Since 2019, alliances of European universities have occupied an increasingly important place in the higher education landscape. Supported by the European Commission within the framework of the Erasmus+ program, they aim to structure a more integrated university space, by bringing institutions from different countries closer together in a sustainable manner around joint courses, research projects and student mobility.

The initiative quickly gained momentum. In just a few years, several dozen alliances were created, bringing together nearly 600 institutions across the continent .

In this context, linguistic diversity is a structuring element, even if its implementation methods are still evolving. Therefore, as alliances develop, the issue of languages ​​emerges as a concrete dimension to be addressed, at the intersection of institutional, pedagogical, and operational constraints.

Coordinating institutions from different language systems

Making a European alliance work is not just about pooling training resources or harmonizing strategies. It involves coordinating institutions from different language systems, in which national languages ​​remain strongly embedded in teaching, administration, and research practices.

Therefore, while this diversity constitutes a resource for alliances, it also introduces operational constraints because drafting an agreement, organizing a meeting or designing common curricula requires choosing one or more working languages.

In this context, linguistic choices sometimes lead to favoring pragmatic solutions, not necessarily formalized, but resulting from gradual adjustments between partners.

Research shows in this regard that, for specific dimensions of the life of alliances, such as online institutional communication or shared training offers, the use of English as a vehicular language appears to be a functional solution.

These uses, however, do not encompass all the activities of the alliances. National languages ​​can thus retain a structuring role in locally rooted teaching, internal administrative interactions, or relations with socio-economic environments.

Hybrid configurations are also observed, in which several languages ​​coexist, without their interaction always being explicitly formalized. In some alliances, for example, strategic meetings may be held in English, while instruction is primarily given in national languages.

These balances are also likely to evolve over the course of projects, as some joint training or coordination stages may occasionally require more linguistic harmonization, particularly when the number of partners involved increases.

Language, a governance variable

Linguistic choices are not neutral and can have consequences for stakeholder participation, the distribution of roles within projects, the clarity of communication, and coordination timelines. When a working language is shared, participation in meetings, training sessions, and strategic discussions becomes smoother, access to information is facilitated, and coordination between partners is generally improved.

Conversely, language can create situations of asymmetry (when the levels of mastery of the vehicular languages ​​chosen are heterogeneous), or even exclusion, when users do not have full access to information that concerns them because it is disseminated in languages ​​that they do not master or do not master well enough.

From this perspective, language emerges as a fully-fledged governance variable because, far from being merely a communication tool, it plays a concrete role in how alliances are organized, how they arbitrate their internal balances, and how they include their users. In doing so, the issue of language often implicitly contributes to structuring power relations and the dynamics of legitimacy between partners within alliances.

Educational experiments under linguistic constraints

These challenges extend to educational programs. The pathways offered by the alliances often rely on multiple learning experiences (in-person, online, or blended), exposing students to diverse linguistic and cultural environments. However, these configurations raise practical questions: which language should be taught? Should a common language be prioritized, or should several languages ​​of instruction be maintained? How can disciplinary learning be integrated with linguistic requirements?

These constraints sometimes lead alliances to experiment with new pedagogical approaches. In this context, some alliances are implementing systems that allow students to develop in multilingual academic environments, in line with the Council of Europe’s guidelines on multilingualism and language education .

However, these initiatives remain highly dependent on available resources and coordination capabilities between partners, which may limit their wider dissemination.

Balances to be built

While languages ​​are an operational issue in alliances, their effects go beyond the organization of university life, as linguistic choices also influence how actors appropriate the dynamics of European integration that they carry.

These choices can thus encourage user engagement in the proposed programs, but can also produce forms of distance, self-censorship, or withdrawal when the conditions of participation are perceived as unequal. Languages ​​therefore indirectly contribute to the processes of academic integration that are built within alliances, by conditioning access to transnational activities and the associated modes of participation.

Ultimately, rather than converging towards a single model, alliances seem to be faced with the need to build linguistic balances adapted to their contexts.

These balances can vary depending on the type of activity (institutional coordination, training, communication) and evolve over time according to the constraints encountered. They therefore rely less on fixed guidelines than on gradual adjustments, often implicit and negotiated through interactions between partners. As such, far from eliminating tensions, these arrangements make them visible and open to discussion.

Therefore, as alliances continue to develop, the issue of languages ​​could emerge as a structuring lever of their functioning , influencing the forms of cooperation, participation and integration they deploy to contribute to the construction of the European Higher Education Area.

Author Bio: Cédric Brudermann is a University Professor at the National Conservatory of Arts and Crafts (CNAM)