ABSTRACT
This chapter assesses EU actorness in higher education on a spectrum ranging from strong to weak, focusing on its three constitutive dimensions, namely opportunity, presence and capability. It gauges the forms and extent of the EU's external engagement, examining the EU's 'higher education toolbox' through its plethora of programmes and cooperation schemes with third countries, as well as policy dialogue on higher education policy with specific regions and countries around the world. The chapter also provides a plausible explanation of the emergence and forms and extent of external engagement in a policy area where the EU has a supporting, coordinating and supplementary role. It points that the European Commission has deliberately been involved, via Erasmus and especially Tempus, in externalizing internal policies regarding qualification frameworks and standards, transfer of best practice, quality assurance and accreditation, supporting capacity development and mobility of teaching staff and students, and promoting the principles of the Bologna Process.
