Role of International Educational Programmes in Regional Integration Processes: Focus on European Union and Post-Soviet Spac

Abstract

A regional integration process is a growing trend in many areas of the world. Economic and security cooperation activities are central points of the agenda of international regional organizations, but in the last few years, education also is playing a significant role. Some of the most prevalent trends are the creation of common areas of higher education (European Higher Education Area, MERCOSUR-Educativo in Latin America, East African Community Common Higher Education Area, Common educational space of the Commonwealth of Independent States) and the establishment of academic exchange programmes. This paper analyses the impact of international educational programmes in regional integration processes, focusing on two regions: the European Union (Erasmus programme) and the Post-Soviet space (CIS University Network and SCO University). The international educational programme can have a double dimension: first of all, they foster the regional integration processes (internal dimension), but they also contribute to strengthening of the position of regional organizations on a global scale (external dimension). This research demonstrates that the Erasmus programme contributes to the European integration process in both dimensions, while CIS university network and SCO University are operating mostly in the internal dimension.