Copernicus-Campus, a European university network for sustainable development, has developed strategic guidelines for the incorporation of sustainable development into the European higher education area to be presented for the next conference of the European Ministers responsible for higher education in May 2007 in London. These guidelines were commissioned by the European Commission and are supported under the Socrates programme. The guidelines reflect the position of higher education at the crossroads of research, education and innovation, and more importantly as the key to Europe’s competitiveness. They undertake to ensure that higher education institutions enjoy the necessary autonomy to implement the agreed reforms, recognising the need for sustainable funding of institutions. Further, they assert that basing the European higher education area on the principles of sustainable development well render it more attractive. As Europe is trying to define the messages it wishes to send to the world about it’s higher education quality, Copernicus lends a particularly commendable focus. Copernicus-Campus