HIGHER EDUCATION: UNIVERSITY NETWORKS AND MEDITERRANEAN CIVIL SOCIETY

Abstract

The education level that characterizes the population of a certain country is intrinsically linked to its level of economic and social development, such that there are generally significant positive correlations between these factors. Achieving higher levels of development in countries and regions has required the capacity of economic and social structures to become more competitive and more cohesive. The European objectives associated with cohesion became more relevant in the statements of the Treaty on European Union signed in 1992. More recently, in 2008 and 2009, the debate around the issue of cohesion was relaunched with the public discussion of the Green Paper on Territorial Cohesion (European Commission, 2008). This document draws attention to the prospect of territorial and social cohesion. In addition, the EU policy towards Mediterranean countries matches the so-called Barcelona Process or Euro-Mediterranean partnership. It is intended to strengthen relations between the EU and partner countries favouring, at the same time, the strengthening of relationships between the Mediterranean countries themselves.

The European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP), launched in 2003 in the context of the European Union enlargement, was conceived as a new framework for relations between the Community and eastern neighbors, based on mutual commitments already in place, but allowing a degree of economic integration and a deeper political relationship. The ENP seeks to support the political and economic reforms of neighboring countries on the basis of partnership and building on shared values. In this process, one cannot neglect the role of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in building an environment more conducive to improve the development and cohesion in the countries and regions. As a matter of fact, the Euro-Mediterranean area has many examples where their ability in developing connections to pursue forms of action that are not limited to a local or national dimension. In this paper, we intend to achieve the following objectives: 1) check out how the HEIs make up university networks aimed at facilitating the mobility and exchange of people and cultural resources with the ultimate goal of promoting interdisciplinary research and teaching university;

2) seek to verify the existence of some evidence regarding the effects of these networks of Mediterranean civil societies in the promotion of equity, social cohesion and active citizenship.