Contribution of the Council of Europe to the development of the European Higher Education Area
Recommendation 1892
(2009)
- Author(s):
- Parliamentary Assembly
- Origin
- Text
adopted by the Standing Committee, acting on behalf of
the Assembly, on 20 November 2009 (see Doc. 11977, report of the Committee on Culture, Science and Education,
rapporteur: Mr McIntosh).
- Thesaurus
1. The Parliamentary Assembly of the
Council of Europe underlines the importance of a European dimension
in higher education which will both foster understanding among European
peoples and provide better educational results, responding more
adequately to the demands of our time. In a globalised, knowledge-based
and interdependent world, well-educated human resources are a key
factor for social, economic and democratic stability and welfare.
Especially in times of economic crisis, states must also invest
in people and their education.
2. The European Cultural Convention of 1954 (ETS No. 18), the
Convention on the Recognition of Qualifications concerning Higher
Education in the European Region of 1997 (ETS No. 165, hereinafter
the Lisbon Recognition Convention) and the fundamental right to
education under Article 2 of the first Protocol to the European
Convention on Human Rights (ETS No. 9) have set the legal framework
for a European dimension in higher education and constitute the
basis for the Bologna Process.
3. Recalling its
Recommendation
1620 (2003) on the Council of Europe contribution to the higher education
area, the Assembly believes that the official launch of the European
Higher Education Area in 2010 requires greater support by member
states, national parliaments, institutions of higher education and
students. It also calls for more Council of Europe involvement in
developing the European Higher Education Area by 2020 throughout
Europe.
4. Recalling its
Recommendation
1762 (2006) on academic freedom and university autonomy, the Assembly
reaffirms its recommendation to the Committee of Ministers that
these principles be recognised as fundamental freedoms throughout
Europe alongside, and equal to, the fundamental right to education. Academic
freedom and university autonomy have been essential for the foundation
of universities in Europe and the admission of students from abroad
for many centuries.
5. The Assembly emphasises the power of national legislators
to set the standards for higher education in accordance with national
traditions, circumstances and requirements. The creation of the
European Higher Education Area requires the explicit and ongoing
recognition and support of parliaments, not just of potentially changing
majority governments and their administrative teams.
6. The Assembly welcomes the progress made over the past decade
by the states participating in the Bologna Process in defining common
policies for European higher education. All of those states, bar
the Holy See, are member states of the Council of Europe and all
are signatories to these above-mentioned conventions, with the exception
of Greece, which has not yet signed the Lisbon Recognition Convention.
7. The Bologna Process will become the European Higher Education
Area in 2010. The Assembly strongly supports this transformation
which constitutes a policy objective of the highest importance for
all states and people in the European Higher Education Area. It
requires the consolidation of the existing achievements throughout
Europe. Non-member states of the European Union must not be left
behind. Quality assurance, the mutual recognition of diplomas and
other qualifications leading to admission to higher education institutions
as well as the mutual recognition of study periods spent at, and
qualifications obtained from, higher education institutions, are
a necessary condition for the establishment of the European Higher
Education Area.
8. The Assembly appreciates the voluntary initiatives by the
past and present ministries providing the secretariat services to
the Bologna Process. It notes with concern that such secretariat
structures depend on the availability and resources of particular
ministries which have to serve primarily national interests, and
that they become the owner of the archives. While the informal Bologna
structure has served well during the development decade, a reformed
steering process will be needed for the creation of the European
Higher Education Area which is not led by European Union presidencies,
in which chairmanship changes every six months, and a support process
based on volunteer host countries providing a secretariat which
changes hands every two years.
9. The Assembly welcomes the participation of the European Commission
in the Bologna Process and the provision of large financial contributions
by the European Union, for instance under the Erasmus programme, supporting
higher education, vocational training and lifelong learning while
respecting the principle of subsidiarity and the national powers
of its member states.
10. The realisation of the European Higher Education Area depends
on higher education institutions and students. Both students and
higher education institutions must become the driving force and
owners of European standards in higher education. The Assembly recalls
in this context the establishment of the Enlarged Partial Agreement
on Sport in 2007, which provides for a unique platform for states
and sport associations alike and aims to promote sport through policy
and standard setting, monitoring, capacity building and the exchange
of good practice. This enlarged partial agreement can serve as an
example to be followed for an effective co-operation between states
and non-governmental stakeholders in the field of higher education
and as a potential forum supporting the European Higher Education
Area.
11. All signatories to the European Cultural Convention are represented
in the Council of Europe’s Steering Committee for Higher Education
and Research by both a governmental representative and a representative from
academia. The Assembly welcomes this dual representation, which
allows states to discuss policies, standards and action among themselves,
to decide on common positions and to ensure their implementation at
the level of national governments and institutions. The Council
of Europe Secretariat offers neutral professional assistance to
all members of the steering committee who lead the committee work.
12. The creation of the European Higher Education Area must take
account of globalisation. Neither a European fortress nor an ivory
tower should be created. Therefore, the Assembly believes that international co-operation
in higher education must be reinforced. Being open to accession
by non-European states, the Lisbon Recognition Convention provides
an adequate legal basis for such wider co-operation. Non-European signatories
to this convention should also be invited to participate as observers
in the Steering Committee for Higher Education and Research.
13. The Assembly calls on its member parliaments to actively contribute
to an open political debate and analyse their national requirements
and legislation regarding the creation of the European Higher Education Area.
14. The Assembly invites the European University Association,
the European Association of Institutions in Higher Education, the
European Students’ Union, the Observatory of the Magna Charta Universitatum
and other non-governmental stakeholders to study further possibilities
for their greater involvement in shaping the European Higher Education
Area. The Assembly welcomes the organisation of a meeting with these stakeholders
following up this recommendation.
15. The Assembly recommends that the Committee of Ministers:
15.1 launch in 2010, with their ministries
responsible for higher education and research as well as higher
education institutions, a European campaign in all member states
to promote the development of the European Higher Education Area
by 2020;
15.2 call on Greece to sign and ratify the Lisbon Recognition
Convention, call on Belgium, Italy and Spain to ratify this convention
without delay, and invite interested non-member states to request accession
to it;
15.3 analyse whether the European Social Charter (revised)
(ETS No. 163) should be amended to ensure social rights including
access to higher education for students in their own countries and
for students studying abroad, as well as social rights for researchers,
teachers and other academic staff working abroad;
15.4 analyse whether the European Agreement on continued Payment
of Scholarships to Students Studying Abroad (ETS No. 69) and the
European Agreement on Regulations governing the Movement of Persons
between Member States of the Council of Europe (ETS No. 25) should
be amended to support the development of the European Higher Education
Area;
15.5 allocate more resources to the Council of Europe’s higher
education sector including the Steering Committee for Higher Education
and Research, in order to provide greater support to the Bologna Process
and the creation of the European Higher Education Area;
15.6 analyse the feasibility of setting up an enlarged partial
agreement, which should be open to membership by states, associations
of higher education institutions and student associations and have the
objective of facilitating policy and standard setting, monitoring,
capacity building and the exchange of good practice concerning the
European Higher Education Area.
16. The Assembly invites the ministries of Austria, Hungary and
Romania, which will host the future ministerial conferences of the
Bologna Process in 2010 and 2012 respectively, to:
16.1 entrust the Secretariat of the
Council of Europe with the task of storing and making available
the collective records of the Bologna Process and the European Higher
Education Area;
16.2 second temporarily national experts to the Secretariat
of the Council of Europe, in order to create synergies with the
permanent secretariat of the Steering Committee for Higher Education
and Research and other bodies;
16.3 explore, together with the Committee of Ministers and
representatives of higher education institutions and students, the
possibility of establishing a more stable secretariat of the European
Higher Education Area at the Council of Europe;
16.4 discuss and co-ordinate their work with the other members
of the Steering Committee for Higher Education and Research.
