European Higher Education Area (EHEA): policy developments and trends

Deadline for abstract submission ( 30 October, 2025 ) Deadline for article submission ( 15 February, 2026 )

Fifteen years after the launch of the European Higher Education Area (EHEA), the higher education sector in Europe is facing new challenges at regional and global level. Cross-cutting issues such as system design, recognition of qualifications and quality assurance remain central to international dialogue and national education and training agendas.

Policies and trends in academic freedom, the social impact of higher education, automatic recognition, micro-credentials and transnational education (TNE), together with new forms of teaching and learning, are evolving and being tested by all higher education institutions.

These elements, combined with digitalisation and artificial intelligence, pose new challenges and require innovative solutions in the field of academic education and research.

This call for papers invites original contributions that explore the historical, legal, ethical and socio-political dimensions and impacts of higher education linked to developments triggered by the EHEA, also bearing in mind the various critical voices referring but not limited to a bureaucratisation of procedures in education systems and/or a lack of involvement of the academic community in all its forms (scholars, students and administrative staff).

We particularly welcome studies that examine the following aspects:

• One or more of the three pillars of the EHEA: qualification frameworks, recognition and quality assurance.
• The TNE sector and other forms of international collaboration.
• Historical and systemic aspects of the functioning and organisation of the EHEA.
• Digital transformation and artificial intelligence.
• Aspects related to fundamental principles in higher education, including academic freedom and institutional autonomy.
• Analysis of EHEA ministerial communiqués and the role and documentation produced by the Bologna Follow-up Group (BFUG).
• The role and participation of stakeholders in the EHEA.
• Global impact and openness to other regions of the world of the EHEA.
• The evolution of lifelong learning in the EHEA, including new developments on micro-credentials and Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL).
• The global impact of the EHEA and its dialogue with other regions of the world.
• The social impact of higher education, particularly in relation to equity, inclusion, civic engagement and democratic values.
• The role of the EHEA as an intergovernmental voluntary process in supporting international mobility of students and higher education institutions’ staff, and the internationalisation of Higher Education.

We welcome contributions from a multidisciplinary perspective, particularly in the fields of law, pedagogy, history, sociology and the philosophy of education.

Abstract Rules:

An abstract in Italian and English (max 1,500 characters).
Six keywords in Italian and English.

A short biography of the author, including:
Name and surname.
Research interests (not publication titles).
Any university or institution of affiliation, with the role held

Deadline for abstract submission ( October 30, 2025 )
Deadline for article submission ( February 16, 2026 )

The text must be sent to the Editorial Staff exclusively in Word format (doc or docx), to the e-mail address: redazione@rivistauniversitas.it.

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