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Bologna Students Joint Declaration Bologna, 19th june 1999
The National Unions of Students welcome the intensification of cooperation
between European governments on the level of higher education. We think that the "Europe of Knowledge", the development of the cultural dimension are indeed a priority in order to build a common Europe shared by the people.
Therefore, we would like to express some comments about the Bologna declaration:
1) First of all, we do not think that European institutions of higher education lack "competitiveness" at the international level. European higher education institutions, even if they often need to be reformed and helped through public funding, do provide a high quality education that allows European students to be competitive on the international labour market. Still, the best way to improve the attractiveness and the quality of European higher education would be to increase public fundings.
2) We are firmly committed to a model of quality education open to the
largest number of students. It is a duty of Europe and European governments
to permanently raise the level of knowledge of its entire population. This
will make the European cultural model even more attractive. Therefore, the
declarations must not be a means to install any kind of limitation
of the access to higher education. Nor should it have the consequence to expell students from higher education.
3) We think that the diversity of the higher education system can also be an
advantage at the international level. The attractiveness of a model
does not only depends on its uniformity. The diversity of Higher Education
systems in Europe is not the cause of their "lack of attractiveness".
The problem of « attractiveness » of European higher education institutions towards countries coming from countries outside the EU and EEA could be solved for example through a more liberal visa policy towards students of these countries. Besides the simplification of administrative procedures, a real policy in order to attract foreign students is to provide them with scholarships, like it is done in Canada or the United States. 4) In order to build the "European space of Higher Education",
mobility should become a right for all students. There is a fear that mobility experience will only create an new students elite. Thus,wider population of students should have access to mobility. This may be achieved through
simpler comparisons between higher education systems, through the extensive use of the ECTS, the diploma supplement, teaching of foreign languages and the intensification of the cooperation between institutions of higher education. This also a means to understand better the diversity of European diplomas.
However, two other points should be stressed:
-Obviously, the main obstacle to students mobility remains the weak number and low level of the amount of mobility scolarships. Studying abroad is expensive and we cannot accept that it is reserved to a social elite. Governments should consider it as a priority to give all the means necessary in order to make mobility a right for students and build a real open area of higher education. - International recognition of diplomas and parts of the studies is still an obstacle to students mobility. We urge governments and higher education institutions to show political will in order to negotiate and implement clear and workable systems of equivalences between European degrees. An ad hoc commission should be created, with the participation of representatives of governments, institutions of higher education, the European Commission and students. Finally, we would like to state that we deeply regret that the students were not involved with the drafting of the Sorbonne and Bologna declarations and to the definition of their objectives eventhough we are one of the most important populations concerned by the potential reforms. Transparency is needed in the process. Otherwise it will only create unnecessary opposition and confusion. We hope that in future discussions, national unions of students will be associated on the national level and that ESIB, which represents 37 national unions from 31 countries will be consulted at the European level. Declaration first signed by the following national unions of students : UDU : Italy UNEF-ID, FAGE : France LSVb : The Netherlands SYL, SAMOK : Finland DSF : Denmark UNES/VSS : Switzerland FEF, VVS : Belgium CSC : Croatia KSU : Malta UNEL : Luxembourg NUS : United Kingdom LSS : Lithuania StL : Norway LSA : Latvia HOOK : Hungary SSU : Slovenia
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