quality of mobility through a reinforced Erasmus Charter by the end of 2013 including through guidelines for HEIs for self-assessment and monitoring; –                         Promote the implementation of U-Multirank, the new multi-dimensional and international ranking tool for HEIs to enhance the transparency, comparability and benchmarking between HEIs; –                         Support cooperation with national promotion agencies and alumni associations by sharing information and coordinating joint actions in order to market Europe as a high-quality study and research destination (e.g. student fairs and the design of joint promotion tools). 
3.2.        Increasing worldwide
cooperation for innovation and development
Joint and double degree programmes are a particularly successful aspect of the EU's international
cooperation activities, based on international networks of excellence for
teaching, learning and research[30]:
Joint Masters programmes will be supported and increased in number under Erasmus+.
These joint programmes, complementing the Masters and PhDs of the EIT
Knowledge and Innovation Communities (KICs), will ensure
excellent quality training with a strong focus on skills required by future
employers. Innovation and international exchange between HEIs and business
partners will be enhanced, and learners and researchers will have the
opportunity to work in another country and gain experience in both the academic
and private sectors. In turn, Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions,
including joint doctorates, Innovative Training Networks and European
Industrial Doctorates will help HEIs foster research-based links with partners
around the world and reinforce the knowledge triangle between higher education,
business and research. 
Similarly, the Knowledge Alliances
under Erasmus+ will foster innovation and strengthen links between
employers and participating HEIs, also at international level.
Policy dialogue is a system-to-system exchange with non-EU countries or regions
about common challenges. It is led on the European side by the Commission and
has different objectives, depending on the international partners: it should be
enhanced as a flexible instrument for cooperation and soft diplomacy. To this
end, the Commission will promote peer-learning, capacity building on both sides
and the exchange of good practice in these dialogues including with the
involvement of key stakeholders; it will help partners to better exploit the
possibilities for such exchange offered under the new EU programmes. Policy
dialogue in higher education with international partners should be aligned with
the external priorities of the EU, and should take place within existing
cooperation frameworks such as the Enlargement Strategy, the European
Neighbourhood Policy (for example in the framework of the Eastern Partnership)
or the different (multi-sector) partnership agreements with emerging or
industrialised countries such as the High-level People-to-People Dialogue
between the EU and China, the Education and Training Dialogue within the EU and
Brazil Strategic Partnership and the EU-Russia common spaces.[31]
International capacity-building
partnerships will be essential to support non-EU
countries in improving the quality of their higher education systems and in
their modernisation and internationalisation efforts, to prepare the ground for
future academic and research collaboration, to address cross-border issues, and
to develop a stronger knowledge of local markets. 
The Commission will strengthen evidence-based
policy making in the field of international education, and will ensure that
policies are based on state-of-the-art knowledge relating to cross-border
provision of higher education. There is in particular a need for improved data
collection on international learner, researcher and staff mobility flows, and
on international academic cooperation. New cooperation tools such as OER will
also require close monitoring in order to adequately gauge their impact on
learners and learning providers. In pursuit of these aims, the Commission will
work with national and international authorities to identify and fill knowledge
gaps via research, collection and analysis of statistics, and dialogue with
experts in the field, from the EU and beyond. 
 The Commission will: –                         Pursue bilateral and multilateral policy dialogues with key international partners; –                         Promote the EIT and its KICs to support international cooperation in higher education and innovation in order to address societal challenges, in synergy with other EU and national research and innovation activities; –                         Strengthen evidence-based policymaking in the field of international education, through research, collection and analysis of statistics, and dialogue with experts; –                         Present, in Autumn 2013, an initiative for the promotion of digital learning and better use of ICT and OER in education. 
4.           NEXT STEPS 
This Communication aims to contribute to
the objectives of the Europe 2020 strategy, by helping Member States and higher
education institutions (HEIs) develop strategies and partnerships that will
allow Europe to tackle global challenges more effectively.
Comprehensive internationalisation
strategies will only be successful if they are the result of a collaborative
effort. In formulating these proposals, the Commission has consulted informally
a broad range of stakeholders, including key organisations representing HEIs,
employers, student and alumni networks, experts in the field, and
representatives from EU and non-EU education ministries. It will continue to
engage with these stakeholders, and will now involve the European Parliament,
the other European Institutions and EU Member States to take this initiative
further and the Bologna Follow-up Group to implement the actions proposed.
The development and follow-up of the policy
guidelines and actions proposed at the end of each section in this
Communication will be ensured through the implementation instruments of the Erasmus+
and Horizon 2020 Programmes; the joint reporting on the strategic
framework for European cooperation in education and training (ET 2020); the
governance provisions of the Europe 2020 strategy and the annual EU Education
and Training Monitor; and the Bologna process and policy dialogue with key
international stakeholders.
[1]               www.oecd.org/edu/highereducationandadultlearning/highereducationto2030vo
l1demography.htm 
[2]               COM(2011) 567 final
[3]               COM(2012) 669 final
[4]               http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:C:2010:135:0012:0014:EN:PDF
[5]               This term encompasses all types of tertiary
institutions, including applied science, institutes of technology, Grandes
Ecoles, business schools, engineering schools, IUT, colleges of higher
education, professional schools, polytechnics, academies.
[6]               UNESCO Institute for Statistics
[7]               A Stronger European Industry for Growth and Economic
Recovery: COM(2012) 582 final
[8]               COM(2012) 497 final
[9]               ec.europa.eu/education/external-relation-programmes/doc/mapping_en.pdf
[10]             http://www.eua.be/Libraries/Publications_homepage_list/EUA_International_Survey.sflb.ashx

[11]             The European Higher Education Area in 2012: Bologna Process Implementation Report, p. 154.
[12]             ec.europa.eu/education/erasmus/euc_en.htm
[13]             http://www.emnbelgium.be/sites/default/files/publications/0_immigration_of_international_
students_to_the_eu_sr_10april2013_finalpublic_0.pdf
[14]             http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-13-275_en.htm?locale=en
[15]             www.iau-aiu.net/content/global-surveys
[16]             ec.europa.eu/dgs/education_culture/evalreports/education/2012/mundus_en.pdf

[17]             OERs are any type of educational materials that are in
the public domain or introduced with an open license. The nature of these open
materials means that anyone can legally and freely copy, use, adapt and
re-share them. OERs range from textbooks to curricula, syllabi, lecture notes,
assignments, tests, projects, audio, video and animation.
[18]          An OCW is a free and open digital publication of high quality
HEI-level educational materials. It is organised as courses, and often includes
course planning materials and evaluation tools as well as thematic content. OCW
is openly licensed, accessible to anyone, anytime via the internet.
[19]             E.g. www.coursera.org; www.udacity.com; www.edx.org 
[20]             www.rijksoverheid.nl/documenten-en-publicaties/rapporten/2012/05/16/de-economische-effecten-van-internationalisering-in-het-hoger-onderwijs.html
[21]             The European Institute of Innovation and Technology
(EIT) is a body of the European Union established in March 2008 with the aim of
increasing European sustainable growth and competitiveness by reinforcing the
innovation capacity of the EU. 
[22]             http://chet.org.za/papers/higher-education-and-economic-development-review-literature
[23]             http://www.accesstosuccess-africa.eu/images/finalconference/eua_whitepaper_eng_web.pdf
[24]             From mid-2011 onwards, the European Commission
presented its proposals for a new multiannual financial framework (MFF) for the
budget cycle 2014-2020.
[25]             http://ec.europa.eu/research/iscp/index.cfm?pg=destinationEurope
[26]                    www.studyinfinland.fi;
www.studyinholland.nl

[27]             E.g.ec.europa.eu/education/study-in-europe;www.study-info.eu;
www.distancelearningportal.eu
[28]                    ec.europa.eu/euraxess including the EURAXESS
LINKS networks set up for European and
Non-European researchers in USA, China, Japan, India, ASEAN and Brazil to promote Europe as an attractive destination for researchers.
[29]             http://ec.europa.eu/immigration/
[30]             www.iie.org/en/Research-and-Publications/Publications-and-Reports/IIE-Bookstore/Joint-Degree-Survey-Report-2009

[31]             ec.europa.eu/education/external-relation-programmes/doc/china/joint12_en.pdf