Switzerland and the potential of participating in the Erasmus+ programme

Erasmus sounds universal and is almost part of everyday language. While many people imagine a study trip to a foreign university, few know that behind this name, behind the clichés, lies a system and a network of cooperation and mobility that is unique and irreplaceable in Europe. And its potential for the Swiss education system and its international attractiveness is massive.

Why!? International cooperation means access to networks and collaborative structures which enhance the education system and contribute to its development, its attractiveness and its level of excellence. Giving education a more international dimension also provides all stakeholders at every level with significant value added – the students, the institutions and the education system as a whole.

While the momentum recently observed in the field of mobility and international cooperation has been curbed somewhat by the coronavirus pandemic, it is important to keep our eyes on the bigger picture: the importance of exchange, mutual understanding and openness to the world is clearer than ever and the contribution of these elements is strongly underlined in the management of a crisis such as the one currently facing us

Switzerland is not currently associated with Erasmus+. As of 2014, it has no longer been associated and the Swiss Programme to Erasmus+ was introduced at short notice to replace mobility activities in higher education, vocational, school, adult education and extracurricular youth work. This solution has facilitated the development of certain activities while nevertheless limiting the possibilities for international cooperation. Today, this limitation penalises stakeholders in the education system and places Switzerland in jeopardy of becoming marginalised.

And especially the Higher Education Institutions (Universities, Universities of Applied Sciences, Universities of Teacher Education). In this field the Erasmus+ programme provides an invaluable framework within which universities from 34 countries create joint educational and research initiatives, promote innovation in teaching and learning, and carry out peer learning activities. The programme has been substantially shaping the European Higher Education Area for years and was significantly expanded in 2017 with the establishment of “European Universities”. Such an initiative provides new and transformative systemic impetus for European higher education and enhances the competitiveness of the entire European Higher Education Area.

Strategic networks shape the future university landscape. Student and staff mobility cements the intense cooperation between universities and is firmly anchored in the programme. Both in the current programme generation 2014-20 and in the coming period 2021-27, however, the promotion of systematic and strategic cooperation comes to the fore as a clear response to the needs of universities. In future, cross-border cooperation is to take place with a small number of high-quality partnerships between higher education institutions. This will strengthen university networks and enable more comprehensive cooperation across subjects, departments, education and research. Swiss institutions are in the midst of this development, but are dependent on access to important networks, which is linked to participation in international education and research programmes.

The Swiss solution has its limits and marginalises Switzerland. Without an association with Erasmus+, Switzerland has only limited opportunities to participate and its involvement in shaping the European Higher Education Area is very restricted. A clear indication of this is the low level of participation of Swiss institutions in multilateral Erasmus+ cooperations in the years 2014-19: Austria with 174 and Switzerland with 24 projects.

The Swiss programme for Erasmus+ has worked in the short term, but the gap with Europe is widening. The Swiss programme for Erasmus+ arose at short notice from the urgency of not being associated with Erasmus+ in 2014 in order to ensure the continuity of Swiss (student) mobility within Europe. Today, six years later, the effects of non-association and the limited possibilities of the Swiss solution are becoming apparent. The growth in mobility figures has generally slowed, in some areas the figures have slumped, and programme maintenance has become more complex: As a comparison, Austria records 26% more mobility under Erasmus+. The planned digitisation of the Erasmus+ programme administration will further increase the gap between Switzerland and Europe.

With regard to Erasmus+, the Federal Council will carry out a careful analysis during the second half of the year, on the basis of which it will define the parameters of a possible negotiation mandate for association with the follow-up programme to Erasmus+.

Olivier Tschopp

Olivier Tschopp est directeur de Movetia, l'agence nationale pour la promotion des échanges nationaux, ainsi que des coopérations et mobilités internationales. Tour à tour enseignant, directeur d'école, puis secrétaire général d'un département, il connait parfaitement le système éducatif et le contexte institutionnel suisse. Ses choix professionnels sont étroitement liés au change management et ses motivations le poussent à relier les frontières (inter)culturelles.

2 réponses à “Switzerland and the potential of participating in the Erasmus+ programme

  1. You have presented the factual situation, with a fairly clear objective; to push us to vote against the UDC’s initiative on September 27. However, a different reading is possible, according to which, the EU is using sanctions, threats and blackmail against us and that there is nothing we can do.

    Allow me please to remind the readers that our country has not responded in the field of education since the EU sanctions in 2014, although it has the means to do so. 50,000. – students normally residents in the EU are studying in our universities almost for free, which represents a charge of several billion francs that the Swiss taxpayer is paying year after year.

    If on September 27 our Country voluntarily leaves itself as fat prey for the European Commission, it would be better to call openly for Switzerland to join the EU.

    1. Erasmus is not linked to the bilateral agreements with Switzerland, so in my purpose there is no direct connection with the vote on September 27. Erasmus is an educational programme in which almost all continental European countries participate, except Switzerland… My text aims to draw attention to the risks and losses of non-association for Swiss universities and other training institutions. The arguments are the same as for the research. Switzerland is a connected and intercultural country – it’s one of its strengths – and must remain so, in all sectors. Best regards.

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