“I want to go study outside.” We may have heard it from our children, our friends, or thought it ourselves. Very often, this “outside” corresponds to that closest to us, Europe, given the geographical proximity of “home” and the practical advantages that the EU allows. United Europe has accustomed us to thinking that such a desire poses no problem, at least at the bureaucratic level. Is it really like that? The first and perhaps most important difficulty that a student encounters when deciding to continue their studies in one of the EU countries concerns the certification of qualifications.
Nowadays titles and diplomas are only recognized at national level. The Italian graduate who wishes to specialize in Germany must above all ensure that his diploma is recognized. The process involves the payment of taxes extraordinary or the obligation to take additional courses which often leads students to change direction. Europe, which wants to dototal integration of citizens is the objective of the next legislature, is currently adopting measures which they will be implemented from 2025.
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Beyond mobility
THE April 29, 2024 a meeting took place in Brussels between Commission European and 300 university representatives of all member countries. The central point of the day was the presentation of results of 6 pilot projects called upon to propose recommendations but above all to identify the obstacles to achieve the objective of European diploma, automatically valid in all EU countries, without requiring any certification of the qualification. The projects are part of the Erasmus+ activity, an evolution of the program which has made mobility between students in Europe possible over the last 20 years, and will enrich the offer proposed by the existing Eures and DiscoverEu.
One of them is ED AFFICHE, the result of the collaboration of six university alliances, in which the Alma Mater of Bologna also participated. The practical approach, at the heart of the initiative, starts from a mapping of existing common titleswords diplomas attached. From these partnerships which are already functioning and by analyzing the legal obstacles that had to be overcome to create them, it is possible to derive a uniform regulatory model, a legal prerequisite for the unitary certification of the qualification.
The SMARTT project in which the University of Turin participates also starts from the same premises, which underlines the importance of cooperation programs the university is institutionalized. To this end, from April 2023, EGAI, a group of universities, is incorporated as a legal entity.
A system based on alliances could, however, favor the formation of “mega-universities, groups of universities with significant resources that collaborate with each other to the detriment of smaller academic establishments. The risk is that a “market” and a series A and series B education. The creation of a legal body would prevent a network of autonomous universities from issuing the European diploma.
Brain exchange rather than brain drain
The fundamental principle is therefore to develop an integrated system, common to all on a legislative basis, but also transversal, that is, able to grasp the differences in the approach to a subject and bring them back to a single path. We must exploit the diversity of teaching, the variety of cultures, and encourage its dissemination starting with the one who transmits knowledge. Unitary diploma certification this will also facilitate the mobility of teachers who, wanting to move from one chair to another, today encounter the same difficulties as students.
Variety of teaching methods transversality of skills. A concept appreciated by the world of work which evolves with new technologies and needs new professional figures. A European diploma promotes competitiveness of new graduates create an ever-larger pool from which businesses will draw.
