European Universities Alliances and the Law

This book addresses legal issues raised by the institutionalisation of European Universities Alliances and suggests ways to facilitate sustainable academic cooperation towards a truly “European university”.

Since 2017, the EU’s European Universities Alliances (EUAs) initiative has sought to forge cross-border connections between higher education institutions and enhance academic cooperation across Europe. In 2023, the EU launched ten pilot projects to explore legal structuring and facilitate European degrees, applying an innovative governance model to address these needs. This book brings together insights from researchers across Europe, analysing complex legal questions, from defining an appropriate legal status for EUAs to delineating membership, governance, and operational models that align with both EU and national laws. It demonstrates how, as these alliances navigate the challenges of cross-border resource, staff, and data sharing, they face the dual imperative of complying with EU regulations on data protection and competition while also integrating into diverse national legal systems.

This book will be of interest to researchers in the field of EU law, legal education and governance.