The Council of Europe has launched today the drafting of a new Convention on the conditions of transparency and quality assurance for automatic recognition of higher education qualifications, marking a major step forward in European higher education cooperation.
This initiative represents the most significant legal development in the field of academic recognition since the adoption of the Lisbon Recognition Convention in 1997. It responds to long-standing calls from member States to move from political commitments towards a shared, binding framework capable of creating the conditions of trust required for automatic recognition to operate effectively across Europe.
A strategic response to uneven implementation
Over the past decade, the objective of automatic recognition has been repeatedly reaffirmed within the Bologna Process, yet implementation has remained uneven. While some countries have established national or regional arrangements, others continue to rely on individual recognition procedures that are often lengthy, costly and insufficiently transparent.
Extensive consultations conducted between 2023 and 2025 by the Steering Committee for Education (CDEDU) — involving students, higher education institutions, public authorities, ENIC centres and regional partners — highlighted a clear convergence: automatic recognition cannot function at system level without common standards of transparency, quality assurance and data reliability.
Enabling trust, not replacing existing frameworks
The future Convention is designed to enable automatic recognition rather than establish it directly. It will set out binding commitments for States Parties to ensure that their higher education systems meet essential requirements, including:
- robust and transparent quality assurance aligned with European standards,
- national qualifications frameworks referenced to the QF-EHEA,
- reliable public registers of recognised institutions and qualifications,
- effective use of core Bologna tools such as ECTS and the Diploma Supplement,
- safeguards for academic freedom, institutional autonomy and integrity.
The Convention will complement existing instruments, including the Lisbon Recognition Convention and regional agreements, without interfering with admission decisions, professional recognition regimes or institutional autonomy.
A milestone for the European Higher Education Area
By strengthening mutual trust between education systems, the Convention is expected to reduce administrative burdens, support student and staff mobility, and enhance the fairness, predictability and efficiency of recognition procedures. It will also reinforce coherence between Council of Europe standards and relevant European Union initiatives.
Following the today’s decision of the Committee of Ministers, the Steering committee for Education CDEDU will prepare the draft Convention and its Explanatory Report during 2026, with a view to adoption in 2027.
This initiative confirms the Council of Europe’s long-standing role as a standard-setter in higher education, and its commitment to supporting learners, institutions and member States in building a more transparent, trusted and inclusive European Higher Education Area.
