Lifelong learners should be facilitated to develop networks and communities. To suit the needs of the lifelong learner, such networks and communities should be open, with a minimum of constraints as to who participates and what business is conducted and a maximum of flexibility as to the tools used and not used.

Open learning spaces between institutions of distance learning, should ensure that more resources can be used by students. With the Bologna reform being implemented in most of the universities of the membership of EADTU, the opportunities for curriculum co-operation are in place. Integrated Bachelor or Master Spaces provide networked teaching and learning between a restrictive number of partners.

It can become a dynamic concept: an integrated bachelor or master space can vary from a relatively modest ambition level with organic cooperation at the course level to a completely integrated joint degree programme. EADTU intends to encourage its members to partnership in master spaces as well as in Doctorate spaces in specific domains, i.e.