Tiril Forsbakk
The digital workshop on “Paving the way for the European Degree” was organised by HK-dir as part of the Future4Alliances project on February 3, and it brought together more than 170 attendees from over 25 countries. The online participants took part in the discussion and were joined by representatives from the European Commission, national ministries and European University Alliances.
From concept to implementation
The European Commission gave an updated status on the work they are doing on the label together with the member states. The label is now moving from concept to implementation, backed by a strong political mandate and a clear framework that ensures consistency across borders. The label will be operative after the summer, and an operational guide to ensuring consistent interpretation and implementation is being developed by a policy lab. The label will not replace national accreditation but be awarded through already established systems for quality assurance. Finally, the Commission stressed that the label will only be awarded to truly joint programmes, and this requires high levels of coordination, integration and cooperation across countries.
Great potential in joint programmes
In the workshop, Circle U and CHARM EU presented different approaches to joint education programmes. Even though there are still some barriers caused by differing national rules, both alliances see great potential in joint programmes and the alliance itself as key enabler for realising this level of educational collaboration. FOREU4ALL – a community of practice for and by the alliances – emphasized the need for clearer definitions and flexible frameworks that support interdisciplinary programmes without excluding national or regional contexts. Collectively, they stressed the importance of a seamless and embedded mobility, and student services that function effectively across borders.
National support for European cooperation
National authorities, represented by the French Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Space and the Finnish Ministry of Education and Culture, expressed strong support for the label; while noting it must be administratively manageable with clear benefits for students and institutions. They emphasized a need for flexibility, lesser administrative burdens and solutions not conflicting with national frameworks. Finland highlighted that the share of joint degrees remains low and pointed to digital interoperability as a key challenge to be addressed. France shared an experience of increased institutional autonomy and shared different models for joint and double degrees, while noting ongoing work in clarifying the relationship between the label and a potential future European Degree. Overall, they underscored the importance of strengthening European cooperation while respecting regulatory boundaries.