Leading article: France chance

The cross-Channel university that opened this term - a joint endeavour by Kent University and three universities in Lille as well as the Université du Littoral Côte d'Opale - provides exciting opportunities for French and English students.

The cross-Channel university that opened this term - a joint endeavour by Kent University and three universities in Lille as well as the Université du Littoral Côte d'Opale - provides exciting opportunities for French and English students. The latter are particularly parochial in their approach. Fewer and fewer Brits have been signing up for the Erasmus programme, the EU initiative to send European students on exchanges, so anything that encourages the English to be more outward-looking is welcome. Let's hope that Charles Clarke can iron out the teething problems - the French aren't paying fees and courses are still waiting to be validated on the French side. Then we might see the University of the Transmanche really take off.