Putting the European Degree Label into Action: Bridging Policy and Practice in Venice

The gathering brought together experts, institutions and students from across Europe with one task: to move the European Degree Label (EDL) from concept to practical implementation.

Ambition: The Label Must Drive Real Change

From the opening panel, one message set the tone: the EDL must be more than a badge. A meaningful Label requires ambition - real academic integration, shared governance, strong mobility pathways, and visible European values.

Speakers argued that, while ambition may make some partnerships uneasy, it is necessary if the Label is to support innovation, reduce barriers and strengthen the European dimension of joint programmes. Without ambition, the EDL risks becoming symbolic rather than transformative.

For alliances like 4EU+, the European Degree is especially strategic. It provides a concrete framework to deepen cooperation between member universities, create fully integrated joint programmes, and enhance student mobility across borders. The Label helps translate 4EU+’s ambition of a truly European educational experience into practical outcomes, strengthening both academic and administrative collaboration.

Added Value: A Framework That Works for Institutions and Students

Participants reflected on the potential of the EDL to create tangible benefits:

• reducing fragmentation for joint programmes;

• improving alignment with the ESG and the European Approach;

• strengthening trust and recognition across systems;

• supporting transversal skills and Europe’s green and digital needs while safeguarding academic freedom.

It is also important to highlight that the EDL’s value lies in truly student-centred learning, embedded mobility, inclusive support structures and genuine involvement in co-design, not procedural consultation. Practitioners emphasised that students must shape both academic and administrative aspects of the programmes.

Quality Assurance and Verification: Practical Pathways Forward

A major part of the workshop focused on how to verify EDL criteria without creating new bureaucratic layers.

QA experts and alliance representatives shared:

• best practices such as early legal/QA mapping, shared templates, strong consortium agreements and transparent communication with students;

• persistent challenges: uneven national legislation, different interpretations of the ESG, the need to differentiate programme vs. institutional evidence, and the operational complexity of aligning systems.

Participants also warned against over-documentation, checklist-based assessments and procedures detached from educational reality. The revision of the ESGs and the specific implementation of the European Approach within the EDL context were seen as opportunities to recalibrate toward trust and collaboration.

Key recommendations included:

• integrating EDL evaluation within existing QA and European Approach procedures;

• ensuring no duplication of assessments;

• involving trusted QA agencies and EQAR as reference points;

• drawing on alliance pilots to develop practical indicators and training for staff;

• and embedding meaningful student participation in all verification stages.

Inclusivity and the social dimension were reaffirmed as non-negotiable: the Label should benefit all learners, not just those already mobile.

For 4EU+, such quality assurance mechanisms are vital. They allow the alliance to implement European Degree standards across diverse national contexts while maintaining the integrity and coherence of joint programmes.

From Discussion to Practice: Breakout Sessions, Posters and Co-Creation

Eight breakout sessions allowed participants to work on concrete challenges such as:

• embedding EDL criteria into curriculum design;

• aligning QA across alliances;

• mapping national frameworks onto the Label;

• clarifying governance roles;

• transforming existing joint programmes;

• operationalising criteria in diverse institutional contexts;

• strengthening cross-alliance dialogue;

• and ensuring inclusivity in mobility and programme design.

The poster session, “Institutional Pathways to the European Degree Label”, showcased case studies from alliances already adapting programmes to meet EDL criteria.

A co-creation workshop produced a first version of a self-assessment checklist and identified good practices for consortium agreements - a practical toolkit that alliances can now refine and share.

A Voluntary Effort Driven by Expertise and Commitment

One aspect stood out: the entire workshop, from panels to logistics, was organised on a voluntary basis by practitioners across Europe.

Their dedication reflects how strongly the sector believes in shaping a European Degree Label that is ambitious, workable and genuinely valuable.

Laura Colò, Project Manager at 4EU+, is currently co-chairing the FOREU4ALL EDJP topical group alongside Romita Iucu from CIVIS.