Abstract
Higher education institutions in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe over past 20 years have faced multiple challenges associated with the transition period: liberalisation, transformation related to market economy requirements, growing numbers of students; and deep systemic changes related to the Bologna Process and inclusion within the European Higher Education Area. Within these processes, re-orientation of the former environmental policies to encompass broader sustainability concepts was based on the introduction of social sciences and support for excellence in (existing or newly emerging) SD-related disciplines.
University cooperation with other regional stakeholders has been applied to teacher education, but sustainability initiatives still have many (mainly institutional) barriers especially in regard to other (non-teacher education-related) disciplines. In addition, research that was formerly commissioned exclusively with research institutes does not possess a reflexive character, which limits internal driving forces for further development of ESD in higher education.