The Bologna Process History & Governance Dr. Marie Scot Sciences Po Paris France 2011 Shanghai Education Leadership Institute
Main Steps September 1988, roughly 80 universities gathered to adopt a Magna Charta Universitatum "encourage mobility among teachers and students; furthermore, they consider a general policy of equivalent status, titles, examinations (without prejudice to national diplomas) and award of scholarships essential to the fulfillment of their mission in the conditions prevailing today Sorbonne Declaration (May 1998). The declaration that the French, German, Italian and UK Ministers signed in Paris at the occasion of the 800th anniversary of the Sorbonne "The international recognition and attractive potential of our systems are directly related to their external and internal readabilities. A system, in which two main cycles, undergraduate and graduate, should be recognized for international comparison and equivalence, seems to emerge. The Bologna Declaration, signed on June 19, 1999, by 29 member states
The Bologna Declaration 1999 to construct a European Higher Education Area, to promote citizens mobility and employability, to achieve greater compatibility and comparability of the systems of higher education to increase the international competitiveness of the European system of higher education as well as its world wide degree of attraction. Agenda reform the 2 cycle degree programmes structure, the establishment of a credit transfer system, the introduction of quality assurance, the introduction of student centred and problem based learning The Bologna Declaration calls for six lines of action: adoption of a system of easily readable and comparable degrees (e.g., Diploma Supplement), introduction of a system of levels of study programmes and degrees (2 / 3 degree cycle) establishment of a system of credits (ECST), promotion of student mobility through the reduction of existing barriers, promotion of cooperation in matters of quality assurance promotion of the European dimensions in higher education
Paradox n 1 A European Higher Education Area / no EU initiative Education & Higher Education were excluded from the start from Europe s field of competence The 1957 Treaty of Rome States initial resistance Professional training certification criteria for degrees in specialised and regulated professions such as architecture (1965), medicine (1976) and nursing (1979) Employment Policies, retraining programmes for the unemployed the unskilled Reading, A.Corbett, (2005). Universities and the Europe of Knowledge. Ideas, Institutions and Policy Entrepreneurship in European Union Higher Education Policy, 1955 2005. Houndmills: Palgrave Macmillan. In 1971, the Education Ministers of European Community member states held their first meeting "will to implement European cooperation in the field of education," and set up an "education committee Joint Study Programmes ERAMUS (European Community Action Scheme for the Mobility of University Students) 1990s, groundbreaking years European Union Treaty, signed in Maastricht in 1991 Amsterdam (1997) and Nice (2000) Treaties the Community shall contribute to the development of quality education by encouraging cooperation between member states and, if necessary, by supporting and supplementing their action, while fully respecting the responsibility of the member state for the content of teaching and the organisation of education systems and their cultural and linguistic diversity" (Treaty of Nice, Article 149.1). The Lisbon Strategy 2000 / the Europe of Knowledge
Paradox n 1 A European Higher Education Area / no EU initiative Bologna a Member States Initiative an inter governmental process the French, German, Italian & British governments took the initiative, on the 800th anniversary of the Sorbonne in 1998, to make a declaration "Joint declaration on harmonisation of the architecture of the European higher education system WHY? Domestic Considerations national reforms Italy / Germany: long study period and high level of drop out rates France / Germany: enhancing the attractiveness, international competition France/Britain: democratization + elitist system The European policy in the field of education (the Bologna Process) has remained highly inter governmental
Paradox n 2: A non formal, non biding but highly successful process Phase 1 1998 1999: How can we explain that 25 new signatories joined the 4 initial ones of the Sorbonne? 1/ ANTICIPATION 2/ Low Cost of the involvement, joining a club. It does not do any harm it does not commit to anything at that stage 3/ Implementing NATIONAL AGENDA P.Ravinet, When constraining links emerge from loose cooperation: Mechanisms of involvement and building of a follow up structure in the Bologna process, Third International Euredocs Conference 2006 Source: Pavel Zgaga, Erasmus Mundus Conference, Brussels Nov 2006
Paradox n 2: A non formal, non biding but highly successful process Phase 2 1999 2003 the Bolognese way of doing things and culture "open coordination method 2001 Prague Summit 2003 Berlin Summit 2005 Bergen Summit 2007 London Summit 2009 Leuven Summit A/ organisational follow up structure Bologna Follow Up Group (BFUG) B/ the example of the formalisation of the reporting activity In Prague 2001, countries involved were asked for a report, but not all did give their report finally (Only 19 countries 52 out of the 29 Bologna signatories provided a national report). In Berlin 2003, it appeared that it was not possible any more not to provide a report: all the countries provided one, but the documents, which then and on were available online, kept structured quite differently. For the Bergen meeting 2005, we saw that there were not only compulsory reports for all, but also that those report were standardised all in the same way = naming shaming mechanism ; "peer review" system
Paradox n 3: EU strikes back? TWO DIVERGING INTERPRETATIONS downplaying the Commission role; insisting on the autonomy of the actors (Ch.Musselin, P.Ravinet) From the Sorbonne Meeting, the Commission was excluded from the negotiation process (not even invited to attend the conference) + the choice of a greater Europe frame (29 countries instead of the 15 EU member states + Prague, hosting town for the ministerial meeting in 2001 Inter governmental process Open Coordination Method and autonomy of actors the Commission actors are the discreet super strategic pilot pulling the strings of the Bologna intergovernmental theatre (Charlier, Croché, RUTH KEELING) 1 overlapping objectives with EU programmes (mobility programmes ERASMUS & ECTS; recognition of professional degrees) 2 importation and copy of the EU institutional design & culture (follow up structure, open coordination method, reporting/benchmarking activity ) 3 The representatives of the Commission, observatory participants in Bologna 2005 members with voting rights 4 EU funding & money 5 The Lisbon Strategy 2000 = international competitiveness of the European higher education system + most competitive knowledge economy
Paradox n 3: EU strikes back? The Lisbon Strategy 2000 To make the EU the most dynamic knowledge based economy in the world The Role of the Universities in the Europe of Knowledge (European Commission, 2003) Mobilising the Brainpower of Europe (European Commission, 2005) Although deriving from different policy origins, the Bologna reforms and the EU s research agenda mutually reinforce each other discursively and politically Through its contributions to the Bologna Process and to the European research agenda, the Commission propagates a discourse that constructs higher education as purposeful: economically beneficial for both individuals and society. RESEARCH 2002 Barcelona, raising overall expenditure on research and development to 3% of GDP by 2010 Setting up the European Research Council (ERC) to double funds available for research at the European level under the 7 th Research Framework Programme in 2005 ENCOURAGING SYNERGIES between the European Higher Education Area and the EU s European Research Area Berlin 2003, shift from the 2degree cycle to the 3 degree cycle: doctoral studies QUALITY Since 2003, common standards have been developed for quality assurance processes (ENQA, 2005) and a European network of quality assurance agencies (ENQA) has been established