Shaping the Future of European Higher Education: Echoes from Pavia’s European Degree Workshop
31 January 2025
Francesco Svelto, Rector, University of Pavia
Antonella Forlino, Vice-Rector for Internationalisation, University of Pavia
How is European higher education evolving to address emerging challenges and enhance internationalisation? What role should academics play in actively shaping this transformation? To this aim the European Degree Workshop, held at the University of Pavia on 21 January 2025, brought together academics, policymakers, and stakeholders from Italy and across Europe, including representatives of the Coimbra Group and European Alliances, to discuss the future of joint educational programmes. The event provided a valuable opportunity to reflect on the opportunities offered by the European Degree and its challenges, exchange best practices about Joint Master’s Degrees, and recall the commitment of higher education and European Universities to international collaboration.
The European Degree is envisioned as a powerful instrument to strengthen cooperation across the EU by enhancing mobility, employability, and academic collaboration. It would be awarded jointly by several European higher education institutions, on a voluntary basis, on grounds of a common set of criteria.
The Rectors of Italian universities, Prof. Francesco Svelto, Rector of the University of Pavia, Prof. Tiziana Lippiello, Rector of Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, and Prof. Alessandra Petrucci, Rector of the University of Florence, along with the Pro-Rector for Internationalization and the Rector’s Delegate for Placement at the University of Pavia, opened the event. Their speeches emphasized the importance of internationalisation and the pivotal role Italian universities can play together with their international partners in shaping the future of European Higher Education. At this crucial moment for collaboration, the European Degree is not just a qualification; it represents an opportunity to foster a more interconnected and inclusive educational landscape across Europe.
Yann-Maël Bideau, representative of the European Commission’s DG for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture, updated the participant on the Commission’s vision for the European Degree as outlined in the blueprint released in March 2024. He shared the status of policy discussion and the roadmap foreseen for transitioning from concept to implementation. A key priority is reaching a common agreement on the definition and criteria of the European Degree. The European Commission also aims to secure the approval and launch a European Policy Lab on the European Degree by the end of the year, which will focus in the first stage on developing implementation guidelines.
A dynamic panel featured delegates from European University Alliances (ARQUS, CHARM-EU, EC2U, Una Europa, and 4EU+), who shared practical insights and recommendations from their respective experiences in designing joint degrees, navigating regulatory frameworks, and issuing joint diplomas. The panel also included the students’ perspective with a contribution from the European Student Union. Of great interest was the Italian perspective session, featuring representatives from the Italian Ministry of University and Research and the Italian National Agency for the Evaluation of the University and Research System (ANVUR), highlighting the role of national accreditation agencies in supporting the implementation of the European Degree.
In the afternoon, a roundtable with members of the Coimbra Group Executive Board and Rectors’ Advisory Group, EC2U Rectors and Prof. Patrizio Bianchi, former Italian Minister of Education, addressed several key issues. One of the main points of discussion revolved around if the implementation of the European Degree should follow a top-down or bottom-up approach, sparking a lively and thought-provoking debate.
We encourage you to watch the recording to get a deeper sense of the richness of discussions. The event was preceded by the University of Pavia’s inauguration of the 2024/2025 academic year, where Rectors and representatives from universities across Europe and beyond gathered to celebrate the role of higher education in global cooperation. The speeches reaffirmed the fundamental importance of internationalization in institutional strategies.
We are delighted that the workshop contributed to nurture and consolidate the Coimbra Group’s position on the European Degree, reaffirming our collective commitment to fostering a truly European education landscape. As we move forward, the Coimbra Group remains dedicated to supporting the adoption of the European Degree and ensuring that it serves as a transformative force in higher education, continuing to shape the future of European education together.
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You will find below all the relevant links regarding the event:
Event report
Video registration of the workshop
Workshop materials