New council recommendations in the higher education sector
On 12 May 2025, EU education ministers adopted two new recommendations that could have a major impact on higher education in Europe. One is a recommendation on a common system for quality assurance and recognition, the other a resolution on a new European Degree Label, a voluntary label that indicates that a degree is the result of a common European educational program with certain criteria.
What do the recommendations mean in practice, and how do students view this development? In this blog post, SFS describes how we view the new council recommendations and what they may mean for students and higher education institutions.
What has been decided?
On 12 May 2025, EU education ministers adopted two closely linked documents:
- A recommendation on a European system for quality assurance and recognition.
- A resolution on European Degree Label – a voluntary label for degrees from international collaborations between universities that meet certain criteria.
These documents are part of the EU's strategy to complete the European Education Area to 2025. The label aims to be a quality seal, but also to facilitate student mobility and recognition. The label will be European because it is only given to a programme designed between at least two higher education institutions in different member states. The programme must have common learning objectives, degree requirements and quality assurance of the content between the higher education institutions. It should be emphasised that the label is not a degree in itself, but is a first, tentative step towards a future common European degree.
The EU's role in education policy
To understand why this matters, we must first clarify the EU's role in education issues. According to Treaty of Lisbon The EU has no legislative power over education, it is simply an area where member states have the primary competence and decision-making should be closer to citizens.
At the same time, education is a strategically prioritized area within the EU. It is not only a cornerstone for the supply of skills to the common market, it is also an important institution for student mobility and exchanges within the EU. The EU's authority in the field of education is therefore regulated by so-called soft law. This means that the Union has a mandate to support, coordinate and supplement the efforts of the member states, but not to legislate or force harmonisation. Education remains a national competence, even though European cooperation in the area has grown in both scope and importance.
The overarching umbrella for the initiatives is the Bologna Process, where the three-cycle model, the ECTS credit system, the European Quality Assurance Guidelines (ESG) and common degree structures have been introduced in Sweden and large parts of Europe. With programs such as Erasmus + The EU has already had a major impact on facilitating student exchanges. However, international exchanges not only require students to have sufficient financial resources, but also that the administrative and legal systems are adapted. Credit transfer of courses, differences in quality between higher education institutions and lack of transparency can otherwise constitute obstacles to mobility. This is where European Degree Label comes in.
What is a European Diploma Label?
The European Commission believes that the label should facilitate the recognition of degrees between countries, reduce administrative obstacles and demonstrate that the education meets common quality criteria. It should not replace national degrees, but should be applied to joint programmes offered by several higher education institutions in different countries. The initiative thus also aims to strengthen the European identity in higher education and increase the attractiveness of European education systems globally, see European Strategy for Universities.
Who doesn't want to make it easier for students to study? We at SFS share the vision of increased mobility, better recognition of qualifications and strengthened cooperation between European higher education institutions.
The development of the recommendations
The recommendations are the result of negotiations between the governments of the member states, and have now been adopted by the education ministers. SFS has had a good dialogue with the Ministry of Education during the negotiations. In addition, the work has been followed through SUHF and our membership in the European Students' Union, ESU.
We are pleased that higher education institutions, students and the Swedish government had a common view. Among other things, the government got through in the negotiations that the degree label should be introduced gradually, with an evaluation of its benefit and function before a decision is made on full-scale introduction. SFS is also pleased that the label remains voluntary for the member states, and that ESG continues to be the basis.
SFS's view on the recommendations
But the implementation of grand visions also needs to be anchored in reality. And in reality, in some places it is still far too difficult for students to have their credits recognized. A survey from the Swedish University of Science and Technology in 2023 showed that 4 out of 10 students had difficulty getting courses from exchanges recognized upon returning home. When you need to economize on the number of study weeks, the lack of clarity around the possibility of recognition makes it more difficult for students to “risk” an exchange semester.
We are particularly skeptical about the proposal to create a separate framework for quality assurance of education within university alliances. It risks leading to parallel structures and increased administrative burden for higher education institutions, instead of building on existing tools such as ESG and the European Approach.
Student influence
Influence is a core issue. In Sweden, student influence is regulated in the Higher Education Act (Chapter 5, Section 7). But within other initiatives from the EU, such as European university alliances and joint degrees, it is often unclear what role students actually have. We repeatedly see that student representatives are invited into an advisory role, but without real power to influence content or decisions, something that not least ours network for student representatives within European university alliances testifies to. It is not enough. Clearer structures are needed for how student representation is to be ensured, not least in the policy lab and in the future development of degree marking. Education programs that are designed over the heads of students not only risk lacking legitimacy, but also ultimately becoming less relevant and less attractive.
Risks of parallel systems
We also see a risk that the European qualification label will cement an unequal structure in which only certain higher education institutions, those with strong resources and high administrative capacity, have the opportunity to participate. In this case, the initiative risks reinforcing differences within the European education area, rather than supporting integration and cooperation. This is also a risk that European Students' Union previously stated.
We also identify a tendency for the Commission to open up to controlling the content of the programmes that are allowed to carry the label. This would be a serious interference with academic freedom. The content of the programmes is best determined by those who design the programmes, which SFS repeatedly points out.
“In Sweden, we have a model” … in the field of education
The sector and the government are generally generally positive about European initiatives in the field of education. The value of internationalisation, increased coordination and cooperation is clear. But at the same time, we do not want to compromise what works well in our national education system. This is a reasonable precaution, not a resistance to change.
There are important differences between the Swedish higher education system and many other member states, which characterise Sweden's basic approach to European initiatives in the field of education. One is that Swedish universities and colleges are administrative authorities, another is the student finance system.
Working with European higher education policy is therefore both complex and rewarding. Once the initiatives are decided, higher education is affected on several levels.
But sometimes the thought strikes you: what if more countries were inspired by the Swedish model of higher education? Free higher education, combined with a generous and accessible student support system, has proven to be a powerful tool for promoting social mobility and broad participation. What could that not have meant for European cohesion?
Conclusion
The EU's ambitions in the field of education clearly demonstrate the strategic and symbolic importance that higher education has acquired in European cooperation. It is not only about skills supply and competitiveness, but also about safeguarding academic freedom and openness. As the US administration imposes increasing restrictions on researchers and higher education institutions, the EU has responded with the initiative Choose Europe for Science to offer researchers an academic residency in Europe, something that underlines the geopolitical importance of the education sector.
Against this background, it is positive that the EU now wants to take concrete steps to simplify the recognition of degrees, strengthen cooperation between higher education institutions and make education that is conducted across national borders more visible. But for the reforms to be meaningful, they must be rooted in real needs and designed together with those who are actually affected – the students.
For the average student, the changes won't be immediately noticeable. But within a few years, they could mean that the sometimes paper-heavy and time-consuming process of getting studies from abroad recognized will become significantly easier. That would be real progress.
Related links
Se the compilation of SFS's view on the European Standard for Quality Assurance, ESG.