Arqus welcomes the European Higher Education Package adopted by the EC for the creation of a European Degree

Today, on 27^th March, the European Commission officially adopted a comprehensive Higher Education package, presenting new strategies for enhancing transnational cooperation among higher education institutions throughout Europe. The Arqus Alliance welcomes this initiative as an important step towards making the European Education Area a reality and reaffirms its dedication to harmonizing educational standards and enhancing the mobility and employability of students across Europe.

At the heart of this package are three core initiatives that have the potential to shape the future of higher education:

• Communication on a Blueprint for a European Degree: this proposes a concrete path for cooperation between EU Member States and the higher education sector to establish a European degree. Offering two entry points — a preparatory European Degree label and a full qualification (the European degree) — it aims to equip future generations with the essential competences and skills needed to thrive in a globally interconnected world.
• Proposal for Quality Assurance and Recognition: The Commission’s proposal seeks to improve quality assurance processes and ensure the automatic recognition of qualifications in higher education. By addressing legal and administrative barriers, this initiative aims to facilitate the creation of competitive joint degree programs at various academic levels.
• Recommendation for Enhancing Academic Careers: Focused on making academic careers more attractive and sustainable, this proposal aims to enhance the overall quality and appeal of higher education institutions, thereby creating a conducive environment for academic excellence and innovation.

The Arqus Alliance embraces this package as the result of extensive dialogue and consultations among stakeholders, including institutions, civil society, and policymakers. By leveraging existing tools such as the Bologna Process and European University Alliances, as well as introducing new support mechanisms, we truly hope that this package can bring new momentum into transnational cooperation across EU Member States and continue to stimulate the much-needed dialogue across institutions and civil society at all levels.

The EDLab project developed by Arqus together with three Alliances (ENLIGHT, EUTOPIA and SEA-EU) has notably contributed to the blueprint for a European Degree by testing the implementation of European and international joint degree programmes and the European Degree Label with special emphasis on France, Italy, Portugal and Spain.

The European Commission has indeed welcomed many of the EDLab’s proposals for revising the initially proposed criteria for the European Degree. More importantly, the Blueprint reflects EDLab’s view on the importance of the Label as a necessary step towards the future awarding of European Degrees as a self-standing qualification. The excellent work done by EDLab partners on designing and testing the joint European degree label and label certificate has well prepared the ground for the work ahead on awarding European Degree Label and future Degrees.