On Wednesday 19 March, the European Parliament’s Committee on Culture and Education organised an exchange of views on the future of European Universities alliances. This initiative is partly funded under Erasmus+, with the aim of raising the profile of European institutions and strengthening the EU’s competitiveness in higher education and research.
Discussions on the own-initiative report on a new vision for European Universities alliances revealed a willingness on the part of MEPs to promote funding – several of them stressed the limits of this – and the consolidation of these alliances with a view to potential enlargement.
Laurence Farreng (Renew Europe, French), rapporteur on the subject, said: “I wonder about the relevance of continuing to increase the number of alliances. I think that above all, it is important to consolidate these alliances so that they can develop their full potential”.
She also called for closer links between the European Commission’s Directorates-General for Education and Culture (DG EAC) and Research and Innovation (DG RTD) in order to support European sovereignty. The aim is to be able to stand up to the United States at a time when transatlantic relations are disintegrating.
Similarly, Manuela Ripa (EPP, German), shadow rapporteur, recalled the influence of these alliances in the training of world-class researchers and technicians: “For these projects to become stable, long-term cooperative ventures, we need to reduce the administrative hurdles and ensure that these alliances have the appropriate legal status”.
Predictable funding that combines teaching and research would also be a factor for success.
According to the European Commission representative who presented the results of an initial monitoring report on alliances, “the emergence of legal and administrative obstacles” is hampering the development of alliances. “We must strive to reach a majority of the student population and increase the rate of inter-alliance mobility”, he said.
Sabrina Repp (S&D, German), also a shadow rapporteur, pointed out the need for a stable and predictable financial framework.
“Long-term success requires time and resources. We need to guarantee continuity and avoid budgetary uncertainty”, she argued.
She also called for the establishment of a legal status to enable better integration of the member institutions.
The representative of the Polish Presidency of the Council of the EU, Professor Andrzej Szeptycki, said that the alliances should enable universities to test the European Commission’s main proposals, in particular on the European diploma and the legal status of alliances.
“Discussions on the European diploma must move towards simplifying the administrative burden, not the other way round”, he stressed, warning of the risks of excessive administrative complexity. (Original version in French by Nithya Paquiry)