A Joint European Degree

Background

This opinion focuses on a package of three texts contributing to the European Education Area initiative. The "Commission Communication on a blueprint for a European degree" proposes setting up a cooperation path between EU Member States and the higher education sector towards the creation of a European degree that would be automatically recognised throughout the EU.  The Commission's "proposal for a Council Recommendation on a European quality assurance and recognition system in higher education" invites Member States and higher education institutions to simplify and improve their quality assurance processes and practices, while the "Council recommendation on attractive and sustainable careers in higher education" aims to promote, recognise, and value higher education staff's engagement in deeper transnational cooperation, their diverse academic roles and tasks and to promote competitive and non-discriminatory conditions to attract and retain staff.

The opinion details the EESC's position on the package and contains amendments for each text.

Key points

The EESC:

• believes that Member States and higher education institutions (HEIs) should enhance quality, fairness, equality, and social inclusion in higher education, adapting recommendations to their contexts;
• urges the EU to safeguard academic freedom and institutional autonomy;
• supports fostering joint programmes among HEIs within and beyond European University Alliance projects, ensuring quality assurance and including all relevant stakeholders in their implementation;
• emphasises the need for broad collaboration among stakeholders to effectively implement the initiatives, particularly highlighting the fundamental values of student and staff participation following the Bologna Process;
• calls for improvement in the monitoring of equal access for underrepresented and socio-economically disadvantaged groups in higher education, particularly in permanent teaching positions, research positions, and leadership roles;
• advocates for a European career framework ensuring job security, decent working conditions and equal access to academic positions, developed in collaboration with civil society organisations, respecting social and civil dialogue, academic trade unions and the social partners;
• calls for enhanced synergies between the European career framework for higher education and researchers in order to improve teaching and research quality;
• calls for the involvement of relevant labour market stakeholders in defining study programmes that have particular relevance to the labour market;
• highlights the importance of digitalising higher education and student services, while respecting copyright and using artificial intelligence responsibly;
• stresses the significance of multilingualism in joint higher education programmes;
• emphasises the need for adequate resources to implement these initiatives effectively.

The text of the draft opinion can be found here.

Additional information

Section: Employment, Social Affairs and Citizenship (SOC)

Opinion number: SOC/810

Opinion type: Mandatory

Referral: COM(2024) 145 final 2024/0078 NLE

COM(2024) 147 final 2024/0079 NLE

COM(2024) 147 final 2024/0079 NLE

Rapporteur: Tatjana Babrauskenie

Date of adoption by section: 3/9/2024

Result of the vote: 64 in favour/0 against/5 abstentions

Date of adoption in plenary: xxxx – xxxx

Result of the vote:   in favour/ against/ abstentions

Contacts

Press officer: Leonard Mallett

Tel.: 00 32 2 546 93 37

Email: Leonard.Mallett@eesc.europa.eu  

Administrator: Sabrina Borg

Tel.: +32 2 546 97 27

Email: Sabrina.borg@eesc.europa.eu