Student Mobility in the EU – Recent Case Law, Reflections and Recommendations
Now more than ever, it appears that both societal and political factors are supporting and stimulating student mobility in all its shapes and forms, most notably through various initiatives on the European level. The Bologna Process, the European Qualifications Framework and the Lisbon Recognition Convention are all examples of this commitment undertaken by the Member States of the EU as well as other European nations. However, upon taking a closer look at the practical reality, we see that many obstacles remain to exist. As EU law currently stands after the Forster and Morgan and Bucher judgments, mobile students do not have a right to maintenance grants, neither from their host state or their home state. Furthermore, the European Court of Justice has – albeit reluctantly – allowed an exception to the principle of equal treatment on grounds of nationality with regards to access to higher education in the Bressol case. Although the recent, somewhat more restrictive attitude of the European Court can be defended and perhaps even welcomed, it does illustrate the need for a discussion and potential action on the European level by the political institutions. This contribution includes a discussion of the recent ECJ case law on student mobility and some reflections on the desirability, feasibility and potential form and content of such future action.
Studentische Mobilität im globalen Zeitalter: Trends, Triebkräfte, Konflikte
Seit den 1990er Jahren hat sich die Internationalisierung des Hochschulbereichs quantitativ und qualitativ stark verandert. Dieser Beitrag diskutiert die dahinterliegenden Triebkrafte sowie Kosten und Nutzen der zunehmenden akademischen Mobilitat fur die unterschiedlichen Akteure. Besondere Beachtung wird der Europaisierung der Hochschulen geschenkt: Der Integrationsprozess, der auch auf den Kultur- und Bildungsbereich ausstrahlt, geht mit einem Macht- und Bedeutungsverlust nationaler Politik einher. Am Beispiel des Hochschulzugangs werden die dabei aufbrechenden Konfliktlinien diskutiert. Spannungen erzeugt auch die zunehmende Dominanz der englischen Sprache in Forschung und Lehre.
Covert action? Education, social policy and law in the European Union
Education in Europe has been one more aspect of social policy, traditionally held to exist within the sovereignty of member states, which has been encroached upon by supranational institutions. This paper explores the legitimacy of the partial control over education matters that has been gained by the European Union since the 1970s, examining in particular the role of the European Court of Justice and also the European Commission, in reshaping and altering definitions of legal competence in the fields of education and training. Special emphasis is placed on the method by which an original competence in training has been reconstituted to incorporate some aspects of education policy. Implications for democratic legitimacy and accountability at the European level are discussed.