ESIB Releases a Report on the Implementation of Bologna in Europe

ESIB’s Bologna Process Committee spent much of the last year collecting data from across Europe on the implementation of the Bologna Process.

This has led to some very interesting results which have been compiled into the third edition of ‘Bologna With Student Eyes’. The report will be presented to European Ministers of Education by ESIB Chairperson Koen Geven on Thursday at their Bologna Follow-Up summit in London. It highlights that many European governments are picking those commitments which fit their national agenda, and neglect others at the same time: "All countries are implementing the common Bachelor/Master structure, but only
few take really care about the social situation of students in their country, although the Social Dimension has been marked as a priority of the Bologna Process for two years", says Koen "This à la carte approach endangers Bologna's success, it can only work as a package."

Covering 36 European countries, the report analyses how the commitments made in the Bologna Process are implemented in practice at national level. The authors deduce that many reforms are carried out only superficially: "The European credit system ECTS should facilitate mobility and put the learner in the center, but countries are not implementing it properly. Credits are not fully comparable within Europe", says Bruno Carapinha, of the Bologna Process Committee.

Mobility of students, although one of the key Bologna objectives, remains connected to many obstacles. "Student grants and loans are not fully portable for studies abroad yet, and additional financial support is missing. Not all students can afford to be mobile", says Bruno.

The report also reveals the unequal treatment of foreign students in many countries. Problems related to visa regulations and work permits are a major hurdle for non-EU students.