A new report assessing the state of doctoral education in Europe says that, even as 47 European nations enter the final phase of harmonizing their degree programs, Ph.D.-level education across Europe suffers from a lack of coordination and cooperation. "There is an urgent need for greater consultation and coordination at the regional, national, and European levels between government ministries, research councils, and other funding agencies on doctoral-education funding and career development," says the report," Doctoral Programs in Europe's Universities: Achievements and Challenges," published by the European University Association, in Brussels. The report's main recommendations focus on financing for doctoral candidates, which it says "should be stable, covering the full period of the doctoral program, and provide sufficient means to live and work in decent conditions."