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The Bologna Process is an intergovernmental higher education reform process launched in 1999 that includes 48 European countries and a number of European organisations, including EUA. It is dedicated to enhancing the quality and recognition of European higher education systems and improving conditions for exchange and collaboration within Europe and internationally.
The Bologna Process led to the establishment of the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) in 2010. However, all participating parties agreed to continue the Process, as many of the established goals were and are still not fully implemented in all countries.
In the past two decades, the Bologna Process has established goals for reform in the participating countries, such as the three-cycle degree structure (bachelor’s, master’s, doctorate), and adopted shared instruments, such as the European Credits Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS) and the European Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area (ESG).
The Bologna Process and the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) enable convergence of structural reforms on issues including quality assurance, recognition and mobility. They also increasingly foster reflection of a wider range of issues such as governance, learning and teaching, and values. As such, they are of central importance for Europe’s universities and higher education systems. More information on EUA's work in the specific policy areas of the Bologna Process is available on the respective topics pages.
Visit the official website of the Bologna Process and EHEA
EUA has been closely involved in the Bologna Process from the outset. As a consultative member, and the association participates in all its activities. This includes the Bologna Follow-Up Group (BFUG), which steers the implementation of the agreed reforms between ministerial conferences. EUA also engages with members and partners on topics covered by the Bologna Process and supports its cooperation with the European Union’s European Education Area and the European Research Area. The Association also works to explore synergies and cooperation with similar reform processes in other parts of the world.
Specifically, EUA contributes to the Process by:
For more than two decades, EUA has closely followed the latest trends in the European higher education landscape. Though a series of surveys, as well as focus groups, site visits, and interviews, EUA gathers the perspectives and experiences of higher education institutions in the European Higher Education Area and presents reliable and up-to-date information on trends in higher education policy and practice.
Through its series of Trends reports, EUA periodically provides an institutional perspective in European higher education policy discussions. Over the years, these reports have become crucial sources of information and a main reference for policy makers and the higher education community alike.
Read the latest Trends report
For the European higher education sector, the past five years have seen many changes and transformations, some gradual, others more drastic and disruptive. ...
European higher education institutions (HEIs) are facing increasing demands for more flexible learning and flexibility in learning paths. ...
This report presents findings of a preparatory survey conducted among 33 higher education institutions (HEI) who have participated in peer-to-peer counselling missions, as part of a project focused on ...
At least 20% of students within the European Higher Education Area should experience mobility to an institution abroad. This briefing examines why this target has never been reached, the ensuing ...
This paper presents the results of the first phase of the “Quality Assurance Fit for the Future” (QA-FIT) project, which aims to map the state of play of quality assurance in the EHEA and to criti ...
The European University Association (EUA) presents a set of recommendations on sustaining Ukrainian universities and enabling them to continue their research and teaching activities. ...
The Covid-19 pandemic has had a major impact on the field of education, with the forced move of many activities to online environments. This has led to the adoption of a series of changes that focus o ...
At a time of continuing and globally driven change, and with the growing importance of the student voice in quality, the national level of decision-making is a crucial arena for building partnership i ...
As the European Universities Initiative moves into a new phase, EUA has taken stock of its impact thus far, notably in how it may further policy reforms that benefit transnational university cooperati ...
Amid renewed political interest in transnational university collaboration, notably joint educational provision, the European Commission has indicated that it will test possible criteria for a European ...
In response to the Covid-19 crisis, higher education institutions around the world adjusted their activities to an emergency online mode in the first half of 2020. As institutions have the main respon ...
EUA has been an active contributor to the Bologna Process since its start 20 years ago. The present position paper welcomes the recent progress in the development of the European Higher Education Area ...
Micro-credentials have attracted interest as a means to increase the effectiveness and flexibility of higher education and to provide upskilling and reskilling opportunities for the labour force. ...
In recent years, higher education provision has been changing rapidly, including the mainstreaming of e-learning, the emergence of micro-credentials, the launch of the European Universities Initiative ...
EUA Strategic Plan The need for strong universities has never been greater in addressing societal challenges. The Covid-19 pandemic, climate change, resource scarcity, ageing populations, migration a ...
In recent years, the enhancement of learning and teaching has become a priority, not only for higher education institutions, but also for national governments, the European Union and the Bologna Proce ...
Trends 2018 examines how learning and teaching at European higher education institutions evolves in the context of changing demands, technological and societal development, and European- and national- ...
At its meeting on 12 June 2018, the Board of the European University Association (EUA) welcomed the new political momentum of the Bologna Process resulting from the Ministerial Conference in Paris (23 ...
On 22 May, the European Commission launched the second part of its ambitious education package for the creation of a “European Education Area” by 2025. EUA is pleased with the “strong conse ...
As the Bologna Process looks towards its third decade, EUA has published a statement focusing on how to further the Process’s achievements and enhance its ability to respond to a changing ...
With the present paper, the European University Association (EUA) responds to the European Commission’s public consultation on promoting the mutual recognition of qualifications and study p ...
The European University Association (EUA) applauds the European Commission’s proposal to put education front and centre on Europe’s social agenda. With its Communication on “Strengthen ...
With this statement EUA responds to the Communication of the European Commission on a Renewed EU Agenda for Higher Education published on 30 May 2017. The Renewed Agenda is a follow-up to th ...
EUA reports regularly on two policy areas which have implications for higher education institutions: EU trade agreements and EU legislation on the recognition of professional qualifications. ...
Update n.14 on EU legislation on the recognition of professional qualifications, February 2016. ...
In 2012-2014, EUA was part of the stakeholder group that revised the Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area (ESG). This work resulted in the current ...
EUA has a long record of working on quality assurance (QA) in Europe and has supported its members in developing their internal QA systems through a variety of activities. Many of these acti ...
Trends 2015 is the seventh in the series of Trends reports published by the European University Association. The main goal of Trends 2015 is to document the universities’ perceptions of the chan ...
The first results of U-Multirank (UMR), a multi-dimensional ranking of higher education institutions produced with seed funding from the European Commission, were unveiled on 13 May 2014. UMR has ...
Update n.13 on EU legislation on the recognition of professional qualifications, January 2015. ...
This publication intends to provide observations on and recommendations for enhancing the complementarity between higher education mobility policies at the institutional, national and Europe ...
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The publication “Rankings in Institutional Strategies and Processes (RISP): Impact or Illusion?” is the outcome of a 2.5 year EUA-led project, which has carried out the first pan-European ...
Created in 1994, IEP (Institutional Evaluation Programme) is an independent membership service of the European University Association (EUA) which has carried out over 300 institutional evaluations in ...
Update n.12 on EU legislation on the recognition of professional qualifications, August 2014. ...
EUA Briefing Note on Directive 2013/55/EU, containing the amendments to Directive 2005/36/EC on the Recognition of Professional Qualifications. ...
The first EUA report on “Global university rankings and their impact” was published in June 2011. Its purpose was to inform universities about the methodologies and potential impact of the ...
Update n.11 on EU legislation on the recognition of professional qualifications, March 2013. ...
Quality assurance and doctoral education have been elements of the Bologna Process since the 2003 ministerial meeting in Berlin, but until rather recently, they have been developing on two differ ...
The present study aims at providing an overview of the tracking initiatives of students and graduates in Europe. As a first study of this kind, its aim was to map the state of play, and provide f ...
Update n.10 on EU legislation on the recognition of professional qualifications, September 2012. ...
At the end of first decade of the Bologna Process, there was an acute awareness that academic mobility in the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) had probably not improved as anticipated, but also t ...
Update n.9 on EU legislation on the recognition of professional qualifications, June 2012. ...
In October 2009, the European University Association (EUA), together with its partners, the German Rectors’ Conference (HRK) and QAA Scotland, launched a project entitled: “ ...
EUA Position Paper on the Commission’s proposed amendments to Directive 2005/36/EC on the Recognition of Professional Qualifications, 26 January 2012. ...
EUA Briefing Note on the Commission’s proposed amendments to Directive 2005/36/EC on the Recognition of Professional Qualifications, 4 January 2012. ...
EUA response to European Commission’s Consultation on Green Paper COM(2011) 367, 10 September 2011. ...
Le présent rapport a été établi à la demande de l’EUA en raison du nombre croissant de classements internationaux et nationaux dans l’enseignement s ...
Update n.8 on EU legislation on the recognition of professional qualifications, September 2011. ...
The project "Examining Quality Culture in Higher Education Institutions" (EQC) aimed to provide an overview of the internal quality assurance processes in place within higher education institutio ...
EUA commissioned this report in response to the growth in international and national rankings, as a result of increasing questions from member institutions requesting information and advice on th ...
Update n.7 on EU legislation on the recognition of professional qualifications, May 2011. ...
EUA response to European Commission’s Consultation Paper on the Professional Qualifications Directive 2005/36/EC , 12 March 2011. ...
Update n.6 on EU legislation on the recognition of professional qualifications, February 2011. ...
The project “Examining Quality Culture in Higher Education Institutions” (EQC) aims to identify institutional processes and structures that support the development of an internal qual ...
Presentation on the Evaluation of the Professional Qualifications Directive – presentation by Jürgen Tiedje, Head of Unit, Professional Qualifications, European Commission, DG Internal ...
The Bologna Process and Directive 2005/36/EC on the Recognition of Professional Qualifications: is there scope for creative interaction? Report of the meeting convened by EUA, held in the Europea ...
The Bologna Process and DIR 2005/36/EC: the points of divergence - presentation by Howard Davies, EUA Brussels, 14 October 2010, at the European Parliament. ...
Update n.5 on EU legislation on the recognition of professional qualifications, August 2010. ...
Trends reports are generally timed with the biannual ministerial meetings and track progress of Bologna implementation, within a two-year timescale. Trends 2010 is different. ...
Update n.4 on EU legislation on the recognition of professional qualifications, February 2010. ...
Concerns about the relationship between quality assurance processes and creativity and how quality assurance, whether internal or external, can either enhance or stifle innovative practices and&n ...
Update n.3 on EU legislation on the recognition of professional qualifications, June 2009. ...
This EUA report gives a detailed overview of the development of Master degrees in Europe. Based on a wide-ranging survey of European students, universities (leaders and academics) and employers, it sp ...
Update n.2 on EU legislation on the recognition of professional qualifications, October 2008. ...
Update n.1 on EU legislation on the recognition of professional qualifications, April 2008. ...
Report on the sectoral professions. EUA Workshop 17 October 2007. ...
Background note on Qualifications in the Sectoral Professions, Directive 2005-36-EC and the Bologna Process - EUA Workshop 17 October 2007. ...
Trends V provides the most comprehensive view available of the state of European higher education - as seen by higher education institutions themselves. Indeed, more than 900 European higher ...
This report is the result of a four-year project, which involved 134 higher education institutions grouped in 18 networks. The major aim of the project was to identify how internal quality cultur ...
These Guidelines for Quality Enhancement in European Joint Master Programmes are addressed to all higher education institutions either considering or actually running joint programmes. It is the ...
The Institutional Evaluation Programme of the European University Association (EUA) was launched in 1993 and has evaluated over 110 universities in 35 countries. The evaluation reports ...
Tendencias IV es el único estudio completo elaborado en Europa que analiza la respuesta de las universidades a los retos que plantea la puesta en marcha de las reformas de Bolonia. El estudio pone de ...
Le rapport Trends IV constitue la seule analyse à l’échelle européenne sur la manière dont les universités répondent aux défis de la mise en oeuv ...
The Glasgow Convention provided the opportunity for over 600 EUA members and partners from over 40 countries to come together and take stock of progress made so far in developing the European Higher E ...
Tendències IV proporciona l’única anàlisi d’àmbit europeu sobre la manera com les universitats responen als reptes de la implementació de les reformes de Bolonya. Després de constatar e ...
Trends IV provides the only European-wide analysis of how universities are responding to the challenges of implementing the Bologna reforms. Demonstrating that there is widespread support for ref ...
The EUA Quality Culture Project, funded by the Socrates Programme, was conceived to enable participating institutions to discuss how to introduce and embed a quality culture in their institutions ...
The Bologna Seminar on ''Doctoral Programmes for the European Knowledge Society'' provided the first major forum to discuss the new Action Line in the Bologna Process entitled “European Higher Educa ...
EUA developed this project with the twin objectives of using the experience of joint programmes to find solutions to a range of issues in the European higher education landscape that need to be r ...
En octobre 2002, le groupe ELU (Europe Latine Universitaire) composé des Présidents et de permanents des conférences de Présidents et de Recteurs suisse, italienne, po ...
In October 2002, ELU (the Latin European Universities Group), an organisation made up of rectors and staff of Swiss, Italian, Portuguese, francophone-Belgian and French rectors’ conferences ...
EUA is pleased to present the third report on trends in higher education in Europe, prepared with the support of the European Commission through the Socrates Programme, on the occasion of the Sep ...
L’EUA présente le troisième rapport sur les tendances à l’oeuvre dans l’enseignement supérieur en Europe. Réalisé avec le soutien de la ...
Cette étude est la première à décrire et à analyser systématiquement l’état des lieux actuel des cursus de niveau master et des diplômes conjoints proposés dans l’Europe&nb ...
This survey represents the first attempt to describe and analyse systematically the present state of the art in respect of Master level degree programmes and joint degrees offered ...
Rather than analysing European academic cooperation and mobility for their own sake, the following pages try to set interuniversity developments in their historical context, as higher educat ...
The first Trends report was mainly based on a survey of structure and trends in higher education in the EU/EEA countries. Trends II surveyed the other signatory countries of the Bologna Declaration.&n ...
The report on the project, Trends in Learning Structures in Higher Education, is hereby presented as a background paper for the Bologna Forum on 18-19 June 1999. ...
On 27 March, the European Commission published a new higher education package, including proposals for Council Recommendations on a European recognition and quality assurance (QA) system and attractiv ...
In response to the European Commission’s public consultation to evaluate the European Qualifications Framework for Lifelong Learning (EQF), the European University Association (EUA) has developed a ...
The "Bologna Hub Peer Support II" project, funded by Erasmus+ and the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research, aims at fostering the implementation of the Bologna key commitments at Higher E ...
On 14 June the kick-off meeting of a project to establish a new European RPL (Recognition of Prior Learning) Network took place in Vienna, hosted by the Austrian Quality Assurance Agency (AQ Austria). ...
EU education ministers welcome the European Strategy for Universities and have confirmed their support for the four priority areas in the higher education package put forward by the European Commissio ...
On 17 May 2021, the Education Ministers of EU member states adopted Council Conclusions on the European Universities Initiative. The Council Conclusions come at a crucial point as the mid-term evaluat ...
1 October 2024, 11.00 – 12.00 CEST Following the publication of EUA’s ‘Trends 2024’ report, the authors will present the main findings and share their analysis of current developments in the ...
Despite a proliferation of initiatives to promote Open Science, many obstacles persist. Here, Jean-Pierre Finance examines the progress that this movement has made and looks to the next steps, includi ...
If we want universities to make a leap in transnational cooperation, policymakers must take their own leap in implementing reforms that work towards creating the necessary framework conditions. In Res ...
Enhancing the social dimension of higher education has been a central pillar of the Bologna Process since its inception. The Rome Communiqué of 2020 and Erasmus+ 2021-2027 both place inclusion firmly ...
Education’s digital transition has allowed students to study and researchers to work remotely throughout the pandemic, however we need to ensure technology is not abused and access is open to all.To ...
Micro-credentials are expected to widen participation in higher education by supporting inclusion and facilitating access to education. They are also expected to close the skills gaps in the labour ma ...
EU policy makers often fail to consider the specific nature of higher education, research and innovation in legislation aimed to shape Europe’s digital transformation. EUA expert Bregt Saenen explai ...
The European Commission aims at developing a “European strategy for universities” to strengthen synergies between teaching, research, innovation and service to society by better linking related Eu ...
On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the European University Association, Andrée Sursock analyses two decades of transformation and renewal in Europe’s higher education landscape, and charts ...
Students from disadvantaged and marginalised backgrounds still struggle to participate in higher education. Covid-19 has made inclusion even more difficult. EUA expert Luisa Bunescu discusses three so ...
We enter into a New Year, a world more enriched and more impoverished than just 12 months ago. We have endured great loss of life, a heavy burden of illness and deep economic shock. Yet, lessons from ...
Fair recognition in the European Higher Education Area can only be fully achieved if practices in higher education institutions are more systematically addressed. As Jenneke Lokhoff at Nuffic points o ...
The European Commission should learn from the Bologna process, which has shown how universities can work together with policymakers to bring about meaningful education reform, argues Tia Loukkola. Th ...
UNESCO’s Global Open Science Partnership is well-timed in promoting a much-needed global dialogue on Open Science. EUA expert Bregt Saenen discusses the initiative, its evolving backdrop and why it ...
Micro-credentials are growing exponentially in popularity, attracting the interest of various stakeholders due to their flexibility and ability to meet the demands of a rapidly changing labour market. ...
The idea of a European degree is fascinating and attractive, but it also raises many conceptual and practical questions. What does a European degree mean? How would it differ from the current degrees ...
In the coming academic year, virtual mobility might be the only reliable option for some institutions in the fallout of the Covid-19 crisis. EUA expert Michael Gaebel gives a vision for the future of ...
As universities across Europe move to online learning and teaching amid the coronavirus crisis, questions might arise about what steps may be needed to ensure quality. EUA expert Tia Loukkola explains ...
The Bologna Follow-up Group has developed a new strategic document that defines ten principles and guidelines to strengthen the social dimension of higher education in Europe. Ninoslav Scukanec Schmid ...
What would be the most effective way forward for universities to promote social dimension in their respective contexts? EUA expert Tia Loukkola discusses the role that quality assurance can play and i ...
The importance of learning outcomes has gained traction at Europe’s universities in recent years. The topic is also important in sectors beyond higher education, but often with a different purpose. ...
Research assessment practices are becoming more accurate, transparent and responsible. This is partly due to the sharp increase in external evaluations of universities that lead to internal evaluation ...
Cross-border quality assurance has been slow in the making over the past two decades. However, as EUA’s Tia Loukkola explains, a new political context in Europe and the launch of new networks and co ...
Will quality assurance as we know it remain relevant amid the changing higher education landscape? What changes are needed? EUA’s Tia Loukkola gives an overview of the diverse questions to be addres ...
How can universities frame their internal quality assurance and shake up the image of the bureaucratic burden? EUA’s Tia Loukkola gives us three approaches and tells us why the most effective proces ...
European higher education has made tremendous progress since the Bologna Declaration. As EUA President Michael Murphy writes, there is much to celebrate, but still much to achieve in ensuring the sect ...
Research-based education is happening in Europe, but there are clear challenges with how it is defined and understood. Bjørn Stensaker from the University of Oslo breaks down the topic and makes some ...
As discussions are underway at the European Learning & Teaching Forum, EUA’s Tia Loukkola gives an overview of the extensive work taking place in the field, including reports, lessons learnt by ...
Student-centered and active learning are a necessity for European universities to remain relevant to young people and society. Cecilia Christersson and Patricia Staaf of Malmö University discuss the ...
Recognition of study and qualifications are key for people to move freely to study and work in Europe. However there are challenges to get recognition properly working. EUA’s Tia Loukkola addresses ...
It has been 10 years since the European Universities’ Charter on Lifelong Learning was published. It outlines 10 commitments for universities and governments to support the development of lifelong l ...
The European University Association (EUA) and its Expert Group on ‘Science 2.0/Open Science’ are supporting universities in Europe in the transition to Open Science. Here, Lidia Borrell-Damián, D ...
The main objective of the project Bologna Hub Peer Support II (2022-2024) is to continue to foster the implementation of the Bologna key commitments and the application of the Bologna tools at higher ...
The I-AR project aims to implement fair automatic recognition by offering guidance in policy development on a European and national level. Furthermore, through capacity building, higher education inst ...
The BWSE FORward project aims to update the latest version of the “Bologna with Student Eyes publication” (2018), analysing the views of European students on the implementation of the Bologna Proc ...