OpenEU contributes strategic vision on the European Degree and AI at the 14th EADTU-EU Summit

The 14th EADTU-EU Summit recently concluded with a powerful call to move from experimentation to implementation at scale. The OpenEU Alliance played a central role throughout the event, contributing its expertise in distance and online education to the most pressing debates on the European agenda: the integration of Artificial Intelligence, institutional leadership, and the practical implementation of the European Degree Label.

Held in Brussels, the Summit gathered policymakers, university leaders, and European networks to align on the next phase of development for the European Higher Education Area.

Theo Bastiaens, President of EADTU and Rector of the Open Universiteit of the Netherlands, opened the summit and framed the meeting as a unique annual opportunity to not just discuss the future, but to shape it. Bastiaens called for bridging the gap between policy and practice and emphasised that innovation increasingly goes hand in hand with responsibility when it comes to the integration of AI.

The European Degree label: A call for inclusivity

The midday session, moderated by Pastora Martínez, Coordinator of OpenEU, focused on the practicalities of the European Degree. The panel brought together diverse perspectives: from Fernando Val (UNED) and Mark Frederiks (NVAO), who addressed the "reluctance to change" and the need to rethink the criteria of 30 ECTS of mobility based on objectives and learning outcomes, to Tamara Ciobanu (European Students’ Union), who reminded the room that "no student should be left behind."

Reinforcing this vision, a key moment of the debate occurred when Pastora Martínez questioned the current criteria for the European Degree label, specifically the 30 ECTS physical mobility requirement:

The mobility criterion currently risks overlooking the differences between traditional delivery and fully online provision. OpenEU students represent around 5% of the 11 million students in alliances—many of them non-traditional learners. Will these institutions be excluded?

While Kinga Szuly (European Commission) noted that the 30 ECTS criterion remains a specificity of the label for now, the discussion underscored OpenEU’s role in advocating for a "digital by design" approach that ensures the European Higher Education Area is genuinely inclusive.

AI and leadership: transformation through people

As the Summit progressed, the focus shifted to the rise of AI. Mattia Bellotti (EUTOPIA/FOREU4ALL) noted that AI is reshaping the entire student journey, from recruitment to assessment. However, the consensus among speakers like Klaus-Dieter Rossade (The Open University) was that technology is only half the battle.

Change in leadership is always about people," stressed Klaus-Dieter Rossade. "They need to be on board, and this is why communication has always been the key to success.

Conclusion: A People-Centred Future

The Summit’s final notes were delivered in a closing panel moderated by Àngels Fitó, President of OpenEU, Vice-President of EADTU, and Rector of the UOC. She synthesized the day’s discussions into a powerful vision for the future.

The transformation of European higher education must be a people-centred transformation," Àngels Fitó concluded. "AI used only for faster automation is a missed opportunity. If used to strengthen feedback and widen access, it is a genuine asset. We need a model of AI that is pro-teacher, pro-student, pro-worker, and pro-citizen."

Fitó ended by describing the European Degree as a "stress test" for institutions, asserting that its success will depend on how it addresses practical challenges across diverse systems while remaining focused on the core academic mission.