Conference Paper

Johan Olsen, a well known expert on higher education, asked the following question: “Is Europeanization as disappointing a term as it is fashionable? Should it be abandoned or is it useful for understanding European transformations? It is our assessment that the concept of Europeanization is rather useful, despite being occasionally vague. In fact, its vagueness contributes to the flexibility which the EU member states want to maintain, while they try to achieve common goals through coordination and a process free from regulation and supranational decision-making. The freedom, autonomy and diversity of European higher education have helped the development of one of the most successful and the best-performing systems of higher education worldwide. In only three years, there will be a European Higher Education Area. Present day achievements in higher education are the building blocks of tomorrow’s common EHEA. Europeanization is paving the way, we should maintain it and continue with it.