Bologna Declaration
THE EUROPEAN ZONE OF HIGH EDUCATION
.A common announcement of European ministers of education at the meeting in Bologna on 19th June 1999.
Thanks to extraordinary achievements during last several years, the European process of integration has become more concrete and relevant reality for the Union and its citizens. The expected further expansion together with deepening of relationships with other European countries give this reality wider dimensions. In the meantime, we are witnesses of increased consciousness in a great part of political and academic community and public opinion concerning the need of establishing more complete and spacious Europe, and particularly the need of strengthening its intellectual, cultural, social, scientific and technological dimensions and relying on them.
Nowadays Europe of Knowledge has widely been accepted as an irreplaceable factor of the social and human growth and an avoidable component of consolidation and enrichment of the European Civil Law capable of giving the citizens necessary legal capacities for facing the challenges of a new millenium, with the consciousness of common values and belonging to the same social and cultural space. The top-level importance of education and educational cooperation for the development and strengthening of stable, peaceful and democratic societies has generally been approved, especially if we take into consideration the situation in South-East Europe.
Sorbonne Declaration of 25th May 1998, based on these contemplations, put an emphasis on the central role of the University in the development of cultural dimensions of Europe. It emphasized the creation of the European zone of high education as a main path of improving the citizens mobility and their capability of being employed as well as of developing the whole continent generally speaking. By signing it or expressing a principal consent, several European countries accepted an invitation to be dedicated to accomplishing the aims which the Declaration pointed out. The course taken by several reforms of high education, which were in the meantime undertaken in Europe, proved the determination of many governments to be operative.
The European institutions of high education, from their position, accepted a challenge and took a leading role in the creation of the European zone of high education harmonized with basic principles being placed at Bologna Magna Charta Universitatum in 1998. It is of the greatest importance regarding the fact that independence and autonomy of the University provide a continual adjustment of high education and research system to changeable needs, the society demands and the improvement of scientific knowledge. It was taken the right way leading to an important goal. Nevertheless, achieving the greater compatibility and comparability of the system of high education demands a continued swing to be completely fulfilled. We should support it by taking concrete measures leading to obvious further movements. The meeting from 18th June when leading experts and scientists from all our countries took part, gave us useful suggestions being connected with initiations that should be undertaken.
Especially, we should pay our attention to the increase of international competitiveness of the European system of high education. Vitality and efficiency of every civilization can be measured by a degree of attractiveness its culture has in relation to the other countries. We should do our best to help the European system of high education to reach, at the world level, that degree of attractiveness being equal to a degree of attractiveness of our extraordinary cultural and scientific traditions.
Confirming our support to general principles being placed by Sorbonne Declaration, we make ourselves liable to a coordination of politics of our countries so, in a short period, at least during the first decade of the third millenium, the following goals we consider the most important for establishing the European zone of high education and promoting the European system of high education worldwide, will be realized:
Adoption of easily understandable and comparable academic titles through the implementation of Diploma Supplement in order to improve the capability of being employed of the European citizens and the international competitiveness of the European system of high education.
Adoption of the system basically conceived on two main circles of education, the student and graduation. The approach to the second circle will demand successful finishing of studies from the first one lasting minimally for three years. The title being given after the finishing of the first circle will, as an adequate qualification level, be relevant at the European labour market. The second circle should lead to master and/or doctor`s title which is the case in many European countries.
Establishing of the credit system - as in the ECTS system - as an appropriate means for improvement of greatest students mobility. Credits can be gained in the contexts of lower levels of education, including life-long studying, under the condition to be acknowledged by the University.
Mobility improvement through overcoming obstacles for effective application of a free movement with the special paying attention to:
