Innovative development of the education industry in the European higher education area

The article identifies positive changes and suggests trends in the innovative development of the educational sector in the European area of higher education. The goal is determined, and the functions of the European area of higher education are considered. It has been proven that two trends, which are analyzed in the article, prevail in the structure of world higher education: unitary (single), a system manifested in higher education and provided by universities; binary (dual), a system with a traditional education sector based on the Humboldt University concept and a separate non-university sector of higher education. The main principles regulating aspects of educational activity are revealed. Considered is a very important and necessary distance form in the educational space, related to the introduction of information and communication technologies into the educational process, which is being updated and developed to improve an open and widely accessible education system, aimed at training a qualified competitive specialist