The Status of Universities in EU Law,

Attempts to describe the legal status of Universities in EU law present a rather complex outline that is the result of analysis at various, different, levels. The reasons for this are twofold: on one hand, within the member states the label “University” does not cover all post-scholastic education. Together with classical “universities” one finds technical schools, polytechnics, conservatories and academies of arts, each having a particular status. The term “higher education institutions” (HEI) is generally used to try to cover them all, but still differences remain, and this clearly influences the harmonization process. The article challenges the dominant interpretation give by the ECJ and suggests a broader notion and status of Universities in the EU