1988:______________
Signed by the Rectors of European Universities in Bologna, Italy. The agreement outlines the founding principles of what will later become known as the Bologna Process.
May _____: The Sorbonne Declaration
Calls for the “harmonization of the architecture of the European Higher Education System” and is signed by education ministers from France, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom.
June 1999: ______________
Signed by 29 countries pledging to restructure their higher-education systems in an effort to create a coherent, compatible and competitive European Higher Education Area by the year 2010.
March 2001: ______________
Four additional countries join the process. Mention is made of social aspects to be taken into account in higher education reform. In preparation for the Prague summit, representatives of the National Unions of Students in Europe (ESIB) formally adopt their position on the Bologna Declaration in Göteborg.
September 2003: ______________
Forty countries are now involved, including Russia and southeast Europe. PhD degrees are included in the scope of the EHEA. The Berlin Communiqué of Ministers is signed.
May _____: Bergen Summit
Five more countries (Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine) sign onto the Bologna Process bringing the total number of signatories to 45. European Мinisters of Еducation adopt an overarching framework for qualifications and agree on a set of European standards and guidelines for quality assurance.
May _____: London Summit
The London Communiqué is signed. The communiqué emphasises the need for further progress in promoting student and faculty mobility, employability, and improving the international recognition of new European degrees.
2010:The European Higher Education Area opens.
For more information about key events and documents visit the official Bologna Process website http://www.dfes.gov.uk/bologna/
SELF-CHECK QUESTIONS
1. What changes in the European environment caused the necessity of the Bologna Declaration?
2. What were the key ideas of the Sorbonne Declaration of 25th of May 1998?
3. What was the reaction of the European countries to the appeal of the Sorbonne Declaration?
4. Why is the implementation of the Diploma Supplement so significant?
5. What are the cycles of education according to the Bologna Declaration? What changes took place in 2003?
6. Name and comment on the key features of joint degrees.
7. What does quality assurance refer to in the context of the Bologna process?
8. Explain the interconnection between employability and the Bologna reform.
9. What is the aim of academic mobility?
