Organization and Structure of the Bologna Process : , Theme: education
Membership of the Bologna Process is open to all countries which have signed the European Cultural Convention and have declared their willingness to pursue and implement the objectives of the Bologna Process in their own higher education sector.
The following states are involved in the Bologna Process:
Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belgium (Flemish and French Community), Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, the "Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia", France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, the Holy See, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Moldova, Montenegro, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, the Russian Federation, Serbia, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine and the United Kingdom. In addition, the European Commission is also a voting member of the Follow-up Group.
Apart from the Member States, the Consultative Members also represent a central element of the Bologna Process. These include the Council of Europe, the BusinessEurope employers’ organization, the pan-European trade union federation Education International (EI), the European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (ENQA), the European Students' Union (ESU), the European University Association (EUA), the European Association of Institutions in Higher Education (EURASHE) and the European Centre for Higher Education (UNESCO-CEPES).
Organization of the Bologna Process
Regular meetings of the Bologna Follow-up Group (BFUG) take place between the Conferences of Ministers (at least twice a year). The governments of the Member States and the organizations are represented at senior official level at these meetings. The respective EU Presidency and a non-EU state share the Chair of the Bologna Follow-up Group for a period of six months.
The BFUG receives organizational support from the Bologna Secretariat, which is provided by the country (or countries) responsible for the next Conference of Ministers. Interested parties from all over the world can find general information on the objectives and contents of the Bologna Process, the Member States and organizations as well as details of international seminars on the various areas of the Bologna Process on the Bologna Secretariat’s website.
In Germany, the Federal Government, the Länder and the institutions of higher education are responsible for implementing the reforms within the framework of their respective fields of competence. The reform process is accompanied by a Federal Government-Länder Group on the “Continuation of the Bologna Process”, which also consists of representatives of the University Rectors' Conference (HRK), the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) and the Accreditation Council . Other organizations involved in the group are the fzs student associations, the BDA employers' association, the GEW trade union and the National Association for Student Services (DSW)