European Universities: building the future of higher education in the European Union through university alliances

Thesis

In 2019, the European Commission launched the European Universities Initiative (EUI) with the ambitious objective to transform the higher education landscape in the European Union (EU) by creating ‘European Universities’ - transnational alliances of higher education institutions from across the EU. Originally aimed at establishing twenty ‘European Universities’, the initiative has since expanded to 65 alliances comprising 570 higher education institutions, which represent one fifth of the EU’s higher education landscape and more than half of its student population. In just a few years, the EUI has positioned itself as the flagship programme for developing a higher education dimension of the newly formed, EU-led European Education Area. This thesis explores the unprecedented scale and speed at which these university alliances have contributed to the formation of a regional higher education space in the EU. It examines the governance mechanisms that have enabled the European Commission to take on such a prominent role in developing this initiative despite the continued caution of Member States in granting it more power in education policy. Through a competitive dynamic articulated around bold policy objectives, the EUI has reconfigured higher education collaboration in the European Union. Drawing on a thematic analysis of policy documents and 70 semi-structured interviews, this qualitative research sheds light on the policymaking processes that have enabled the successful implementation of this initiative and ensured its crucial role in shaping both national and European policy agendas. Triggered and forged by a landscape of crises, the initiative seizes an open political and institutional window, taking a significant step toward building a more influential European higher education policy. While limited by the EU's supporting competence in education policy, the rapid upscaling of the initiative is driven by a combination of governance mechanisms available to the European Commission. These mechanisms have simultaneously targeted and involved both Member States and the wider higher education sector, securing their support despite ongoing disagreements. The alliances are emerging as novel actors in the higher education landscape and play a growing role in shaping European higher education policy. Important policy directions have emerged from the growth of the EUI revealing an increased importance for European education policy. This includes ongoing work on the development of a European Degree, a Vocational Education and Training Strategy, and the incorporation of knowledge as a fifth freedom within the EU single market. This thesis situates itself at the intersection of research on public policy, governance and European integration and contributes to interdisciplinary scholarship in comparative and international higher education and European studies.

Authors: Charret, A

• DOI: 10.5287/ora-vepd7xabr
• Type of award: DPhil
• Level of award: Doctoral
• Awarding institution: University of Oxford
• Language: English
• Keywords: university alliances; European Commission; European Universities Initiative; European Universities; European Union
• Subjects: Education; Public Policy; European Studies