In a geopolitical context marked by “turbulence”, “Europe is the place par excellence to study and carry out research”.
With these words, the Polish Deputy Minister for Science and Higher Education, Andrzej Szeptycki, set out the ambition behind the recommendation and parallel resolution adopted at the meeting of the Council of European Education Ministers on Monday 12 May.
According to Andrzej Szeptycki, these texts constitute “a European vision for progress in higher education”, and have laid the groundwork for the implementation of a joint European degree label, setting out the next steps towards the possible introduction of such a label.
As the Minister emphasised, its implementation will take account of the need to preserve the autonomy of national educational institutions and traditions.
The resolution constitutes a ‘roadmap’ to 2029 and sets out the three phases to be completed between now and then.
The Council Recommendation on a European quality assurance and mutual recognition scheme for higher education establishes the criteria that will be used to award the label.
As the Council of the EU states in a press release, the aim is to ensure that quality assurance processes are “agile, internationalised and fit for purpose”, allowing universities to respond and contribute to the dynamic societal transformations affecting them.
This will also support the implementation of automatic mutual recognition of qualifications across Member States.
In the opinion of Roxana Mînzatu, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission for Social Rights and Skills, Quality Jobs and Preparedness, “today is a day to remember”, because this approval comes at the end of a “difficult debate”.
While Spain’s Secretary of State for Education, Abelardo de la Rosa, welcomed a “text that respects sensitivities, but also national rules” and his French counterpart, Minister Élisabeth Borne, welcomed the opportunity to “build a competitive and sovereign Europe”, Estonia’s Minister Kristina Kallas expressed mixed support, arguing that Europe’s strength lies not only in unity, but also in linguistic and cultural diversity.
Furthermore, she felt that a new institutional framework for quality assurance would not provide any real added value, fearing that it would lead to greater complexity and an additional administrative burden. Nevertheless, the Minister said she was in favour of a feasibility study, provided that it took account of the joint European degree and other ways of improving how qualifications are recognised.
The Hungarian minister, Balázs Hankó, endorsed this position, noting the “long debates” (see EUROPE 13636/32) surrounding the “European degree” label. Faced with the partial exclusion of its universities from the Erasmus+ programme, the Member State noted the 200,000 students affected, while also defending its own mobility programme, Pannonia.
Since 2022, Hungary has been subject to a partial suspension of European funds, including Erasmus+ and Horizon Europe, due to concerns about the Rule of law and the governance of certain universities.
The Minister denounced the risk of politicising access to the future European degree label, defending the fact that all universities, “irrespective of how they operate or how they are funded”, should be able to participate.
To this end, Hungary is calling for a greater role for Member States in the political laboratory, and for the autonomy of universities and national competences to be respected.
Commissioner Mînzatu has announced that a Policy Lab will be set up this autumn, bringing together experts from all countries who will put the label into operation. In the second half of this year, an Erasmus+ call for proposals will be launched to help roll out the label by 2026.
View the recommendation: https://aeur.eu/f/gs2
View the resolution: https://aeur.eu/f/gs3 (Original version in French by Nithya Paquiry)