The Bologna Process

Creating a European Higher Education Area

On the occasion of 700 years of Sorbonne ministries responsible for higher education from France, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom signed the Joint Declaration on Harmonisation of the Architecture of the European Higher Education System (the Sorbonne Declaration) in Paris in May 1998. Ministries of four significant European countries the higher education system of which differed were able to agree on entirely particular principles and aims which change their higher education systems considerably.

They committed to creating an open European Higher Education Area the system of which is based on structured programmes. The Declaration emphasises importance of the first-degree cycle which is considered necessary to the whole scheme: “International recognition of the first cycle titles verifying appropriate level of qualification is important for success of this intention which aims at making higher education open to all people.” The Declaration responded to another important challenge which the dynamic development of society brought and which higher education institutions are facing – to create such an institution which is able to answer requirements and needs of Lifelong Learning necessary for more and more people. Mobility of higher education students and academic staff is considered key and also inevitable part of real European integration. Therefore ministers of France, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom acknowledged the daring vision – to enable a higher education student to spend minimally one semester of study at a foreign higher education institution and to recognize the study abroad a part of a student´s study programme. The Czech Republic, Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark, Rumania and Switzerland agreed with the Declaration.

The Sorbonne Declaration found great favour. In June 1999 31 ministries responsible for higher education from 29 European countries met in Bologna and signed the declaration on establishing a European Higher Education Area by 2010 (the Bologna Declaration). They agreed on the programme which became an action plan of European higher education development by the year 2010. European countries got a possibility of taking advantage of their education systems uniqueness and establishing a European system. The Declaration stated six objectives which are the essence of the Bologna Process - adoption of a system of easily readable and comparable degrees; adoption of a system essentially based on two main cycles, undergraduate and graduate; establishment of a system of credits – such as in the ECTS; promotion of mobility by overcoming obstacles to the free movement of students, teachers, researchers and administrative staff; promotion of European co-operation in quality assurance; promotion of the necessary European dimensions in higher education.

In May 2001, in Prague, new countries joined the Bologna process: Croatia, Cyprus, Liechtenstein and Turkey. The ministers adopted the so-called Prague Communiqué which sets guidelines for the next two years, until the Ministerial Conference on the Bologna Process in Berlin in 2003. The Prague Summit introduced several new elements in the Process. Students were recognised as full and equal partners in the decision making process and European Students´ Union /ESIB/ became a consultative member of the Bologna follow-up group together with the Council of Europe, European University Association /EUA/ and European Association of Institutions in Higher Education /EURASHE/. The social dimension of the Bologna Process was stressed. The idea that higher education is a public good and a public responsibility was highlighted.

At the Berlin Ministerial Conference in September 2003, 7 new countries were accepted into the process (Albania, Andorra, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Holy See, Russia, Serbia and Montenegro and “the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia”). Thus the total number of countries involved increased to 40. It was also decided that all countries party to the European Cultural Convention are eligible to take part in the Bologna Process provided they apply for accession and submit a satisfactory plan for implementation of the Bologna goals in their higher education system. Apart from taking note of the developments from 2001 to 2003 and setting guidelines for further work, the Berlin Communiqué also concluded that research is an important part of higher education in Europe and the European Higher Education Area and the European Research Area are in fact two pillars of the knowledge based society. Furthermore, it is necessary to go beyond the focus on two main cycles and the third cycle - doctoral studies - should be included in the Bologna process. It also concluded that in time for their 2005 meeting, ministers will take stock of progress in the key fields of quality assurance, two-cycle system and recognition of degrees and periods of study.

At the Bergen Ministerial Conference in May 2005, 5 new countries were welcomed (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine) as new participating countries in the Bologna Process bringing the total number of participating countries up to 45. It was also decided to enlarge the circle of consultative members to the Education International /EI/ Pan-European Structure, the European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education /ENQA/ and the Union of Industrial and Employers’ Confederations of Europe /UNICE/. The Bergen meeting confirmed the shift from future plans to practical implementation. In particular it was marked by the adoption of an overarching framework of qualifications for the European Higher Education Area and with a commitment to elaborating national qualifications frameworks by 2010 – as well as to having launched work by 2007; the adoption of guidelines and standards for quality assurance and the request that ENQA, the EUA, EURASHE and ESIB elaborate further proposals concerning the suggested register of quality assurance agencies; the further stress on the importance of the social dimension of higher education, which includes – but is not limited to – academic mobility; the necessity of improving interaction between the European Higher Education Area and other parts of the world (the “external dimension”); the growing importance of addressing the development of the European Higher Education Area beyond 2010.

The last ministerial conference took place in London in May 2007. Montenegro was welcomed to the Bologna Process following its declaration of independent in 2006, bringing the number of participating countries to 46. In London, Ministers also adopted a strategy for the Bologna Process in a Global Context. They took note of the second stock taking report, considered reports on the social dimension of the Bologna Process and on mobility, portability of grants and loans, qualifications frameworks, a European Register of quality assurance agencies.

The Bologna Process is the most comprehensive reform of higher education in Europe since the 60´s of the last century. Its aim is to establish a European framework in which the key policies are agreed. Its most important part, however, is the national implementation as well as the implementation at each higher education institution. Next Ministerial conference takes place in Leuven/Louvain-la-Neuve from 28 to 29 April 2009.