HE can provide basis for European culture and identity

On 4 March the French President Emmanuel Macron published his open letter to European citizens, called ‘Pour une Renaissance européenne’. It is a passionate, but also realistic, appeal to all of us to think about the Europe of the Future.

Once again, Macron makes himself the spokesperson for all those who acknowledge the enormous accomplishments of the European Union. Moreover, he is willing to raise his voice in favour of Europe amidst the cold winds from those who put their national interests above those of a common Europe.

The French president knows that Europe has to change and has to find new common goals and objectives. One cannot deny that the European ideal has lost attraction, due to political controversies, lack of support by national political leaders and real crises.

As a convinced European I very much welcomed his call to consider Europe as a positive and progressive project, which is not yet finished and is in constant evolution. It struck me though that his letter didn’t pay attention to European identity and Europe’s culture.

Of course it is difficult to define what these exactly are, but most certainly they consist of democracy, civil liberties, the values of transparency and societal accountability. The diversity of nations, languages, the arts, religions and even landscapes is enormous, but there is also unity in this diversity, leading to cooperation, mutual respect and tolerance.

Educating for democratic values

Education, and certainly higher education, has been one of the most powerful tools to learn about and from Europe. Generations of people now have grown up in Europe in times of peace and prosperity, although this has not been evenly spread. The social and economic differences within and between our countries are still large and should be overcome.

Large numbers of our younger generations understand the societal challenges of today. They want changes for the good of the Earth, for equality, for welfare and for well-being. That is hopeful and leads me to call upon the educational sector to use its position to support these developments.

We, schools, universities and other educational institutions, have to take our responsibility to teach our students what it means to live in democracies, what it means to be able to speak out, what it means to understand that others might have different views and to respect them.

That is why our students need to develop the necessary intercultural and international skills, based on a deep and convinced acceptance of democracy and its values.

Almost 20 years ago the Bologna Declaration was signed by representatives of 28 European countries. Today 48 countries are part of the European Higher Education Area that sprang from this declaration.

All of these countries have been working towards a set of common goals to improve the comparability of their higher education systems so as to enlarge the mobility of staff and students through a three-cycle system, through the use of transferable credit points and through robust internal and external quality assurance systems.

In 20 years we have achieved something that is an inspiration for other parts of the world, although we are not finished yet. There is still a lot of work that has to be done.

Supporting student mobility

It goes without saying that the enormous growth in mobility of students is one of the great accomplishments of this European initiative.

To support mobility across Europe, to enhance trust in our higher education systems and to make automatic recognition of degrees a reality, we are currently working towards establishing a database of higher education institutions and programmes which have been externally reviewed against the Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area (ESG).

The database is an important milestone in achieving our goals and in building a European community of trust and transparency.

A mutual understanding in our education systems forms a strong basis for friendships, relationships, respect and trust. It is the basis for a European culture and identity. That is why we have to invest even more in giving our students opportunities to go abroad, to learn in international classrooms, to take part in internationalisation at home and in international projects.

The political reality is that nationalism is on the rise and that its excesses must be halted. It is, however, also important to understand its popularity. Francis Fukuyama’s thoughtful book Identity (2018) helps us understand it and find answers to the situation we now find ourselves in.

Education for me is the foundation for critical thinking, understanding, respect and tolerance. We have to follow that road with even more determination and enthusiasm.

It is great to see so much enthusiasm behind Macron’s initiative for European universities in our higher education institutions. It is great that the funding for the new Horizon programme will be enlarged. It is great that the internationalisation of our European universities is still evolving.

But we have to realise that all these positive developments have to serve the broader goals of maintaining peace, of promoting equal opportunity and supporting socio-economic welfare. That is what Europe should be about: a continent with a very rich history, but also with a bright, common future.

Karl Dittrich is president of the European Quality Assurance Register for Higher Education (EQAR).