The Bologna process and its perspectives

AuthorA. Toma-Bianov - N. Craciun
PositionDepartment of Private Law, <I>Transilvania</I> University of Bra&#x015f;ov.Department of Private Law, <I>Transilvania</I> University of Bra&#x015f;ov.
Pages239-242

Page 239

1. Introduction

The Bologna Process aims at constructing and launching a European Higher Education Area by 2010, setting an entirely new course for higher education in Europe. This vision was introduced in the Sorbonne Declaration (May 1998), elaborated in the Bologna Declaration (June 1999), and expanded further in the course of two ministerial conferences in Prague (May 2001) and Berlin (September 2003) respectively. The Bologna Process is truly a pan-European project, without precedent in the history of the continent. By May 2005, the Bologna Process extended to 45 signatory countries with the inclusion of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine. The ministers responsible for higher education met in Bergen to discuss the mid-term achievements of the Bologna Process. The commissioned Stocktaking Report was submitted by the BFUG for the occasion. The Bergen Conference also marked the adoption of the Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area.

2. Recent Aspects regarding Bologna Process

The London Ministerial meeting, held on 17 and 18 May 2007, provided a landmark in establishing the first legal body to be created through the Bologna process - the European Quality Assurance Register (EQAR). This is to become a register of quality assurance agencies that comply with the European Standards and Guidelines, and are therefore legitimate to work in the European Higher Education Area. London also saw developments in two key areas - the social dimension, where Ministers agreed to develop national action plans with monitoring of theirPage 240impact, and the global dimension, where Ministers agreed on a strategy to develop the global dimension of European higher education.

The Leuven/Louvain-la-Neuve Ministerial meeting, held on 28 and 29 April 2009, took stock of the achievements of the Bologna process and laid out the priorities for the European Higher Education Area for the next decade. Looking back to ten years of European higher education reform, Ministers emphasised the achievements of the Bologna process, highlighting in particular the increased compatibility and comparability of European education systems through the implementation of structural changes and the use of ECTS and the Diploma Supplement. Acknowledging that the European Higher Education Area is not yet a reality, the Leuven/Louvain-la-Neuve Communiqué also established the priorities for the decade until 2020.

At present, 46 European countries and their higher education institutions are working to meet the requirements of the European Higher Education Area; this vast network will facilitate the production and transmission of knowledge in the...

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