Recently, the Swedish Council for Higher Education (UHR) has been tasked by the government to map and analyse the conditions of Swedish HEIs’ participation in the European Universities Initiative (EUI). The report will entail an evaluation of the ongoing EU processes around the legal status for European universities and the common European degree label, in relation to their applicability to the Swedish context.

At present, with 13 Swedish Higher Education institutions involved in a European university consortium - approximately 1/3 of all Swedish HEIs -, concerns have been raised that the initiative might come across legislative hindrances on the national level. In this regard, the Swedish government sees the need for a comprehensive analysis, where the conditions will be mapped and analysed for Swedish higher education institutions participating in the EUI, identifying whether legislative adjustments will be required.

UHR is expected also to map how state funding works in other countries, for universities participating in the initiative. The report is expected to be completed by April 2024.