News
16/11/09: Denmark certifies its qualifications framework
Denmark has now self certified its national qualifications framework.
The Danish
self certification
report is available online, and Denmark becomes the seventh country to self
certify its national qualifications framework for higher education against the
overarching framework of qualifications of the European Higher Education Area.
For more information on qualifications frameworks, see the
dedicated web site of the Bologna Process.
29/10/09: Spain ratifies the Council of Europe / UNESCO Recognition Convention
On 28 October, Spain deposited the instrument of ratification of the Council of Europe/UNESCO Convention on the Recognition of Qualifications concerning Higher Education, also known as the Lisbon Recognition Convention. The Convention will enter into force with respect to Spain on 1 December 2009. This brings the number of ratifications to 50, while another 3 countries have signed but not yet ratified the convention. Of the members of the Bologna Process, only Greece and Italy have not yet ratified the convention; Greece has also not signed it. Read more about the Lisbon Recognition Convention
07/10/09: EQAR now lists 17 quality assurance agencies
17 quality assurance agencies are now included on the European Quality Assurance Register for Higher Education (EQAR). In addition to the nine agencies that were listed on the Register so far, eight agencies have been included, following the admission of their applications by the Register Committee at its meeting on 30 September 2009. The Register with full information on all included quality assurance agencies is available on the EQAR website:
For more information, please also read the Communiqué from the Chair of the Register Committee as well as the first report of the Register Committee
16/09/09: Irish Study on Qualifications Frameworks
The National Qualifications Authority of Ireland (NQAI) has just published the Framework Implementation and Impact Study Report, which was prepared by an external Study Team of national and international experts. The Study covers the first five years (2003-08) of the operation of the Irish National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ). Its purpose was to assess the extent to which the NFQ is being implemented; to support deeper implementation of the NFQ and policies on access, transfer and progression; to identify progress in implementation; to identify gaps and drivers/obstacles in respect of implementation; and to assess the initial impact of the NFQ. The full report with its 19 recommendations and can be downloaded from the NQAI website.
02/09/09: Leuven/Louvain-la-Neuve Communiqué now also in German
As previous Declarations and Communiqués, the Leuven/Louvain-la-Neuve Communiqué has been translated into German and the translation is now available from our website.
28/08/09: International Association of Universities (IAU) Conference on Intercultural Dialogue
The International Association of Universities will organise a conference on the role of higher education in fostering intercultural dialogue and understanding at Notre Dame University in Louaize, Lebanon, on 4 – 6 November 2009. This conference links very well with the work on the Bologna Process in a global context and with the Policy Forum organised in Louvain-la-Neuve on 29 April. Further information on the conference as well as on registration may be found on the IAU website.
23/07/09: Belgium ratifies Lisbon Recognition Convention
On 22 July 2009, Belgium ratified the Convention on the Recognition of Qualifications concerning Higher Education in the European Region (ETS no. 165), which will enter into force on 1 September 2009. This brings the number of ratifications of the Convention to 49. The Convention has been jointly drafted by the Council of Europe and UNESCO and aims at facilitating the recognition of qualifications between the Parties of the Convention. More information on the recognition of qualifications...
08/07/09: Going abroad to learn - participate in the online consultation
On 8 July 2009, the European Commission has published a new Green Paper on Mobility, launching a public consultation on how to give young people in Europe more and better opportunities of going abroad for learning, studying or volunteering. To download the Green Paper or to participate in this consultation, please visit the Commission's website.
01/07/09: Sweden takes over Presidency of the Bologna Process for six month
From 1 July 2009 until 31 December 2009 the Swedish Presidency of the European Union (EU) will also chair the Bologna Process. For more information on the Swedish EU Presidency and related events in the field of education visit the Presidency website.
04/06/09: EUA Report on collaborative doctoral programmes between universities and industry
At the Lausanne meeting of the EUA-CDE (see previous news item), EUA presented a new report showing that collaborative doctoral (PhD) programmes, established between universities and industry, are becoming increasingly important across Europe.
Amongst the recommendations, the report encourages universities to establish sound institutional tracking of the professional paths of their doctorate graduates, to inform curricula and career opportunities for doctorate candidates and holders. It also highlights that the committed support of governments to such programmes will be essential in developing university-industry collaboration and specifically in doctoral education, in particular for developing relations with small and medium size companies who do not have the same resources to manage collaborations as larger R+D focussed companies. For more details, read the press release and download the full report.
04/06/09: Annual meeting of the EUA Council for Doctoral Education (EUA-CDE)
On 4 and 5 June 2009, more than 200 experts in doctoral education from across Europe gather at the University of Lausanne, Switzerland, for the annual meeting of the European University Association Council for Doctoral Education. For more information, please visit the conference website and the EUA Council for Doctoral Education website.
19/05/09: French translation of Leuven/Louvain-la-Neuve Communiqué
As previous Declarations and Communiqués, the Leuven/Louvain-la-Neuve Communiqué is now also available in French.
30/04/09: Leuven/Louvain-la-Neuve Communiqué translated into Slovenian
Only one day after the Ministers from the 46 countries participating in the Bologna Process adopted the Leuven/Louvain-la-Neuve Communiqué, it has already been translated into Slovenian. Together with translations of previous communiqués, the Slovenian version of the Leuven/Louvain-la-Neuve Communiqué is available from the Slovenian section of our archive.
29/04/09: Leuven/Louvain-la-Neuve Communiqué adopted
Today, the Ministers from the 46 countries participating in the Bologna Process adopted the Leuven/Louvain-la-Neuve Communiqué, setting out the priorities for the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) for the next decade. The text can be downloaded from the conference website.
15/04/09: EQAR now lists nine quality assurance agencies
As from today, nine quality assurance agencies, active in twelve European countries, feature on the European Quality Assurance Register for Higher Education (EQAR). Three agencies (ANECA, Spain; AQU Catalonia, Spain and NVAO, Flanders and the Netherlands) have already been listed on the Register since December 2008. The following six agencies have now been added, following approval of their applications by the Register Committee on 4/5 April 2009: ACQUIN (Germany), PKA (Poland), ASIIN (Germany), VLHORA (Belgium), FIBAA (Germany), ZEvA (Germany). The Register with full information on included agencies is available at: http://www.eqar.eu/register.html
08/04/09: "The Bologna Process for U.S. Eyes"
On 8 April 2009, two important developments were announced in the United States higher education community. The Institute for Higher Education Policy published a comprehensive account of the Bologna Process ("The Bologna Process for U.S. Eyes") written for North American audiences by Cliff Adelman. Visit the Institute's website for for the news release and the complete study.
On the same date, the Lumina Foundation announced the “Tuning USA project” (news release).
19/03/09: Invitation to the press to attend the Bologna+10 ministerial conference
The Benelux Ministers Frank andenbroucke and Marie-Dominique Simonet (Flemish and French Community of Belgium), Ronald Plasterk (Netherlands) and François Biltgen (Luxembourg) have invited their European Colleagues in charge of higher education in the 46 countries participating in the Bologna Process, to jointly define political orientations for the coming 10 years. Press representatives wishing to attend this event are invited to download the accreditation form from the conference web page.
04/03/09: The Flemish Community of Belgium publishes it self certification report
On 4 March, the Flemish Community of Belgium published the self certification report for its national higher education framework (read more). This brings the number of national qualifications framework for higher education self certified under the rules established by the Bologna Process to six. More information on qualifications frameworks may be found on our QF website.
02/03/09: The Netherlands publishes its self certification report
On 2 March 2009, the Netherlands published the self certification report for its national higher education framework (read more). Five national qualifications framework for higher education have now been self certified under the rules established by the Bologna Process. More information on qualifications frameworks may be found on our QF website.
27/02/09: The United Kingdom self certifies its qualifications framework
On 27 February 2009, the United Kingdom published the self certification report for its higher education qualifications framework for England, Wales and Northern Ireland (press release and full report). The separate self certification of the Scottish framework was undertaken already in 2006. Four national qualifications frameworks have now been self certified. In addition to the frameworks for England, Wales and Northern Ireland and for Scotland, these are the Irish and German frameworks. It is expected that the self certification reports for the frameworks of Belgium (Flemish Community) and the Netherlands will be published very soon. More on qualifications frameworks...
25/02/09: Register now for Seminar on Joint Programmes and Student Mobility in Chelyabinsk
On 16-17 March 2009, a seminar on "Joint Programmes and Student Mobility" will be held in Chelyabinsk, Russia. For details, see the draft programme. Registration deadline is 10 March 2009 (registration form). The documents are also available from the seminar website.
20/02/09: Spain signs Lisbon Recognition Convention
On 20 February 2009, Spain signed the Council of Europe/UNESCO Convention on the Recognition of Qualifications concerning Higher Education in the European Region (Lisbon Recognition Convention). A list of all signatures and ratifications is available from the Council of Europe website.
16/02/09: Conference on National Qualifications Frameworks, Glasgow, 23-24 March 2009
The Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework Partnership invites you to attend an international conference which will explore the role of National Qualifications Frameworks in promoting learner mobility across sectors and national boundaries. To download the draft programme or to register online (until 6 March 2009), visit the website of the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework.
23/01/09: Qualifications frameworks: the German self-certification report is now on line
Germany has now self-certified the compatibility of its national qualifications framework for higher education with the overarching EHEA framework. The self-certification report is available in English as well as German. This is the third national qualifications framework to be self certified, following those of Ireland and the United Kingdom (Scotland). For more information on qualifications frameworks and self-certification, please visit our special website on qualifications frameworks.
08/01/09: Register now for FINHEEC/ENQA seminar on Centres of Excellence
The Finnish Higher Education Evaluation Council and the European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education organise a seminar on "Centres of Excellence in University Education" in Helsinki on 24-25 February 2009. The seminar is aimed at participants from higher education institutions, quality assurance agencies and ministries across Europe. To find out more about the seminar and to register online, go to the ENQA website. Registration is possible until 20 January 2009.
05/01/09: Report of Budapest seminar on the social dimension
On 10-11 November 2008, the Hungarian Ministry of Education hosted a Bologna Seminar on "Equality in a Knowledge-based Society - How to Widen Opportunities? Best Practices in National Action Plans". Read the general report with the recommendations or visit the seminar website for more.
02/01/09: Happy New Year!
The Bologna Secretariat wishes all visitors of the Bologna website a happy and peaceful year 2009!
01/01/09: Czech Republic chairing the Bologna Process for six months
From 1 January 2009 until 30 June 2009 the Czech Presidency of the EU Council will also chair the Bologna Process. For more information on the Czech EU Presidency and related events in the field of education visit the Czech Presidency website.
News Archive January - December 2008