In 2025, the Council of Europe’s Higher Education Programme advanced several key initiatives aimed at promoting recognition, strengthening fairness, transparency, and democratic mission of higher education across Europe. 

A major milestone was the 10th session of the joint Council of Europe/ UNESCO Lisbon Recognition Convention Committee in October, which adopted a new Code of Good Practice in the Provision of Transnational Education and set the stage for future work on digital and AI-enabled recognition. The ENIC-NARIC networks continued to expand their role as Europe’s recognition backbone, gathering over 150 experts in Tirana in May. An updated Joint ENIC NARIC Charter of Activities and Services, adopted by the Lisbon Recognition Convention Committee, positions ENIC and NARIC Centres as key actors in shaping a recognition landscape that is more interconnected, equitable, and responsive to the demands of contemporary learning.

Progress towards automatic recognition accelerated, with the Steering Committee for Education at its meeting in September approving the proposal to start drafting a new Convention on the Conditions for Transparency, Quality Assurance for Automatic Recognition of Higher Education Qualifications in Europe, subject to formal decision by the Council of Europe Committee of Ministers. At the same time, efforts to support displaced learners gained momentum: the European Qualifications Passport for Refugees surpassed 1,000 issued passports, and survey results confirmed its strong impact on both higher education access and employment.  The publication “Portraits of Refugees”, published on UNHCR World Refugee Day, followed the lives of seven refugees, presenting a unique journey of continuing education and resuming professional careers in host countries.

The year also marked important achievements in integrity and ethics. New research on students’ perceptions of education fraud, joint work with IIEP-UNESCO on open school data, and the launch of a new Centre on Education Fraud highlighted the growing commitment to protecting quality and trust in education. 

Defending academic freedom remained central. The launch of the Report on Erosion of Academic Freedom, launched at the second “Academic Freedom in Action” conference in November, mapped emerging trends, identified red flags across Europe, and stressed the urgency of action. The Global Forum on Higher Education, held at Prague University in June reaffirmed the crucial democratic role of universities at a time of increasing global pressures. 

Looking ahead, two forward-focused initiatives began shaping the future: the development of the Council of Europe Students’ Rights Charter and a three-year programme on AI and the recognition of qualifications, ensuring technological innovation supports fairness and human rights. 

Together, these achievements made 2025 a year of renewed commitment to building education systems that are fair, democratic, resilient and ready for the challenges ahead.

Further details on the 2025 Higher Education Programme are available in this brochure.