European Commission launches a "Higher Education Package"

The European Commission launched on Tuesday 18 January a set of initiatives included in the so-called "Higher Education Package", which includes the European Strategy for Universities and a Council Recommendation on building bridges for effective European higher education cooperation. 

The aim of the European Commission by launching these two documents is to reinforce the importance of higher education institutions in developing a more sustainable, digital, and inclusive Europe that can drive the role of European universities in regional development and promote regional innovation ecosystems.

The idea is to continue with and deepen a debate that was started during the Portuguese Presidency of the Council of the European Union, which included holding the "European Universities: Pioneering Transformation in Education, Research and Innovation" conference in April 2021 at Leiria Polytechnic Institute, during which a memorandum of understanding was signed between higher education institutions belonging to the Regional University Network – European University (RUN-EU) and several regional coordination and development bodies of the countries to which the imitations belong. The ai mis to create a European Area for inter-regional development.

The conditions are now in place to deepen transnational cooperation in higher education based on innovation, making it more effective and sustainable. 

To do so, the European Commission undertakes to mobilize all the instruments it has available, for instance, funding, cooperation, legislation, and calls on all Member States and respective higher education institutions, as well as the academic and scientific community and partners, to create the opportunities for European citizens, together, with a view to developing higher education and research in the European space. Portugal has joined the initiatives presented by the European Commission today and congratulates them.