The Bologna Process was initiated to increase international competitiveness, academic mobility, and employability throughout the European community. In 1999, Ministers of Higher Education from 29 European countries met in Bologna, Italy, and signed the Bologna Declaration, which set goals and objectives for higher education in Europe. The European Ministers agreed to meet every two years to assess progress. The first assessment (held in the Czech Republic in 2001) resulted in the Prague Communiqué. The second assessment occurred in Berlin, Germany.
The Berlin Summit
On September 18, 2003, European Ministers from 33 signatory countries met in Berlin to review the Bologna Process and progress made since Prague. To assist the Ministers in their review at the Berlin Summit, a follow-up report (“Bologna Process: Between Prague and Berlin”) was prepared and submitted by Professor Pavel Zgaga and the members of his commission.
The Zgaga report (2003) reviewed the four years that had elapsed since adoption of the Bologna Declaration, as well as developments following the Prague Summit on Higher Education in 2001. Zgaga noted that the signatory partners had been implementing substantial reforms in their higher education systems. More surprisingly, perhaps, the Bologna Declaration had evolved during that time from a set of voluntary objectives “to a set of commitments in the framework” of reform.
Reviewing the Zgaga Report
Zgaga noted the contributions made by governmental organizations to the Bologna Process. The European Commission had become an additional full member, and eight consultative members (e.g., Council of Europe, UNESCO European Centre for Higher Education) had assumed the role of a “a bridge between those countries party to the Bologna process and the remaining European countries” that were not yet signatories. Prior to 2003, the Russian Federation had not joined, nor had some countries in southeastern Europe.
Nevertheless, interest in the Bologna reforms had arisen in Latin America and the Caribbean, where the Bologna Process was being considered as a model for their own higher educational systems. Due to this increased interest, Zgaga recommended that all signatory countries (current and future) be required to commit to the Bologna Process objectives, “notwithstanding national differences and particularities.”
Assessing Progress Toward the EHEA
The original Bologna Declaration had identified six objectives necessary to create the EHEA by 2010; three additional objectives were added in Prague. The Berlin Summit summarized progress toward all nine objectives:
- Standardizing Degrees: The European Ministers encouraged higher education institutions to ratify the recommendation of the Lisbon Recognition Convention (1997) as well as to introduce the Diploma Supplement, which would ensure academic recognition of degrees throughout the European community. By 2005, the Ministers desired every graduating student to receive the Diploma Supplement “automatically and free of charge.”
- Two-Cycle Degree System: All European Ministers agreed to implement the two-cycle degree system no later than 2005.
- Uniform Credit System: The European Ministers noted that the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS) had been accepted and was serving as a “basis for the national credit systems.”
- Academic Mobility: Academic mobility figures had increased significantly since 2001. The European Ministers committed to further mobility improvements by making national loans and grants portable throughout the European community.
- Educational Quality Assurance: While recognizing that quality assurance was an institutional issue, the European Ministers nevertheless agreed to commit to a national quality assurance system by 2005.
- European Dimensions in Higher Education: Following the Prague Summit, additional curricula with European content had been developed. The European Ministers agreed to pursue further options that would ensure students a “substantial period of study abroad in joint degree programmes.”
- Lifelong Learning: The European Ministers acknowledged that steps were being taken to align national policies so that lifelong learning was “an integral part of higher education activity.”
- The Role of Students in Higher Education: The European Ministers noted the substantial contributions to the Bologna Process by student organizations and reaffirmed that students were “full partners in higher education governance.”
- Promoting the Attractiveness of the EHEA: Although there had been a lack of general progress in this area, the European Ministers affirmed that “the attractiveness and openness of the European higher education should be reinforced.” Furthermore, commitments were made to develop more scholarship programs for students from Third World Countries.
Setting Future Priorities for the Bologna Process
At the Berlin Summit, the European Ministers established two new priorities for the Bologna Process:
- Third-Cycle Degree: Acknowledging the importance of research to higher education, the European Ministers agreed to include the doctoral program as the third cycle in the Bologna Process.
- Stocktaking: Recognizing that the midway point of the Bologna Process was approaching, the European Ministers directed that midterm reports should be ready by 2005 for several problem areas, including standardizing degrees, the two-cycle system, and educational quality assurance.
Finally, the European Ministers agreed to admit six new countries for membership: Albania, Andorra, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Holy See, Russian Federation, Serbia, and “the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.”
From Berlin to Bergen
The results from the 2003 meeting were published as the Berlin Communiqué. By this time, 40 signatory countries had approved the principles of the Bologna Declaration.
The 2005 assessment of the Bologna Process was scheduled to be be held in Bergen, Norway.
References
Berlin Communiqué. Realising the European Higher Education Area. Communiqué of the Conference of Ministers responsible for Higher Education. In Berlin on 19 September 2003. Bologna Process website.
Berlin Summit Conference of European Ministers Responsible for Higher Education. Berlin, September 18–19, 2003.
Zgaga P. Bologna Process: Between Prague and Berlin. Report to the Ministers of Education of the signatory countries. Berlin, September 2003.
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