Bologna

The principal aim of the Bologna Declaration is to establish a European Higher Education Area by 2010.

The Bologna declaration was signed in 1999 by the Education Secretaries of 29 European countries. They are responsible for the implementation of the following goals:

• Adoption of a system of easily readable and comparable degrees
• Adoption of a system essentially based on two cycles
• Establishment of a system of credits
• Promotion of mobility

as well as the following supplementary goals:

• Promotion of European cooperation in quality assurance
• Promotion of the European dimension in higher education

In 2001 the Bologna declaration was extended by some goals at a meeting in Prague:

• Lifelong learning (LLL)
• Involvement of students in the organisation of the universities and teaching content
• Quality Assurance

In 2003 in Berlin the following was defined:

• Confirmation of the importance of the social dimension of the Bologna process
• Improving the competitive ability in accordance with the social dimension
• Education as public good
• Prevailment of academic values in international higher-educational cooperation and scientific exchange.

In 2005, in Bergen, the following priorities were named:

• Implementation of the guidelines and standards developed by ENQA (European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education) for quality assurance in national systems
• National implementation of the European Qualification Framework
• Awarding and recognition of common degrees in doctorate programs
• Creating additional possibilities for the recognition of previously acquired qualifications

A further, follow-up conference is planned to take place in London in 2007.