European Education policies and the Erasmus programme

Education in the European Union has not always been a central issue in the European agenda, also because it has generally been conceived as a competence of Member States. Progressively the EU has become much more interested in education policies and the sphere of influence has shifted from the national level to the European level, given also by the increasing relevance of knowledge economy and high skilled labour forces required in the global labour market. The EU has entered this realm and Higher Education Institutions created a dense cooperation network. Throughout education policies’ history, exchange programmes played a major role in boosting and fostering cooperation and in dealing with the progressive internationalization and globalization of Higher Education. The Erasmus programme has been considered the most successful exchange programme in Europe, and it has brought some changes in the way people perceive Higher Education. Moreover, both Higher Education Institutions and students and teaching staff experienced its impact on Higher Education structures.