The support for the education systems in the developing countries has become a cliché in the contemporary European discussion over migration and asylum. In the last decades, the European Union (EU) delivered concrete actions to support the strengthening of higher education in the global south. Nevertheless, within the fragile mechanisms of the EU multilevel governance, defining policies and programs encompassing interdisciplinary domains tend to be a complex exercise. Multiple researchers investigated the impact of the EU enlargement policy on the education system of the candidate countries. Only a limited number of studies analyzed the impact of the EU global programs targeting higher education in the developing and transition economies. This article aims to empirically - and then conceptually - comprehend the priority acquired by higher education in the EU Development Cooperation Policy. Critically analyzing the policies, guidelines and budget of the European Commission dedicated to higher education in third countries, the study investigates the strategic positioning of the EU over the issue. The mission is to assess if the declaratory policies of the Union have lined up with the implementation on the ground; and if third countries’ higher education has been organically included in the EU development and cooperation agenda. Despite a sound correlation between the political guidelines and the implementation on the field, there are several open issues that are likely to hamper the effectiveness of the EU action designed to empower the higher education sector in middle and low-income countries.

Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the frictions in the EU-China relations, India has acquired an apical position in the European foreign policy agenda. Since 2001, the Jean Monnet action has been transformed into a global instrument of EU public diplomacy. This study aims to provide a preliminary assessment of the Jean Monnet action in India. The objective is to identify the activities financed, the geographical distribution and the measures adopted by the European institutional actors to capitalize on the funds invested in Indian academia. The analysis is conducted by combining quantitative and qualitative approaches. The final goal is to provide an overview of the Jean Monnet implementation in India and to detect strategies that the European policymakers could adopt to enhance the effectiveness of the action in strengthening EU awareness in Indian society.

The fourth industrial revolution is expected to deeply affect the Indian socio-economic trends. Higher education is gradually acquiring significance in the agenda of development and cooperation policies. In the last decade, the European Union has supported Indian higher education institutions to enhance their role in the development of the country. The Erasmus+ has been revised to intertwine the internal and external dimensions, embedding goals related to social, political and economic spheres. To pursue this goal, under the Erasmus+ Capacity Building in Higher Education action, the EU has allowed Indian universities to ideate and develop projects addressing local needs and global challenges. Through case study and participant observation, the article assesses the EU's action in India for cooperation development initiatives engaging the Indian higher education sector. The research findings have been instrumental in delivering targeted recommendations to European policymakers to enhance the impact of the EU developmental cooperation policy in India and the EU-India relations tout court.