On January 31st, 2023, the European Commission announced 10 pilot projects that will explore the implementation of a Joint European Degree label and a legal status for European University alliances. These pilot projects are crucial in supporting the development of the recently announced 50 European University initiatives, which aim to foster deeper cooperation and pave the way for transnational campuses. As part of an informal EUF working group on European University alliances’ implementation, we organized a workshop on July 3rd to discuss the pilots involving member universities. During the workshop, ED-AFFICHE was presented by Josef Matousek (Charles University) and Meritxell Chaves Sanchez (University of Barcelona), EDLab was presented by Andries Verspeeten (Ghent University), and ESEU was presented by Meritxell Chaves Sanchez (University of Barcelona).
The first two initiatives focus on piloting solutions for implementing a joint European Degree label. These projects will address challenges related to national legislations and regulations, as well as define criteria for joint programs and explore the benefits and functioning of this new label. The third initiative will assess use cases that could benefit from a European legal status, aiming to facilitate cooperation among European university alliances. It will identify existing legal solutions, evaluate their advantages and shortcomings in relation to the identified use cases.
The pilot projects commenced in Spring 2023, and initial results are expected to be available within one year. Overall, these projects aim to complement existing solutions and provide recommendations for improving current legal and regulatory frameworks.
Cover image by Freepik