Mobility in Higher Education' s contribution to economic competitiveness and cohesion in EU: trends and outcomes

European Union and its Member States have been faced with gaps and disparities in economic competitiveness and cohesion. There are clear divides in the EU and countries and its regions grow and react to crisis in very different manners. This work explores how knowledge, education and R&I became associated with economic competitiveness and how that has been impacted by EU’s strategies and policies. The desire to turn EU in a knowledge economy, where innovation and competitiveness are closely related to a highly skilled society, reinforced the role of Higher Education and, consequently, students’ mobility. By analysing trends in economic competitiveness and higher education mobility, it’s possible to notice that the same group of countries stands out has more competitive and more attractive for students, while clear differences are set between Member States.