Proposal for a COUNCIL RECOMMENDATION on building bridges for effective European higher education cooperation
Date: 2022-01-18
Institutions: Directorate-General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture, European Commission
Subjects: European cooperation, cooperation in the field of education, education, education policy, educational system, higher education, student mobility, vocational training

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   EUROPEAN COMMISSION  Strasbourg, 18.1.2022  COM(2022) 17 final 2022/0008 (NLE)  Proposal for a COUNCIL RECOMMENDATION on building bridges for effective European higher education cooperation (Text with EEA relevance) {SWD(2022) 6}  
 
EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM 

1. 

• 

CONTEXT OF THE PROPOSAL 

Reasons for and objectives of the proposal 

Achieving  the  European  Education  Area  by  2025  means  creating  a  European  space  of 
learning which benefits all learners, academics and other education staff who can move freely 
to study and work across the EU. For this, we need European higher education institutions to 
be  able  to  cooperate  closer  and  deeper.  Further  implementing  a  European  Research  Area 
implies  strengthening  mobility  of  researchers  and  the  flow  of  knowledge,  incentivising 
investment in research and innovation, and enhancing transnational cooperation among higher 
education institutions, as well as with businesses and other research and innovation actors in 
their  ecosystems.  Transnational  cooperation  strengthens  the  inclusiveness,  excellence, 
diversity,  attractiveness  and  global  competitiveness  of  European  higher  education.  It 
contributes  to  equality  and  non-discrimination,  to  solving  Europe’s  challenges  on  climate 
change,  the  digital  transformation  and  aging  population,  equipping  learners  with  relevant 
skills and knowledge, as well as to build resilience and help the recovery. It will boost higher 
education  institutions’  role  on  the  global  stage,  turning  Europe  into  a  pacesetter  in  solving 
global  challenges  effectively  and  efficiently,  a  worldwide  source  of  inspiration  and  an 
appealing destination for students, academics and researchers. 

The current initiative builds on previous EU-level work. As a follow-up of the 2017 European 
Council  conclusions1  that  called  on  the  Member  States,  the  Council  and  the  European 
Commission  to  take  work  forward  on  strengthening  strategic  partnerships  between  higher 
education  institutions  across  the  EU,  the  Commission  launched  in  2019  the  piloting  of  41 
European  Universities  alliances  under  the  Erasmus+  programme,  complemented  by  the 
Horizon2020  programme  on  the  research  and  innovation  dimension.  The  aim  was  to  pilot 
long-term  structural,  systemic  and  sustainable  cooperation  between  more  than  280  diverse 
higher  education  institutions  from  all  parts  of  Europe,  selected  under  the  first  two  calls  for 
proposals. The first lessons from this pilot show benefits and, by the same token, highlighted 
a  number  of  challenges,  such  as  difficulties  linked  to  the  delivery  of  joint  transnational 
educational  activities  and  programmes  at  all  levels,  including  incompatible  requirements 
preventing the award of joint degrees, including a joint European degree, or the lack of a legal 
statute  for  alliances  of  higher  education  institutions  preventing  them  to  efficiently  pool 
resources,  share  infrastructure  or  transfer  technology.  This  Council  Recommendation  on 
building bridges for effective European higher education cooperation constitutes a first step in 
addressing such challenges, with the objective that all higher education institutions in Europe, 
their learners, staff and researchers, can benefit from simplified transnational cooperation. 

This  Council  Recommendation  is  part  of  the  ‘higher  education  package’  announced  in  the 
Commission Work Programme 2022  under the headline ambition “Promoting our European 
way  of  life”,  together  with  a  Commission  Communication  on  a  European  strategy  for 
universities.  While  the  strategy  sets  a  vision  for  the  transformation  of  the  higher  education 
sector  across  Europe,  the  Recommendation  is  the  first  step  of  an  incremental  approach 
towards deeper, more sustainable and more effective transnational cooperation. The Strategy 
and  the  Recommendation  broaden  opportunities  for  innovative  transnational  cooperation  in 
the  higher  education  sector,  as  working  together  more  closely  is  essential  for  the  EU  to 
consolidate its role as a global player. Hence, there is a need to bring forces together through 
deeper cooperation. 

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(1) 

Structural  and  operational  issues  to  be  addressed  by  the  proposed  Council 
Recommendation for enabling deeper transnational cooperation 

A  legal  statute  for  alliances  of  higher  education  institutions  would  facilitate  accessing, 
sharing and pooling joint resources - such as financial, human, digital and physical resources, 
and  services.  The  lack  of  such  a  statute  makes  it  more  difficult  for  higher  education 
institutions to reach a deeper level of cooperation and limits their competitiveness.   

The award of joint degrees is hampered by incompatible requirements in the delivery of joint 
transnational  educational  activities  and  programmes  e.g.  differences  in  grading  and  credit 
allocations,  even  when  following  the  European  Credit  Transfer  and  Accumulation  System 
(ECTS);  curricula  with  different  minimum  or  maximum  ECTS  credits  per  course,  and 
different  forms  of  institutional  autonomy.  Overcoming  such  legal  and  administrative 
challenges is necessary to support ambitious and deeper transnational cooperation. It would be 
a  stepping-stone  in  a  progressive  approach  towards  the  establishment  of  a  joint  European 
degree covering all levels (Bachelor, Master, Doctorate and lifelong learning opportunities).  

More  mobility  opportunities  for  learners  embedded  in  transnational  joint  programmes  is 
hampered  by  the  lack  of  guidance,  of  digitisation  and  simplification  of  the  processes.  The 
European Student Card initiative makes it easier for students to study and train in several 
institutions.  Mobility  of  academics,  researchers  and  professional  staff  is  insufficiently 
valorised in their career development.  

Lack  of  sustainable  long-term  funding  for  institutionalised  transnational  cooperation  is 
hindering  their  development  and  deep  transformation  across  their  missions.  A  longer-term 
outlook would provide better opportunities to build capacity and sustainable alliances in order 
to  attain  the  charted  ambition  level.  This  can  be  facilitated  by  the  setup  of  a  legal  statute 
allowing the alliances to pool  resources  and foster synergies between  regional, national  and 
European funding instruments and opportunities.  

In countries where external quality assurance and accreditation is primarily programme-based, 
the  European  Approach  for  the  Quality  Assurance  of  Joint  Programmes  is  still 
insufficiently  implemented  across  the  Member  States,  hence  impeding  the  creation  and 
accreditation of joint educational programmes at short-cycle, Bachelor, Master and Doctoral 
level.  Consequently,  different  external  quality  assurance  procedures  are  applied  for  joint 
programmes  possibly  in  each  country  involved,  with  different  national  rules  that  create  an 
administrative  burden  and  hamper  the  implementation  of  innovative  interdisciplinary 
pedagogies  across  different  countries.  At  the  same  time,  countries  with  institutional-level 
external quality assurance can set up transnational joint programmes more easily. 

The emergence of European (virtual) inter-university campuses and platforms for joint digital 
or  blended  activities  is  hampered  by  the  lack  of  interoperability  between  digital 
infrastructures of higher education institutions across the EU. Root causes of the problem are 
unevenness  in  individual  higher  education  institutions’  capacity  and  available  resources  to 
develop  and access  such digital  infrastructure, limiting the potential of on-line collaborative 
learning  and  teaching.  The  solution  would  be  to  work  towards  shared  interoperable  digital 
infrastructure and solutions,  assisted by institutions granting mutual  access  to  infrastructure, 
services and training, accessible to all2.    

National legislative frameworks governing the assessment of single disciplinary fields hamper 
the development of interdisciplinary modules, especially when designing transnational joint 
degrees. As an important objective of the European Universities alliances is to work through 

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In  line  with  the  Directive  2019/882/EU  European  Accessibility  Act;  Directive  2016/2102/EU  Web  Accessibility 
Directive 

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challenge-based approaches in order to address societal challenges through interdisciplinary 
approaches, national frameworks are often hampering alliances to go forward in this way.  

Governance  arrangements  including  students  and  staff  in  decisions  affecting  their  learning 
and  working  environment  enable  deep  and  ambitious  transnational  cooperation  and  foster 
meaningful  contribution  from  higher  education  to  their  ecosystems’  development  and 
sustainability.  Institutional  governance  structures  and  management  practices 
to  run 
transnational  alliances  could  benefit  from  more  active  involvement  of  learners,  academics, 
researchers  and  professional  staff  to  best  respond  to  their  needs  and  to  allow  innovative 
practices  developed  through  transnational  cooperation  to  diffuse  within  the  institution. 
Currently,  such  structures  often  do  not  reflect  the  fabric  of  society  and  the  diversity  of 
experiences and ideas.   

Shared  values  of  our  European  way  of  life  provide  an  indispensable  foundation  for 
transnational cooperation as the basis for developing quality learning, teaching and research. 
Transnational cooperation reinforces academic culture and contributes to the strengthening of 
democratic societies. Conversely, when fundamental values are not upheld, learning, teaching 
and  research  are  weakened  undermining  deep  transnational  cooperation.  Insufficient 
autonomy limits higher education institutions options to enter into transnational agreements, 
to  contribute equitably  with  other partners, to  provide co-financing  and  adequate staffing to 
their implementation. Autonomy for matters of governance and administration is therefore a 
critical condition to enable effective transnational cooperation. 

(2) 

Objectives pursued by the proposed Council Recommendation 

In a challenging and highly competitive global context, joining forces will make the European 
higher education sector stronger and consolidate its global attractiveness and competitiveness. 
For Europe to tackle common challenges, notably the twin digital and green transitions, more 
transnational  cooperation  helps  harness  the  potential  of  all  available  resources,  engaging 
different  types  of  higher  education  institutions  with  complementary  education  and  research 
capacities  and  strengths.  Building  robust  solutions  to  tackle  complex  multidimensional 
challenges requires time and efforts at all levels. This Council Recommendation is a first step 
towards  addressing  structural  and  operational  issues  hampering  deeper  and  more  ambitious 
European institutional  transnational  cooperation, enabling the unhindered  implementation  of 
the freedom of association. A legal statute for alliances of higher education institutions will 
allow  them  to  pool  resources,  capacities  and  their  strengths;  a  joint  European  degree  will 
recognise  the  value  of  transnational  experiences  in  the  higher  education  qualification  the 
students obtain and cut the red tape for delivering joint programmes; and the generalised use 
of the European Student Card initiative made available to all mobile students by mid-2024 
across  all  higher  education  institutions  in  Europe,  will  facilitate  mobility  at  all  levels.  Such 
innovative instruments will work in  synergy  and are expected to  shape a European identity, 
bringing transnational cooperation to a higher level and fostering a strong sense of European 
belonging.  Building  bridges  for  more  systemic,  structural  and  sustainable  transnational 
cooperation  at  institutional  level  is  instrumental  to  accelerate  higher  education  institutions’ 
transformation  across  all  their  missions  of  education,  research,  innovation,  and  service  to 
society, and can help tackle European and global challenges.  

Consistency with existing policy provisions in the policy area 

• 
The  Commission  Communication  on  a  European  Strategy  for  Universities3  aims  to  create  a 
genuinely  European  dimension  in  higher  education  and  research.  The  Commission 

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Communication  on  Achieving  the  European  Education  Area  by  20254  calls  for  a  “policy 
framework  across  borders  that  allows  for  seamless  and  ambitious  transnational  cooperation 
between higher education institutions”. The Council Resolution on “a strategic framework for 
European  cooperation  in  education  and  training  towards  the  European  Education  Area  and 
beyond  (2021-2030)”5  asks  for  “encouraging  closer  and  deeper  cooperation  (…)  which  will 
enable  alliances  of  higher  education  institutions,  such  as  those  within  the  European 
Universities  initiative,  to  leverage  their  strengths  and  jointly  deliver  transformative  higher 
education”.  The  Council  Conclusions  on  the  European  Universities  initiative6  invited  the 
Member States to work together to identify and remove obstacles to more compatible higher 
education  systems.  The  European  Higher  Education  Area  ministerial  Rome  communiqué7 
commits  to  facilitate  and  enhance  deeper  cooperation.  The  Council  Recommendation  on 
‘Promoting automatic mutual recognition of higher education and upper secondary education 
and training qualifications and the outcomes of learning periods abroad’8 calls for promoting 
cooperation of Member States. The Commission Communication on a New ERA for Research 
and  Innovation9  states  that  developing  common  R&I  strategies  and  sharing  capacity  and 
resources  enables  the  European  higher  education  sector  to  deliver  on  Europe’s  challenges. 
The Council Recommendation on the Pact for Research and Innovation in Europe10 supports 
cooperation  and  synergies  between  the  European  Research  Area  and  the  European  Higher 
Education Area. The Commission Communication on the Global Approach to Research and 
Innovation11 encourages  cooperation across borders on a scale never seen  before to  develop 
innovative solutions to deliver just green and digital transitions. The European Pillar of Social 
Rights Action Plan12 aims “to unlock the full potential of higher education institutions for a 
recovery  geared towards a sustainable, inclusive, green and digital  transition”, supported by 
the European Skills Agenda13. 

• 

Consistency with other Union policies 

This  Council  Recommendation  fosters  effective  transnational  cooperation  and  enables  the 
higher education institutions to play their key role in delivering on the Green Deal, the Digital 
Decade, sustainable growth, recovery, and to strengthen Europe’s position in the world. 

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LEGAL BASIS, SUBSIDIARITY AND PROPORTIONALITY 

Legal basis 

The proposed Council Recommendation is based on the Articles 165 and 166 of the Treaty on 
the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU)14. Article 165(1) of the TFEU lays down that 
the  Union  is  to  ‘contribute  to  the  development  of  quality  education  by  encouraging 
cooperation between Member States and, if necessary, by supporting and supplementing their 
action,  while  fully  respecting  the  responsibility  of  the  Member  States  for  the  content  of 
teaching and the organisation of their education systems’. Article 165(2) of the TFEU further 

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https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:52020DC0625 
https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=uriserv:OJ.C_.2021.066.01.0001.01.ENG 
https://www.consilium.europa.eu/media/49659/st08658-en21.pdf 
BFUG_Final_Draft_Rome_Communique-link.pdf (ehea2020rome.it) 
https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?qid=1568891859235&uri=CELEX:32018H1210(01) 
https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=COM:2020:628:FIN 
OJ L 431, 2.12.2021, p. 1–9 
COM(2021) 252 final 
The European Pillar of Social Rights Action Plan | European Commission (europa.eu)  
https://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=1223&langId=en  
https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=celex%3A12012E%2FTXT 

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specifies that  Union action in  education is  aimed at  ‘developing the European dimension in 
education’, ‘promoting cooperation between educational establishments’ and ‘at encouraging 
mobility of students and teachers, by encouraging, the academic recognition of diplomas and 
periods  of  study’.  Article  166(1)  of  the  TFEU  stipulates  that  the  Union  shall  implement  a 
vocational  training policy.  Article 166(2) of the TFEU mentions that the Union action must 
aim to "stimulate cooperation on training between educational or training establishments and 
firms".  This  proposal  fully  respects  the  responsibility  of  the  Member  States  on  the 
organisation  of  education  and  training  systems  (including  the  content  of  teaching,  and  their 
cultural and linguistic diversity), reflecting the supplementing and supporting role of the EU, 
and  the  voluntary  nature  of  European  cooperation  in  these  systems.  The  initiative  also 
complies with the shared responsibility in the field of research. The initiative does not propose 
any  extension of EU regulatory  power or binding  commitments on Member States that  will 
decide,  according  to  their  national  circumstances,  how  they  implement  this  Council 
Recommendation.  

• 

Subsidiarity (for non-exclusive competence)  

The present proposal is in conformity with the principle of subsidiarity as provided for in the 
Article 5(3) of the Treaty on the European Union (TEU). The proposal seeks to support and 
enhance transnational cooperation in the higher education sector while being fully observant 
of the principle of subsidiarity as it is safeguarding the ability of the Member States to take 
independent  legislative  decisions  and  implement  measures  aimed  at  fostering  deeper 
cooperation  between  higher  education 
institutions.  Notwithstanding  Member  States’ 
responsibility,  legislation  for  the  design,  organisation  and  content  of  teaching  and  learning, 
transnational cooperation issues are by nature better addressed at EU-level. Due to the nature, 
scale and effects, the proposed measures can be better achieved through joint action at Union 
level.  

• 

Proportionality 

The present proposal is in conformity with the principle of proportionality as provided for in 
the  Article  5(4)  of  TEU.  Neither  the  content,  nor  the  form  of  this  proposed  Council 
Recommendation  exceeds  what  is  necessary  to  achieve  its  objectives.  The  actions  proposed 
are  proportional  to  the  pursued  objectives  as  they  respect  Member  States’  practices  and  the 
diversity of systems.  Any  commitments by Member States are voluntary  in  nature and each 
Member  State  remains  free  to  decide  on  the  approach  to  take  for  implementing  the 
commitments  therein.  In  addition,  this  initiative  implements  the  TFEU  that  state  that  “The 
Union  shall  contribute  to  the  development  of  quality  education  by  encouraging  cooperation 
between  Member  States”  (Article  165(1)).  The  added  value  of  action  at  EU  level  is  to 
facilitate  and  foster  deeper  transnational  cooperation  between  higher  education  institutions 
from  different  Member  States,  to  improve  the  functioning  of  the  higher  education  sector 
across the EU and increase its worldwide attractiveness and competitiveness. 

• 

Choice of the instrument 

To achieve the objectives referred to above, the Articles 165(4) and 166(4) TFEU provide for 
the  adoption  by  the  Council  of  recommendations,  on  a  proposal  from  the  Commission.  A 
Council  recommendation  is  an  appropriate  instrument  within  the  field  of  education  and 
training where the Union has a supporting responsibility. It is a frequently used instrument for 
EU  action  in  this  area.  As  a  legal  instrument,  a  Council  recommendation  signals  the 
commitment of Member States to the measures included and provides a strong political basis 
for cooperation in this area, while fully respecting Member State authority. 

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3. 

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RESULTS 
CONSULTATIONS AND IMPACT ASSESSMENTS 

EX-POST 

EVALUATIONS, 

OF 

STAKEHOLDER 

Stakeholder consultations 

Numerous consultation activities were carried out over the past years on the higher education 
transformation, on the European Universities initiative, on the European Education Area and 
European  Research  Area  Communications.  Given  the  broad  scope  and  extensive  nature  of 
these past consultations, the continuous contacts with stakeholders, and considering the need 
to  avoid  consultation  fatigue,  for  the  purposes  of  this  Council  Recommendation  additional 
specific  input  has  been  gathered  through  targeted  consultations  with  Member  States, 
stakeholders  (e.g.  umbrella  university  organisations,  student  organisations,  rector’s 
conferences, social partners in higher education, public authorities) and European Universities 
alliances:  4  high-level  online  targeted  consultations  with  the  higher  education  community 
hosted by Vice-President Schinas and Commissioner Gabriel in July and September 2020 and 
in  April  and  June  2021  on  higher  education  transformation  and  transnational  cooperation; 
Meetings in November 2020, April and September 2021 of the Directors General for Higher 
Education on the European Universities alliances, the challenges to unlock their full potential, 
and  on  the  importance  of  cooperation  between  the  higher  education  sector,  Member  States 
and the Commission, to address these challenges, building on the implementation of existing 
Bologna Process transparency tools. Consultations followed at the joint event on 4 November 
2020 with the Directors General for Higher Education and rectors of European Universities. 
Diverse  continuous  bilateral  and  joint  consultation  meetings  with  coordinators  and  student 
representatives of the European Universities alliances outlined needs and lessons learnt with 
regard to higher education transformation and transnational cooperation, along the 5 meetings 
with the ad-hoc expert group consisting of Member States representatives, the coordinators of 
European  Universities  and  stakeholders.  A  joint  meeting  of  these  three  groups  was  held  in 
July 2021. In July 2021 were held high-level targeted consultation meetings with Members of 
the  Committee  of  the  Regions  and  the  European  Economic  and  Social  Committee.  In 
September 2021 a meeting was held with university and student networks.  

• 

Collection and use of expertise 

The proposal is also based on reports and studies on: national student fee and support systems 
in  European  higher  education;  the  impact  of  admission  systems  on  higher  education 
outcomes; the implementation of joint degrees in Erasmus Mundus; the implementation of the 
Bologna  Process;  internationalisation  of  academic  staff;  the  national  implementation  of  the 
European  Approach  for  the  Quality  Assurance  of  Joint  Programmes;  the  impact  of  the 
Erasmus+  higher  education  strand;  the  modernisation  of  higher  education  in  Europe;  the 
recognition  of  foreign  qualifications  in  times  of  COVID-19;  the  benefits  and  costs  of 
transnational  collaborative  partnerships  in  higher  education;  reports  and  studies  from  the 
OECD  and  the  Council  of  Europe;  reports,  position  papers  and  studies  of  various  key 
stakeholders: European University Association, the Guild, the League of European Research 
Universities (LERU), the Academic Cooperation Association (ACA), Coimbra, the Network 
of Universities from the capitals of Europe (UNICA), etc. This information and other recent 
research evidence are included in the accompanying staff working document. 

• 

Impact assessment 

An impact assessment was not carried out, given the complementary approach of the activities 
to Member State initiatives, the voluntary nature of the proposed activities and the scope of 
the  impacts  expected.  The  development  of  the  proposal  was  informed  by  dedicated  and 

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previous  studies,  consultation  of  Member  States,  the  public  consultation  and  numerous 
dedicated stakeholder consultations. 

• 

Fundamental rights 

This  proposed  Council  Recommendation  respects  the  fundamental  rights  of  the  EU.  It 
promotes  the  principles  recognised  by  the  Charter  of  Fundamental  Rights  of  the  European 
Union15,  namely  the  right  of  education  under  Article  14  and  the  right  to  the  protection  of 
personal data under Article 8. 

4. 

BUDGETARY IMPLICATIONS 

While this initiative will not require additional resources from the EU budget, the measures in 
this recommendation will mobilise sources of funding at EU, national and regional level. 

5. 

• 

OTHER ELEMENTS 

Implementation plans and monitoring, evaluation and reporting arrangements 

To  support  implementation,  the  Commission  proposes  to  develop,  in  cooperation  with 
Member States, specific guidance material, handbooks and other concrete deliverables, based 
on evidence, peer learning activities and identification of good practice. The Commission will 
recommend that Member States implement the principles set out in the Recommendation as 
soon  as  possible  and  submit  a  plan  setting  out  the  corresponding  measures  to  be  taken  at 
national  level.  The  Commission  intends  to  report  on  the  use  of  the  Recommendation  via 
relevant Union monitoring and reporting frameworks. 

• 

Outline of the specific provisions of the proposal 

The  Council  Recommendation  proposes  actions  that  can  be  pursued  by  Member  States  to 
promote more effective and deeper transnational cooperation, in particular by facilitating the 
implementation  of  joint  programmes  and  exploring  the  feasibility  of  a  legal  statute  for 
alliances  of  higher  education  institutions  such  as  the  European  Universities,  of  a  joint 
European  degree,  the  roll-out  of  the  European  Student  Card  initiative  and  of  the  European 
Universities  initiatives.  It  sets  out  the  European  Commission’s  commitment  to  support  and 
complement  Member  State  actions  in  this  area.  The  accompanying  staff-working  document 
describes  various  recent  research  evidence  and  European  stakeholder  opinions  and 
experiences to support the proposed Council Recommendation. 

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2022/0008 (NLE) 

Proposal for a 

COUNCIL RECOMMENDATION 

on building bridges for effective European higher education cooperation 

(Text with EEA relevance) 

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION, 

Having  regard  to  the  Treaty  on  the  Functioning  of  the  European  Union,  and  in  particular 
Articles 165(4) and 166(4) thereof, 

Having regard to the proposal from the European Commission, 

Whereas: 

(1) 

(2) 

(3) 

Deeper  and  more  effective  transnational  cooperation  in  the  higher  education  sector 
across Europe is crucial for sustaining Union values, identity and democracy, building 
resilience of the European society and economy, and for building a sustainable future. 
To  tackle  the  challenges  related  to  green  and  digital  transitions  and  to  an  aging 
technology-driven 
population,  and 
competitiveness, Europe needs strong inter-connected higher education institutions.  

secure  Europe’s  capacity 

to  boost 

to 

Building  bridges  allowing  higher  education  institutions  to  develop  deeper,  perennial 
and effective transnational cooperation at institutional level is instrumental in making 
higher education institutions stronger together and preparing students, lifelong learners 
and  researchers  for  a  global  future.  Higher  education  institutions  across  Europe  are 
adapting  to  a  rapidly  changing  world  with  fast-changing  disciplines  and  learning 
environments,  for  instance  related  to  the  green  and  digital  twin  transitions.  This 
requires  new  thinking  and  new  structures  for  cooperation  and  mobility  of  students, 
staff and researchers across disciplines and across borders. This new reality, fuelled by 
the  digital  transition,  implies  new  attractive  education  offer,  new  formats  and 
opportunities for transnational cooperation and mobility, in person and online, for all 
learners,  including  for  people  with  fewer  opportunities  or  from  remote  areas,  and 
encourages diversity of academics, researchers and professional staff.  

Stronger  cooperation  between  diverse  higher  education  institutions,  including 
universities, research universities, university colleges, universities of applied sciences, 
higher  vocational  education  and  training  institutions,  and  higher  arts  institutions, 
across the EU is a key principle underpinning and intrinsic to the European Education 
Area16  and the European  Research Area17. Deeper transnational  cooperation between 
diverse and complementary institutions supports fair access to high-quality education, 
training  and  research,  fosters  knowledge  creation  and  circulation,  facilitates  the 
sharing  of  capacity  and  infrastructure,  and  contributes  to  the  vitality  of  their  regions 
and  communities,  helping  to  overcome  disadvantage  and  geographic  disparities. 
Transnational cooperation also contributes to unlocking the full potential of the higher 

16 
17 

European Education Area (europa.eu) 
European research area (ERA) | European Commission (europa.eu)  

EN 

8 

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education sector as promotor of skills and knowledge, such as for the twin digital and 
green transitions and contributes to delivering on the European Pillar of Social Rights.  

The  Commission  Communication  on  Achieving  the  European  Education  Area  by 
202518  calls  for  seamless  and  ambitious  transnational  cooperation,  for  a  facilitated 
delivery  of  joint  degrees,  and  for  exploring  the  feasibility  of  a  legal  statute  for 
alliances  such  as  the  European  Universities.  The  Council  Resolution  on  a  strategic 
framework for European cooperation in education and training towards the European 
Education  Area  and  beyond  (2021-2030)19  encourages  deeper  cooperation,  pooling 
knowledge  and  resources  and  generating  more  opportunities  for  students,  academics 
and  researchers’  mobility,  including  through  the  full  roll-out  of  the  European 
Universities20  and  the  European  Student  Card  initiatives21.  In  its  Conclusions  on  the 
European  Universities  initiative22,  the  Council  invited  the  Member  States  to  remove 
obstacles to  more  compatible higher  education systems  and to  explore the feasibility 
for  joint  European  degrees.  The  Commission  Communication  on  a  new  ERA  for 
Research and Innovation23 and the Pact for Research and Innovation in Europe24 call 
for deeper cooperation and acknowledge the higher education transformation potential 
of  initiatives  such  as  the  European  Universities.  The  European  Skills  Agenda25  also 
calls for removing obstacles to effective and deeper transnational cooperation.  
The  European  Higher  Education  Area  ministerial  Rome  communiqué26  and  the 
Council  Recommendation  on  ‘Promoting  automatic  mutual  recognition  of  higher 
education and upper secondary education and training qualifications and the outcomes 
of  learning  periods  abroad’27  call  for  promoting  and  facilitating  deeper  transnational 
cooperation. The European Parliament Resolution on ‘the European Education Area: a 
shared holistic approach’28 underlines the need for more collaboration and calls for the 
use of synergies between the European Education Area, the European Research Area 
and the European Higher Education Area. 

The  41  European  Universities  alliances,  supported  by  the  Erasmus+  programme  and 
complemented  by  Horizon  2020  for  the  research  and  innovation  dimension,  provide 
useful  lessons  learned  while  testing  deeper  transnational  cooperation  models  that  go 
beyond  existing  individual  institutional  strategies,  governance  and  collaboration 
ecosystems.  They  are  a  source  of  inspiration  for  the  wider  higher  education 
community,  to  drive  system  level  reforms,  while  facilitating  better  coordination 
between European higher education and research policies.   

For  the  purposes  of  this  Council  Recommendation,  the  ‘European  Universities 
alliances’29  are  those  funded  under  the  Erasmus+  programme,  with  complementary 
support from the Horizon programme for research and innovation, where relevant. The 
‘alliances  of  higher  education  institutions’  are  referring  to  all  other  cooperation 
models.  The  objective  of  this  Council  Recommendation  is  to  facilitate  transnational 

COM/2020/625 final 
OJ C 66, 26.2.2021,  p. 1–21 
European Universities Initiative | Education and Training (europa.eu) 
European Student Card Initiative | Education and Training (europa.eu) 
OJ C 221, 10.6.2021, p. 14-24 
COM/2020/628 final 
OJ L 431, 2.12.2021, p. 1–9 
European Skills Agenda - Employment, Social Affairs & Inclusion - European Commission (europa.eu) 
BFUG_Final_Draft_Rome_Communique-link.pdf (ehea2020rome.it) 
OJ C 444, 10.12.2018, p. 1–8 
P9_TA(2021)0452 
https://education.ec.europa.eu/levels/higher-education/european-universities 

(4) 

(5) 

(6) 

(7) 

18 
19 
20 
21 
22 
23 
24 
25 
26 
27 
28 
29 

EN 

9 

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(8) 

(9) 

cooperation  for  all  European  higher  education  institutions,  beyond  those  supported 
under the European Universities initiative.  

Ambitious higher education alliances should benefit from the legal certainty of a legal 
statute  that  enables  them  to  share  common  financial,  human,  digital  and  physical 
resources, and services, to operate virtual inter-university campuses and interoperable 
platforms for joint digital or blended activities. To deepen transnational cooperation in 
tackling  effectively  the  twin  green  and  digital  transitions,  the  development  of 
interdisciplinary modules and the design of joint European degrees need to be further 
facilitated  in  national  legislative  settings.  Mainstreaming  flexible  and  inclusive 
mobility  through  more  coherent  mobility  frameworks  and  upscaling  the  use  of  the 
European  Student  Card  initiative  increases  opportunities  for  learners,  academics, 
researchers  and  staff.  Sufficient  long-term  perennial  funding  is  required  to  build 
capacity and attain the charted ambition level for transnational cooperation.  

Deeper  cooperation  between  higher  education  institutions  requires  addressing  all-
encompassing  challenges.  Seamless  set-up,  external  quality  assurance  and 
accreditation of joint transnational educational activities and programmes at all levels 
is hampered by the differences in  external  quality  assurance, uneven implementation 
of automatic mutual recognition of qualifications and study periods abroad, as well as 
of the related key commitments within the Bologna Process, including the differences 
in  degree  structures  and  in  the  application  of  the  European  Credit  Transfer  and 
Accumulation  System  (ECTS)30,  and  partial  recognition  of  virtual  and  blended 
learning. Addressing these issues would reduce administrative burden and nurture the 
implementation of innovative interdisciplinary pedagogies across different countries. 

(10)  European transnational cooperation at institutional level is a powerful enabler for the 
deep  transformation  towards  excellent,  inclusive,  competitive,  sustainable  and 
attractive  higher  education  institutions,  accounting  for  all  their  missions  (education, 
research,  innovation  and  service  to  society),  with  benefits  within  and  beyond  the 
higher  education  sector,  for  a  Europe  of  knowledge,  resilience  and  democracy  and 
reflecting our European way of life and values. Transnational cooperation  needs to be 
facilitated  through  a  coherent  legislative  framework  that  articulates  European  and 
national  legislative  measures,  effective  implementation  of  available  European 
initiatives,  instruments  and  tools  such  as  the  European  Universities,  the  Bologna 
Process  tools  or  the  European  Student  Card  initiative,  as  well  as  the  path  towards 
developing  new  instruments  such  as  a  joint  European  degree  and  a  legal  statute  for 
higher  education alliances such  as  the European Universities. The framework should 
be  developed  in  a  stepwise  approach  enabling  higher  education  institutions  to  build 
bridges and cooperate more effectively across borders and higher education systems to 
become more cohesive, for the benefit of the entire higher education community, and 
bringing value to society, 

HEREBY RECOMMENDS THAT MEMBER STATES  

With full regard to the principle of subsidiarity, institutional autonomy, academic freedom, in 
accordance  with  national  circumstances,  and  in  close  cooperation  with  all  relevant 
stakeholders: 

1. 

Enable higher education institutions to test the feasibility of setting-up a legal statute 
for alliances of higher education institutions, such as the European Universities, with 
the  objective  to  facilitate  deeper  cooperation  by  sharing  human,  technical,  data, 

30 

European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS) | Education and Training (europa.eu) 

EN 

10 

  EN 

                                                 
education,  research  and 
to  experiment 
opportunities offered by existing European instruments. In this context, take steps for 
the  full  application  of  the  European  Grouping  of  Territorial  Cooperation  (EGTC) 
Regulation31 to test it in the form of pilot projects, as referred to in point 11a. 

innovation  capacities.  Allow 

them 

2. 

3. 

Encourage  and  make  it  easier  for  higher  education  institutions  engaged  in 
transnational  cooperation  to  provide  joint  programmes  and  award  joint  degrees.  In 
this  context,  and  building  on  the  results  from  the  exploratory  actions  as  defined  in 
point  12,  facilitate  the  delivery  at  national  level  of  a  joint  European  degree, 
including the link to the National Qualifications Frameworks32.  

Enable  higher  education  institutions  to  develop  and  implement  innovative  joint 
transnational  education  activities  by  allowing  them  to  put  in  place  suitable 
approaches and measures in relation to : 

(a)  Admission and enrolment criteria of students and lifelong learners, 

(b)  Defining the languages of instruction, 

(c)  Share  of  online  learning  in  the  overall  educational  offer;  share  of  student 
mobility  (physical,  virtual  learning  or  blended)  embedded  in  the  joint 
educational  activity;  and  share  and  organisation  of  internships,  work-based 
learning activities, challenge-based and inter-disciplinary approaches, 

(d)  The inclusion of flexible learning pathways, such as small learning experiences 

leading to micro-credentials,  

(e)  The  rules  for  credit  allocation  and  transfer,  and  transparency  in  grading, 
according to the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS) 
Users’  Guide  2015,  as  the  only  basis  for  transnational  joint  programmes, 
without additional rules or limitations,  

(f)  The  use  of  information  on  external  quality  assurance  of  European  higher 
education  programmes  and/or  institutions  according  to  the  Standards  and 
Guidelines  of  Quality  Assurance  in  the  European  Higher  Education  Area 
(ESG),  included  in  the  Database  of  External  Quality  Assurance  Results 
(DEQAR)  to  implement  automatic  mutual  recognition33  for  the  purposes  of 
further learning,  

(g)  Allowing  recognition  of  prior  learning  based  on  transparent  and  fair  quality 
requirements  and  the  organisation  of  appropriate  assessment  of  learners,  and 
awarding relevant credits for it.  

(h)  Allowing  more  flexibility  in  defining  the  template  of  their  joint  degrees, 
including  the  use  of  a  joint  template  for  a  joint  European  degree,  when 
implementing joint transnational programmes.  

4. 

Support embedded mobility in joint transnational educational programmes 

(a)  Support  higher  education  institutions  to  embed  mobility  (physical,  virtual 
learning,  blended)  in  a  more  systematic  and  flexible  way  in  their  joint 

31 

32 
33 

https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=celex%3A32013R1302  OJ  L  347,  20.12.2013,  p. 
303–319 
https://webgate.acceptance.ec.europa.eu/europass/en/national-qualifications-frameworks-nqfs 
As  defined  in  the  Council  Recommendation  on  promoting  automatic  mutual  recognition  of  higher 
education  and  upper  secondary  education  and  training  qualifications  and  the  outcomes  of  learning 
periods abroad. OJ C 444, 10.12.2018 

EN 

11 

  EN 

                                                 
5. 

6. 

7. 

education  programmes,  at  all  levels,  to  allow  a  larger  body  of  students, 
academics  and  researchers  to  benefit  from  the  dynamics  of  integrated  higher 
education cooperation and to promote balanced talent circulation.  

(b)  Foster 

the  digitalisation  of  mobility  management  within  multilateral 
partnerships  of  higher  education  institutions  by  upscaling  the  use  of 
the European  Student  Card  Initiative,  in  particular  the  standardisation  and 
digitalisation  of  business  processes  around  the  signing  of  multilateral  inter-
institutional agreements.  

(c)  Work  towards  more  coherent  approaches  for  learning  mobility  in  terms  of 
admissions systems, academic calendars, tuition fee systems, access to and use 
of higher education facilities over summer/holiday months. 

Commit to sustaining financial support for European Universities alliances and to 
deepen transnational institutional cooperation in higher education  
(a)  Mobilise  available  funding  sources  at  regional,  national  and  EU  level34  to 
match where possible the Erasmus+ and Horizon Europe support for successful 
participation  of  higher  education 
in  European  Universities 
alliances. 

institutions 

(b)  Support  higher  education  institutions  to  prepare  their  applications  and 

participation in such deep institutional transnational cooperation. 

(c)  Promote  and  develop  among  higher  education  institutions  a  culture  for 
transnational  cooperation  by  ensuring  that  it  is  included  and  stimulated  in 
national policy, priority setting and funding processes. 

Promote  and  protect  the  core  principles  of  institutional  autonomy  as  a 
for  deeper 
for  setting  up  common  governance  arrangements 
prerequisite 
transnational  cooperation.  Enable  universities  to  take  independent  decisions  on 
internal  governance,  financial,  staffing  and  academic  matters,  and  to  protect 
academic  freedom.  Involve  academic  staff  and  students  meaningfully  in  decision-
making related to their institution. 

Strengthen  mutual  trust  through  external  quality  assurance  and  accreditation  of 
joint  educational  programmes  and  other  forms  of  joint  educational  offers 
transnational 
developed  by  European  Universities  and  similar 
cooperation models. 

institutional 

(a)  Move  further  towards  the  use  of  institutional-based  external  quality 
assurance.  This  supports  the  development  of  a  genuine  institutional  quality 
culture  that  leads  to  a  greater  accountability  and  compatibility  of  systems 
across  Europe,  building  on  tools  and  frameworks  already  in  place  in  the 
context of the European Education Area, the European Research Area and the 
European Higher Education Area.   

(b)  Consider the possibility to allow for self-accreditation of programmes based on 
institutional  quality  assurance  to  underpin  the  self-responsibility  of  higher 
education institutions. 

(c) 

In  countries  still  relying  on  programme-based  external  quality  assurance, 
consider the possibility to: 

34 

Such  as  the  European  Regional  Development  Fund,  the  European  Social  Fund+,  the  Recovery  and  Resilience 
Facility and the InvestEU Fund 

EN 

12 

  EN 

                                                 
(i) 

(ii) 

enable  the  full  implementation  of  the  European  Approach  for  the 
Quality  Assurance  of  Joint  Programmes,  without  further  additional 
national requirements or conditions to the use of the European Approach; 

ensure that the external evaluation of joint transnational programmes can 
be  done  by  one  single  agency  registered  in  the  European  Quality 
Assurance  Register  for  Higher  Education  (EQAR)35  and  that  the 
outcomes  are  automatically  accepted  in  all  other  higher  education 
systems  concerned,  without  adding  further  national  requirements  or 
procedural steps; and 

(iii)  ensure that re-accreditation of joint transnational programmes is required 
only for clearly substantial changes, with a view to enhance their agility. 

Support  the  development  of  high-quality  virtual  collaborative  learning  as  an 
integral part of teaching, learning and research, to foster and facilitate inclusive and 
student-centred 
face-to-face 
transnational 
interactions, and in particular to: 

complements 

cooperation, 

that 

(a)  Support  higher  education  institutions  to  develop  virtual  collaborative  on-line 
international  learning  models  as  an  integral  part  of  a  hybrid  education, 
including  through  leadership  commitment,  strategic  planning,  robust  and 
internationalised  pedagogical  training  and  support  services,  and  appropriate 
funding.  

(b)  Valorise and recognise in their career assessment the time spent by academics 
in  the  development  of  new  innovative  pedagogies  through  transnational 
cooperation. 

(c)  Support  European  Universities  alliances  and  similar 

institutionalised 
cooperation models in their efforts to pool expertise and resources to develop 
and  implement  joint  digital  strategies  and  shared  interoperable  IT 
infrastructure, for example by granting mutual access to online learning and 
research  environments,  learning  management  systems,  digital  libraries  or 
massive open online course (MOOC) platforms, training and support services, 
seamless access to findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable (FAIR) data 
and other interoperable services.  

(d)  Support the piloting and testing of open source solutions to overcome common 
challenges,  thus  contributing  to  the  interoperability,  digital  readiness,  data 
sovereignty and responsibility of higher education systems.  

interdisciplinary  joint 
Support  higher  education 
transnational education activities at all levels (short cycles, Bachelor, Master, and 
Doctoral).    

in  developing 

institutions 

8. 

9. 

(a)  Enable  and  facilitate  transnational  challenge-based  approaches  where 
learners  from  different  disciplines,  cultures  and  countries  cooperate  together 
with  researchers,  companies,  cities,  regions,  non-governmental  organisations 
and  local  communities  in  finding  creative  and  innovative  solutions  to  global 
challenges.  

35 

EQAR  is  the  official  register  of  national  external  quality  assurance  agencies  that  are  in  compliance  with  the 
commitments within the Bologna Process. 

EN 

13 

  EN 

                                                 
(b)  Encourage  the  provision  of  high-quality  life-long  learning  opportunities  for 
everyone  to  facilitate  upskilling  and  reskilling,  with  a  focus  on  the  most  in-
demand areas. 

10. 

Encourage  higher  education  institutions  to  involve  learners,  academics  and 
researchers more in the governance of higher education institutional transnational 
cooperation structures, and notably 

(a)  Encourage higher education institutions to reflect in the governance structures 
the increasingly diverse backgrounds of learners and staff as well as different 
employment  and  educational  experiences,  in  line  with  the  principles  of 
inclusion and equality.   

(b)  Support  capacity  building  for  strong  and  effective  leadership  as  an  important 

driver for holistic institutional transnational cooperation. 

(c)  Promote gender balance in the governance structures. 

(d)  Establish opportunities for peer learning and bench learning to encourage and 
support initiatives whereby higher education institutions can share experiences 
and engage in mutual learning and knowledge exchange. 

Member States are recommended to implement this Recommendation as soon as possible and 
submit an action plan to the Commission by [insert date 6 months after adoption by Council] 
setting  out  the  corresponding  measures  to  be  taken  at  national  level  to  support  the 
achievement of the objectives of this Recommendation by 2025 as essential steps towards a 
European Education Area.  

HEREBY INVITES THE COMMISSION TO: 

11. 

12. 

In parallel to the analysis of on-going studies and other preparatory work, support the 
Member States and higher education institutions to pilot the use of existing European 
instruments as a step with a view to developing by mid-2024 of a legal statute for 
alliances  of  higher  education  institutions.  Such  statute  would  facilitate  deeper, 
long-term  and  flexible  transnational  cooperation,  allowing  and  facilitating  the 
sharing  of  capacities,  data,  and  exchange  of  staff,  and  the  implementation  of  joint 
programmes,  with  the  aim  to  award  at  the  level  of  the  alliance  joint  degrees, 
including a joint European degree.   

(a)  As a first step, provide financial support under Erasmus+ as from 2022 to those 
alliances of higher education institutions wishing to test, in the form of a pilot 
project, the implementation of existing European instruments36. 

Examine  options  and  necessary  steps,  in  close  cooperation  with  Member  States, 
higher education institutions, student organisations and stakeholders, towards a joint 
European  degree  to  be  available  by  mid-2024.  A  joint  European  degree,  to  be 
delivered  at  national  level,  would  attest  learning  outcomes  achieved  as  part  of 
transnational  cooperation  among  several  institutions,  offered  for  example  within 
European Universities alliances, and be based on a common set of European criteria. 
A European degree should be easy to issue, store, share, verify and authenticate, and 
recognised across the EU. 

(a)  Pilot  as  of  2022  under  Erasmus+  the  first  steps  towards  a  joint  European 
degree,  including  gathering  experiences  with  a  view  to  develop  European 

36 

EN 

existing 

One 
https://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/en/policy/cooperation/european-territorial/egtc/ 

the  European  Groupings 

instrument 

is 

of  Territorial  Cooperation 

14 

(EGTC)  

  EN 

                                                 
13. 

14. 

criteria for the award, as a first step, of a European Degree label. Such a label 
would be issued as a complementary certificate to the qualification of students 
graduating  from  joint  programmes  delivered  in  the  context  of  transnational 
cooperation between several higher education institutions. 

Pursue  the  further  development  of  the  European  Universities  initiative  through 
the  Erasmus+  programme,  in  synergy  with  Horizon  Europe  and  other  EU 
programmes,  as  the  most  ambitious  and  strategic  transnational  cooperation  action 
among  all  other  Erasmus+  transnational  cooperation  opportunities.  As  of  2022, 
provide higher and sustainable funding for successful existing European Universities 
alliances  following a  competitive and qualitative call,  and allow for the  creation of 
new  ones.  As  part  of  the  mid-term  review  of  the  MFF  programmes,  develop  an 
investment pathway that takes into account regional, national and European funding, 
with the aim of making proposals by 2024. 

Support  the  roll  out  of  the  European  Student  Card  initiative,  in  particular  the 
digitalisation  of  business  processes  that  involve  multiple  signatories  and  data 
exchanges  in  order  to  reduce  the  administrative  burden  of  managing  students  and 
staff  mobility  and  exchanges  embedded  within  transnational  partnerships  of  higher 
education institutions.  

The  Commission  is  invited  to  assess  and  evaluate  the  progress  made  in  the  Member  States 
action plans for the implementation of this Recommendation, as well as its use in the context 
of  the  work  on  the  implementation  of  the  strategic  framework  for  European  cooperation  in 
education and training towards the European Education Area and beyond, via relevant Union 
monitoring  and  reporting  frameworks,  in  cooperation  with  the  Member  States  and  after 
consulting the stakeholders concerned, and report to the Council within 5 years from the date 
of its adoption.   

Done at Strasbourg, 

For the Council 
The President 

EN 

15 

  EN