Reviewing institutional governance arrangements through a European lens has the benefit of broadening the argument away from differences between pre-1992 and post-1992 constitutions or between research-intensive and teaching-led university perspectives. In the last two decades in Europe is a massive increase in student numbers and institutional size, significant changes in funding models and very considerable pressures on modes of university governance. The title of this article encloses 'modernisation' in inverted commas and reflects the stated ambition of the European Commission in one of its many Communications issued to governments and higher education over the period (Delivering on the modernisation agenda for universities, education, research and innovation 2006). The question this article asks if Europe is in fact modernising university governance or simply responding "ad hoc" to government intervention, growth in the size of institutions and demands for greater public accountability?