Prague 2001

After the Bologna Declaration was signed in 1999, Ministers agreed to meet on a regular two-yearly basis to assess the progress made according to the Bologna Action Lines and to decide on priorities and a regular course of action for the future.

The first of these summits took place in Prague in 2001 where Ministers reaffirmed their commitment to the Bologna Process and welcomed the involvement of a number of new actors: the European University Association (EUA); National Union of Students in Europe (ESIB – now the European Students’ Union, ESU); the European Association of Institutions in Higher Education (EURASHE) and the European Commission.

By the time of the Prague summit, the number of participating countries to the Process had grown from the original 29 to 33. Ministers also agreed on three new action lines to add to the six set down in Bologna:

• A focus on lifelong learning
• The inclusion of higher education institutions and students in the process
• A promotion of the attractiveness of the European Higher Education Area

Berlin 2003

The second Bologna Ministerial summit took place in Berlin in 2003. Ministers considered it necessary to go beyond the focus on two main cycles of higher education to include the doctoral level as the third cycle and to build links between the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) and European Research Area (ERA). In turn, this became a new Action Line:

• Doctoral studies and the synergy between the EHEA and the ERA

The social dimension of the Bologna Process was also high on the agenda of the summit as Ministers stated the importance of improving the social characteristics of the European Higher Education Area and reducing social inequality. They also recognised the fundamental role played by higher education institutions and students’ organisations in the Process.

Ministers also called for a focus on three intermediate priorities for the following two years: quality assurance and the ability to develop mutually shared criteria and methodologies; the two-cycle system and the development of an overarching European qualifications framework; and the recognition of degrees and periods of study, including the introduction of the Diploma Supplement by 2005.