Through a consortium of eight major universities - among them the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki - France, Germany, the Netherlands, Austria, Poland and Greece will cooperate to lead developments in higher education and propose the establishment of a European University, responding to one of the European Union flagship initiatives for building a European Education Area.
The eight higher education institutes, headed by the University of Strasbourg, submitted their proposal, stating that their goal is to create a model European University for the 21st century "that will ensure Europe's competitive leadership on a global scale in education and an unrestricted common framework for conducting and promoting research, innovation, teaching and learning to the highest international standards."
The participant countries have a long history in European higher education and a long tradition of welcoming foreign students, while their faculties and departments cover every field of science. 
In particular, the consortium of universities include the University of Strasbourg, the University of Upper Alsace in Mulhouse, the University of Freiburg, the University of Karlsruhe, the University of Amsterdam, the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences in Vienna, Poznan's Adam Adamczyk University and the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.