Friends of Europe Cafe Crossfire Evening Debate "Can Europe close the education gap?"

Higher education is crucial to Europe's competitiveness, so what should the EU be doing to boost educational programmes? What steps are needed to increase the numbers of graduates from 21% of the European Union's population to nearer the level of the 38% of the US? How can technical training be given importance comparable to university studies? Is a major drive to increase private investment in education, both by individuals and companies, the way to narrow the gap in which Europe spends 1,1% of GDP on higher education compared to the 2,3% in the US?
The EU and countries like Switzerland work together on the Bologna and Copenhagen Processes to create a Europe-wide internal market for education. The Swiss are reforming their higher education system to make their universities fit for increasingly stiff international competition. Switzerland's multilingualism, the international character of its universities and the fact that 25% if the working population are graduates means that it has valuable experience to share with EU policymakers. What steps should they now envisage?