The Status of Universities in Eu Law

Abstract

Attempts to describe the legal status of Universities in EU law present a rather complex outline that is the result of analysis at various, different, levels. The reasons for this are twofold: on one hand, within the member states the label “University” does not cover all post-scholastic education. Together with classical “universities” one finds technical schools, polytechnics, conservatories and academies of arts, each having a particular status. The term “higher education institutions” (HEI) is generally used to try to cover them all, but still differences remain, and this clearly influences the harmonization process.
Also their legal status, main goals and funding model may differ within and among member states: some institutions are mostly devoted to teaching; others are much more involved in research. Others still – such as medical schools – provide a vast number of health services to the general public and are part of both the national education system and of the national health service...