” ““The higher education systems in Europe are mired by a multitude of obstacles, many of which are rooted in the past decades. The adopted bill means to contribute to the debate on the required modernisation of the universities of the European Union”. Ján Figel’, commissioner for education and training, presented yesterday a plan to “change and develop the universities of the member states”, so that they “can give their contribution to the goal of the EU, to become the most competitive and dynamic knowledge-based economy in the world”. According to the EU Commission, “the universities have huge potentials, most of which however are not exploited, due to a multitude of obstacles and constraints. Releasing this important store of knowledge and talent needs immediate, deep and coordinated changes”. Nine spheres of action have been suggested, such as: increasing the number of graduates “spending at least six months abroad or in the industry world”; giving students access to more loans and grants; strengthening the procedures for the recognition of academic qualifications across national boundaries; revising the national university-funding procedures; “giving universities more independence so that they can easily adapt to any change”.
