The Role of Higher Education in the EU Development Cooperation Policy

The support for the education systems in the developing countries has become a cliche in the contemporary European discussion over migration and asylum. In the last decades, the European Union (EU) delivered concrete actions to support the strengthening of higher education in the global south. Nevertheless, within the fragile mechanisms of the EU multilevel governance, defining policies and programs encompassing interdisciplinary domains tend to be a complex exercise. Multiple researchers investigated the impact of the EU enlargement policy on the education system of the candidate countries. Only a limited number of studies analyzed the impact of the EU global programs targeting higher education in the developing and transition economies. This article aims to empirically - and then conceptually - comprehend the priority acquired by higher education in the EU Development Cooperation Policy. Critically analyzing the policies, guidelines and budget of the European Commission dedicated to higher education in third countries, the study investigates the strategic positioning of the EU over the issue. The mission is to assess if the declaratory policies of the Union have lined up with the implementation on the ground; and if third countries' higher education has been organically included in the EU development and cooperation agenda. Despite a sound correlation between the political guidelines and the implementation on the field, there are several open issues that are likely to hamper the effectiveness of the EU action designed to empower the higher education sector in middle and low-income countries.