European Parliament publishes report “on a new vision for the European Universities alliances”

On 11 September 2025, the European Parliament published the report “a new vision for the European Universities alliances”, prepared by the Committee on Culture and Education with rapporteur Laurence Farreng. The report urges the European Commission and EU countries to deepen cooperation among current members of the European Universities alliances and ensure stable funding.

Adopted with 461 votes in favor, 100 against, and 48 abstentions, the report calls on the Commission to provide sufficient resources to make the alliances a fully funded programme, extending into the next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF). EU countries are encouraged to co-finance alliances through national budgets.

MEPs highlight the alliances’ role in building cross-border research networks, particularly in STEM disciplines, and stress the importance of stronger links with the private sector to drive innovation, professional training, and smoother transitions into the job market.

The report also salutes six Erasmus+ experimental projects on the European degree and degree label, run by 21 alliances. Reinforcing the alliances is seen as a step toward EU-wide recognition of degrees and diplomas. According to MEPs, European Universities alliances act as a “genuine laboratory” for the European education space, contributing to a more integrated, competitive, and inclusive area while promoting European identity, culture, values, and academic freedom.

Rapporteur Laurence Farreng states:

“The European Universities alliances build on a long tradition of cooperation among European universities, from the Middle Ages and the Enlightenment to the Bologna Process. By fostering exchanges, joint curricula, and cross-border collaboration between students, professors and researchers, they carry forward this rich academic heritage into the future,”

Launched in 2019 under the Erasmus+ programme, the European Universities initiative was designed to promote student mobility and pedagogical innovation. While initially planned for 20 alliances, it has grown to 65 alliances involving more than 570 universities, representing over half of the EU’s student population.
 

• View the original press release 
• View the report