EU policy - Education
According to the Treaties of the European Union, 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, it explicitly states that "responsibility for the content of teaching and the organisation of education systems and their cultural and linguistic diversity" rests with the Member States.
Key EU activities in relation to education, as outlined in Article 165 of the Treaty for the Functioning of the EU (TFEU), known as the Lisbon Treaty, include:
- developing the European dimension in education, particularly through the teaching and dissemination of the languages of the Member States,
- encouraging mobility of students and teachers, by encouraging, inter alia, the academic recognition of diplomas and periods of study,
- promoting cooperation between educational establishments,
- developing exchanges of information and experience on issues common to the education systems of the Member States, and
- encouraging the development of youth exchanges and of exchanges of socio-educational instructors.
The European Commission is also an important stakeholder in the Bologna Process and provides policy expertise and funding in many areas.
It additionally plays an important role in strengthening higher education research activities in Europe through the Framework Programmes and the development of the European Research Area (ERA).
