EP Briefing: EU role in international training - draft resolution

Brussels, 03 April 2002

The Committee for Culture, Youth, Education, the Media and Sport, will put before the House, a draft resolution on the Communication from the Commission on the strengthening of co-operation with third countries in the field of higher education.

Reporting for the committee, Marielle DE SARNEZ (EPP-ED, F) explains that an international training market is emerging in which the main providers, notably the United States and various European countries, are beginning to compete with each other. Statistics, she says, show that the US is the country which attracts the most foreign students and that the EU countries most in demand are Britain, Germany and France. And she suggests that if the EU is to improve its position in the training market, high quality study options must be available which are more competitive internationally.

MEPs welcome the Commission's initiative, however, they do not think it goes far enough in analysing the problem. The Committee therefore calls on the Commission to examine, in close consultation with the European University Association, the possibility of setting up a group of independent international experts, which would have the task of awarding a European University label on training modules at higher education establishments, recognised for the quality of their teaching and of their reception facilities for foreign students.

Given that language is often an obstacle to mobility, the Committee recommends that the Member States systematically establish foreign language teaching in all subjects in higher education. Furthermore, forms of collaboration other than student mobility should be developed to enable higher education institutions to become more international: for example, mobility of teaching staff, co-operation in developing programmes and the reciprocal recognition of courses of study and diplomas.

Finally, MEPs invite the EU to promote the establishment of a joint course of studies between universities in Member States leading, wherever possible, to the award of joint diplomas. They want the Commission to continue improving and promoting the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS).

Marielle DE SARNEZ (EPP-ED, F)
Report on the Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament and the Council on strengthening cooperation with third countries in the field of higher education
(COM(2001) 385 - C5-0538/2001 - 2001/2217(COS))
Doc.: A5-0035/2002 [may not be available yet]

Procedure : Consultation paper
Debate : 11.04.200

European Parliament Briefing 2002-04-03
http://www.europarl.eu.int/home/default_en.htm