The EHEA Ministerial Conference and the Bologna Global Policy Forum were held in Tirana, R. Albania, 29-30. May 2024.
At the two-day conference in Tirana, which marked the 25th anniversary of the signing of the Bologna Declaration, issues of innovation, quality and social dimensions in higher education were discussed in four main panels and parallel sessions on various topics.
The ministerial conference focused on several key areas and topics related to the challenges of implementing the key obligations of the Bologna process, the European perspective of internationalization and mobility, the role of higher education in fulfilling digital and green imperatives, the preservation of basic academic values, quality assurance in higher education and the social dimension higher education.
The conference in Tirana marks a new milestone in the joint efforts and commitment of the members of the European Higher Education Area to create an inclusive, innovative and interconnected area of higher education across Europe. In the spirit of achieving the set Global Sustainable Development Goals by 2030, the agreed positions from the Conference will be key on the way to realizing the vision of a dynamic and adaptable European area of higher education.
The Republic of Serbia is fully committed to the implementation of the obligations of the Bologna Process and in the period from the previous Rome Ministerial Conference, held in 2020 in online format, to the Ministerial Conference held in Tirana, it actively participated in the work of working groups within the Bologna Process and changed the legislative framework in accordance with the Bologna principles. By adopting the Law on Student Organization in 2021 and amendments to the Law on Higher Education in 2021 and 2023, Serbia significantly contributed to the inclusion of students in decision-making processes in higher education and ensuring the quality of higher education, as well as improving the monitoring and quality assurance system in higher education, especially ensuring greater independence of the National Accreditation Body and ensuring quality in higher education and its financial sustainability.
During the conference, the Ministerial Communiqué from Tirana (Tirana Communiqué) and the Joint Ministerial Statement from the Global Forum (Global Policy Forum Statement) were adopted.
The next Ministerial Conference in 2027 will be jointly organized by Romania and Moldova, which have taken over the co-chairmanship of the Bologna Process Monitoring Group Secretariat (BFUG Secretariat) from Albania.
The delegation of R. Serbia consisted of: Assoc. Dr. Aleksandar Jović, Acting Assistant Minister of Education, Sector for Higher Education; prof. Dr. Ana Šijački, director of the National Body for Accreditation and Quality Assurance in Higher Education; Mr. Luka Dimitrijević, Secretary General of the Conference of Universities of Serbia, Mr. Vojislav Stojanović, President of the Student Conference of Academies and Colleges of Serbia, and Ms. Ivona Vučković, Advisor, Ministry of Education, Sector for Higher Education.
The European Higher Education Area (EHEA) includes 46 member countries with the right to vote and the European Commission, as well as nine consultative members (ENQA, EUA, EURASHE, ESU, UNESCO, CoE, EDUCATION INTERNATIONAL, BUSINESSEUROPE and EQAR).
The Bologna Follow-Up Group (BFUG) is an executive body responsible for monitoring and implementing the obligations that member countries have undertaken by signing the Bologna Declaration and other documents related to the Bologna Process.
The Global Forum on the Bologna Process (Bologna Global Policy Forum) aims to develop a continuous dialogue with other regions and international organizations on issues of common interest and importance for higher education in which cooperation and exchange of ideas and educational policies can be mutually beneficial.
During their stay in Tirana, the Delegation also visited the Embassy of Serbia in Tirana and spoke with H.E. Slobodan Vukčević, Ambassador of the Republic of Serbia to the Republic of Albania.
More information at: https://ehea.info/.
