Higher education and development: a European perspective

Universities in the European Union are called to support European integration along with pursuing education, research, innovation and economic value. This is evidenced in both European and national strategies, when European higher education institutions strengthen the value of their education and knowledge output while reinforcing their economic basis. A particular feature of higher education institutions in the European Union is their role in supporting a unified labour market. The European Commission has endeavoured on moving governments and universities to integrate national education systems, by proposing strategies and goals and providing part of the necessary resource basis. National governments in turn are called to implement the necessary reforms. The fundamental component of this approach is the so-called Bologna Process that created the European Higher Education Area. The core of the Process is to ensure comparability in the standards and quality of higher-education qualifications among European countries. The outcome of these processes has been important, but much remains to be done. The paper critically analyses the evolution of the European higher education and research system within the frame of European integration and with a view to the goals pursued, the results achieved and the challenges ahead