In this retrospective we place the introduction of the ‘Corso di Diploma Universi-tario‘ (CDU) in the context of the engineering education in Europe at the beginning of the 1990s. The idea to harmonize the formation of engineers among the countries adhering to the European Union (EU) was still valid. By 1 January 1993 the ‘four freedoms’, free movement of goods, capital, services and people within the EU was to be introduced. In order for an engineer to work in another EU country his formation should be of the same quality as that given to his peers in the host country. In particular, ‘Brussels’ hoped for two types of formation in all EU countries, a practical one dispensed by institutions like Fachhochschulen and a more scientific one given by Technical Universities. (This dichotomy is alternatively known as short-and long-term formation).