European Groupings of Territorial Cooperation (EGTCs) and European Economic Interest Groupings (EEIGs) as instruments for academic cooperation at the international level

Academic networks may be established either for purposes of strategic coordination among partners or merely to organise services of common interest. In the first case, strategic coordination could be a step towards the eventual merger of its members. In the second case, the coordinated services may be offered to the market or provided directly to the network partners. In all such cases, coordination can be achieved through contractual instruments, or the partners may choose to set up dedicated organisations, possibly endowed with legal personality. To this extent higher education institutions can set up legal entities governed by national or EU law. This chapter explores the advantages and disadvantages of the various options available within the framework of the European Universities Initiative. Particular attention is devoted to analysing the benefits and shortcomings associated with the establishment of a European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation (EGTC) or a European Economic Interest Grouping (EEIG).