EUNICE European University among the pioneering consortia seeking to achieve the ‘European Degree’ label for its Excellence Programmes
In a historic step for the future of higher education, the Council of the European Union has laid the foundations for a common European degree, marking a transformational change in the way academic qualifications are structured and recognised across the continent. Among the main actors willing to shape this new academic landscape is EUNICE European University alliance, which is called to play a key role in this ambitious initiative through its Excellence Programmes.
On 13 May, the education ministers of the EU adopted a resolution and a parallel recommendation which together outline a roadmap for the legislative development of a European label for joint degrees and the eventual creation of European degrees. These degrees meeting a number of requirements would be jointly designed and delivered by universities in several EU Member States and would be officially accredited throughout the European Union,
The European Union currently has a common framework that facilitates the recognition of higher education qualifications through tools such as ECTS credits, but degrees are regulated at national level by individual countries.
The initiative is part of a wider effort to strengthen the European Education Area and increase the global competitiveness of European universities, contributing along the way to building a more integrated and resilient EU. It also responds to the growing need to deepen transnational cooperation in higher education, particularly in the face of geopolitical uncertainty and the increasing internationalisation of academic and research ecosystems.
EUNICE at the forefront
Behind the resolutions adopted by the EU Council are university consortia driven by the European Commission, such as EUNICE, which pilot European Degree initiatives. EUNICE, a transnational alliance of ten public universities, has already begun to lay the foundations for this new academic model through its Excellence Programmes. The work under development in EUNICE makes the alliance a pioneer: it provides a crucial testing ground in addressing the practical and legal challenges of implementing joint degrees in different national systems.
Two leading international master's degrees - ‘IT for Smart and Sustainable Mobility’ and ‘Bioinspired Chemistry’ - are currently open for enrolment for the 2025-2026 academic year. These programmes exemplify the kind of cross-border and interdisciplinary collaboration that the European Degree aims to institutionalise.
The president of EUNICE, Albdelhakim Artiba emphasises the strategic importance of such partnerships in shaping the future of European higher education: ‘the joint degree initiative will not only enhance academic mobility and employability of our graduates, but also strengthen connections with the business world and between regions and foster a stronger sense of European identity among students’. In addition, he outlines some of the changes that the implementation of the European Degree will bring: ‘It aims to consolidate European higher education by creating a solid framework for joint curricula, automatic recognition of qualifications and shared quality assurance mechanisms. The European Degree label, as an intermediate step, will serve as a mark of excellence and innovation for programmes that meet EU criteria for transnational cooperation’.
More info: A blueprint for a European degree - Publications Office of the EU