On 5 November 2025, the Committee on Culture and Education (CULT) of the European Parliament held a public hearing on “A European Degree: empowering students, strengthening universities, uniting Europe”. The exchange was moderated by MEP Nela Riehl (Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance), Chair of the CULT Committee, and organised in two parts.  

In part one, dedicated to the value of a European degree, the President of the Erasmus Student Network (ESN), Simone Lepore and Cinzia Peraro, Associate Professor of European Union Law at the University of Bergamo (Italy), coordinator of the Jean Monnet Module "AIR-CARE" and collaborator within the BAUHAUS4EU Alliance, commented on the multiple benefits of such a degree for students/graduates, as well as for academics, presenting compelling data and testimonials.  

In part two, exploring the path towards the European degree, two inputs were likewise provided, by Andries Verspeeten, Team Leader, EU Education Projects (Ghent University), and ACA’s Director, Irina Ferencz. Andries Verspeeten stressed, inter alia, that the “joint European degree label can be a step towards the facilitation of joint programmes and the later realisation of a joint European degree” serving as a “rallying point to create a level playing field” across the European Education Area, concluding that the “Joint European degree label stands for our Union: strength through cooperation.” In turn, Irina Ferencz emphasised the relevance of the initiative also for National Agencies (for Erasmus+), given their role at national level in addressing the remaining obstacles to international cooperation, joint programmes and joint certification. She also called for keeping the initiative inclusive – open to all types of higher education institutions – as well as for equipping it with necessary funding, on top of already existing actions, in a well-funded future Erasmus+ (2028-2034).  

A final contribution by Susanne Conze, Head of Unit Higher Education, DG EAC, European Commission, helped clarify a few misunderstandings regarding the initiative, as well as the next steps towards its development, in line with the Council Resolution of 12 May 2025 (see ACA Newsletter – Education Europe, May 2025). During the hearing, supportive statements were delivered by MEP Marcos Ros Sempere (Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats) and MEP Laurence Farreng (Renew Europe Group). 

Subsequently, in mid-November 2025, the members of the Policy Lab on the European Degree met in Brussels, to discuss the further operationalisation of the European Degree criteria, in the form of an Operational Guide for the Joint European Degree label. The group is composed of national experts appointed by member states, as well as representatives of higher education institutions, quality assurance/accreditation agencies, students, and economic and social partners. Once ready (foreseen for early 2026), the Operational Guide will be presented to national authorities and should enable European higher education institutions, quality assurance agencies, and relevant stakeholders, to start implementing the label, as of mid-2026 onwards. 

And last but not least, the first European Degree Forum was held in Florence on 20-21 November 2025, hosted by the European Commission together with the European University Institute’s Florence School of Transnational Governance. The various stakeholders convened for this event discussed: successful examples of joint programmes that meet the criteria for a joint European degree label; solutions to overcome remaining obstacles; ways to attract and retain talent for the benefit of learners and society at large; how to ensure inclusiveness and accessibility.  

Contributing to Lab 2 – A joint European Degree label to attract and retain talents, Stephan Geifes, ACA Vice-President and Director, Erasmus+ NA DAAD, Germany, stressed that the European degree lable could make joint programmes more accessible for all higher education institutions by removing remaining obstacles, and that this is an important prospect in the further developments. 

The next steps and key commitments were summed up in the Florence Pledge – a document currently under consultation with the forum participants.