Thoughts on the Further Development of European Co-operation in Higher Education

Abstract

If we were to consider the developments in European co-operation in the field of higher education by looking at the number of institutions, of exchange contracts and of equivalence agreements, then there is every reason for satisfaction. In recent years, all this has multiplied at full force, and quite apart from the agreements the many and various exchanges of people, experience and information have become an everyday occurrence. No longer do we need to recall the common cultural heritage, the common root of every European university: the common interests of Europe, particularly in the field of higher education, are apparent to us all. Those who believe that there is still not enough happening, can easily be told on the contrary that the individual, however well informed he may appear, can have an only very limited insight into the many connections and links that exist between the institutions and people in Europe. So the following reflections, too, inevitably stem from one whose range of vision is restricted, and equally inevitably also from a national point of view; they are thus as subjective asif only by dint of the space available-they are unsystematic and incomplete, and they limit themselves to just a few aspects of co-operation in the field of higher education in Europe. From the regional point of view, we have here, as in all other areas regarding international co-operation, to draw the distinction between the various meanings within the concept 'Europe', the Europe of the European Community, that of the Council of Europe, that politically known as Western Europe, and the Europe of higher education tradition, a Europe in which Prague, now lying east of the political border, played such an outstanding role and has still, despite the differing political systems, maintained to a great extent the force of its influence on the higher education systems in all the Eastern Block countries. However, we must admit that the scientific links between these different 'Europes' differ greatly in intensity. 'The Europe of Universities' does not exist as such and the relations between institutions of higher education are in many ways connected to political relations or influenced by them. For it is a common destiny of all the institutions of higher education in these various 'Europes' that the institutions of higher education in all countries are more closely connected to the State than in previous centuries, when these institutions enjoyed exceptional privileges. In short: university autonomy has diminished. The