EU policy - Education

According to the Treaties of the EU, the EU shall contribute to the development of quality education by encouraging cooperation between Member States and, if necessary, by supporting and supplementing their actions. However, the Treaties outline that responsibility for the content of teaching and the organisation of education systems and their cultural and linguistic diversity rests with the Member States.

The European Commission is an important stakeholder in the Bologna Process and provides policy expertise and funding in many areas. The Commission encourages the mobility of students and teachers though various schemes, eg Erasmus, Marie Curie, etc. The Commission also plays an important role in strengthening HE research activities in Europe through the FP7 programme and the development of the European Research Area (ERA).

The EU has more legislative competence in the area of vocational education and training (VET) in Europe. The Commission is currently developing a European Credit Transfer System for Vocational Education and Training (ECVET).