The Bologna Process - A European Response to Global Competition in Higher Education - SPECIAL FEATURE

Oct 15, 2026

Discusses the Bologna Process as the most significant recent European higher education policy development and evaluates its early goals, current implementation, and the challenges it faces. Examines whether European-level education policy-making exists amid the paradox of European integration and the EU’s growing involvement despite formal exclusion. Analyzes two motivations for EU engagement—employability and competitiveness, and strengthening a European dimension—while linking these to mobility schemes and the need for a coherent European Higher Education Area.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages17

Reading Time43 min

AccessFree to download

Does European Higher Education Policy Exist?

Background: the paradox of European integration

EU competence and educational spillovers

Motivations for EU involvement

Employability, mobility, competitiveness

Strengthening the European dimension

CSSHE SCÉES Canadian Journal of Higher Education Revue canadienne d’enseignement supérieur Volume 37, No. 3, 2007, pages 109-125 [www.ingentaconnect.com/content/csshe/cjhe](www.ingentaconnect.com/content/csshe/cjhe) SPECIAL FEATURE “The Bologna Process” A European Response to Global Competition in Higher Education 1 Hans Pechar University of Klagenfurt The Bologna Process is the most important recent development in higher education policy at the European level. Initially North America observed this reorganisation of Europe’s higher education architecture with some scepticism and even mild irony – if not outright ignoring it. More recently, however, the obvious success of attempts to create a “European Higher Education Area” has increased the interest on the other side of the Atlantic. This paper provides a short overview of the initial goals of the Bologna Process, the present state of implementation, and of the difﬁculties this process faces. I begin by asking to what extent a European level of higher education policy making exists at all and what is its signiﬁcance. Does European Higher Education Policy Exist? A good starting point to answer this question might be a short reﬂection on the paradox of European integration. It is obvious that the integration process is a tremendous success story, which has not only fostered economic growth, but has also strongly contributed to the decline of nationalism. Hostility among the various nations of Europe was a major factor in the two world wars, but little more than half a century later, such tensions seem incomprehensible. And yet European integration faces a major crisis. Irrespective of its economic and cultural merits, its popularity among European citizens has sharply declined in recent years. The European Union is often blamed for the negative impacts of globalization. The attempt to proceed from economic to political integration encounters strong resistance from a variety of different actors. In 110 CJHE / RCES Volume 37, No. 3, 2007 France and the Netherlands, once among the driving forces of European integration, referenda have turned down a proposal for a European Constitution. Rapid expansion in recent years (from 15 to 27 member states) has certainly increased the complexity of the European Union and the fragmentation of political cultures within it. European higher education policy must be understood within this ambiguity. It is an ambitious and yet highly contradictory goal of the European Union to gain inﬂuence over an area of policy making from which it is formally excluded. The Maastricht Treaty2 which divides the competences between the European Union and its member states deﬁnes education at all levels as the responsibility of national governments. The Commission’s competence in the education sphere is based on Article 149 of the European Union Treaty which entitles the Community no more than “to contribute to the development of quality education by encouraging co-operation between member states.” Europe takes pride in its cultural diversity, and education systems are regarded as guardians of those diverse cultures. National education ministers watch carefully that the Commission does not interfere into their realm of authority. And yet they were not able to prevent the increasing involvement of the European Union in educational matters. Because the different policy areas are so strongly interconnected, involvement in one area is likely to produce “spillovers” in other areas. There are two main reasons why the European Union wants to play a greater role in higher education. First, the Commission wants to increase employability, mobility, and international competitiveness of the European workforce (de Wit, 2003) . Although education and research systems are key determinants of economic success, policy makers at the European level are not satisﬁed with the contribution of universities in strengthening the competitiveness of Europe vis-á-v

FAQs

What is the Bologna Process presented as in the article?

It is described as the most important recent development in European higher education policy at the European level.

Why does the article question whether European higher education policy exists?

It uses the paradox of European integration—economic success alongside declining public popularity—and the tension between formal exclusion and the EU’s increasing involvement in education.

What two main reasons does the EU have for expanding its role in higher education?

To increase employability, mobility, and international competitiveness of the European workforce, and to strengthen the “European dimension” of higher education through a cultural and identity-building complement.

Oct 15, 2026

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