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The European Union is to move forward its long-trailed plans for a European degree and a cross-border universities law.

Speaking at the European Education Summit, Mariya Gabriel, the European commissioner for youth, said that the proposals would be part of a European strategy for universities due to be published next month.

“Our strategy will also announce some flagship initiatives and the next steps,” Ms Gabriel said. “These are the development of a European degree and the legal statute for alliances of universities, the full deployment of the European student card initiative, and last but not least, the further roll-out of the European Universities Initiative [EUI].” 

Cross-border university links, including those cultivated between institutions in the 41 EUI alliances, have struggled against legal and regulatory red tape and several EUI alliances have lobbied for a new type of pan-European legal entity to be created to enable their cross-border work.

To accompany the strategy, the commission will also propose a non-binding text to EU ministers, Ms Gabriel said. “This will be an invitation, and, dear ministers, I'm looking at you, to member states to scrutinise the current situation in your country and to take action, where appropriate, for more flexible approaches, supporting and enabling closer transnational cooperation, including on joint educational and research activities.” 

The EU has limited powers in higher education governance, hence the voluntary plans to trim red tape, but some ministers at the event signalled their enthusiasm for collaboration-enabling reforms. “We have the elements to actually make possible, fully possible, the integration of joint degrees, of joint criteria, of joint forms of evaluation,” said Manuel Castells, Spain’s universities minister, talking up draft reforms to the country’s university law.

ben.upton@timeshighereducation.com