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European Education Area

The bologna process and the european higher education area, what is the bologna process.

The Bologna Process seeks to bring more coherence to higher education systems across Europe. 

It established the European Higher Education Area to facilitate student and staff mobility, to make higher education more inclusive and accessible , and to make higher education in Europe more attractive and competitive worldwide. 

As part of the European Higher Education Area, all participating countries agreed to:

• introduce a three-cycle higher education system consisting of bachelor's, master's and doctoral studies
• ensure the mutual recognition of qualifications and learning periods abroad completed at other universities
• implement a system of quality assurance, to strengthen the quality and relevance of learning and teaching

Why is the Bologna Process important?

Under the Bologna Process, European governments engage in discussions regarding higher education policy reforms and strive to overcome obstacles to create a European Higher Education Area. 

Bologna reform is key to building the necessary trust for successful learning mobility , cross-border academic cooperation and the mutual recognition of study periods and qualifications earned abroad. Enhancing the quality and relevance of learning and teaching is also a core mission of the Bologna Process. Implementation of these reforms is, however, uneven across the 48 participating countries . 

The Bologna Process also provides a forum for dialogue with neighbouring countries regarding higher education reforms and questions related to shared academic principles, such as the independence of universities and the participation of students in civil society activities. It has become an important space for soft diplomacy with neighbouring countries in the Western Balkans (with the exception of Kosovo), Eastern Partnership countries, Turkey and Russia, as well as many other countries.

What is the EU doing to support higher education reform?

Since the launch of the Erasmus programme some 30 years ago, the Commission, together with national authorities, higher education institutions, students and other stakeholders, triggered more intense and structured cooperation among European higher education institutions. 

As the demand for student mobility grew rapidly, it became clear how difficult it was for single institutions to recognise periods of study across different national higher education systems with divergent degree structures and different academic traditions.

The Bologna Process, starting with the Sorbonne and Bologna Declarations , was the response of national governments to the challenges arising from the mobility of European students and graduates.

The Commission is a full member of the Bologna Follow-up Group and its board, which supports the implementation of the decisions of the Bologna Ministerial Conferences.

Much progress has been made in reforming higher education systems in EU Member States and beyond, as indicated by regular implementation reports .

Education Ministers have also adopted the Paris Communiqué highlighting priority activities in this area for the coming years. The Communiqué outlines the joint vision of education ministers from 48 European countries for a more ambitious European Higher Education Area by 2020.

It calls for: 

• an inclusive and innovative approach to learning and teaching
• for integrated transnational cooperation in higher education, research and innovation
• for securing a sustainable future through higher education

In addition, the Communiqué outlines the need for better support to enable vulnerable and underrepresented and groups to access and excel in higher education. These ambitions are in line with the goal of the EU to create a European Education Area by 2025, to promote mobility and the academic recognition of qualifications for all EU citizens. 

The next Ministerial Conference of the Bologna Process will take place in June 2020, in Rome. 

For more information on the role of the EU in the development of the Bologna Process and its progress towards the creation of a European Higher Education Area, see the brochure The EU in support of the Bologna Process . 

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Who can Apply, How and When

The call for applications  2024-25 is NOW ONLINE.  

Application deadline:  April 26th, 2024 - 11.59 pm (CEST)

Available PhD Positions and Scholarships

For the academic year 2024/2025 a total of 7scholarships  for full-time PhD students are available:

• 6 PhD positions for research projects in Economics within the  Department of Economic s
• 1 PhD position for a research topic related to the Law and Economics within the  European Doctorate in Law and Economics  - EDLE

Candidates are asked to specify their interest in applying for one of the different types of scholarships. For the position in EDLE both Economics and Law backgrounds are welcome; the statement of purposes should include a short research project and information on the candidates’ specific skills and experience that makes them comparably well suited for the position.

Each scholarship amounts to € 16.243,00 gross per year  for four years and is paid on a monthly basis. This amount is increased by 50% during visits abroad of no less than 1 month and no more than 18 months. The full-time scholarships will be assigned to the best applicants on a competitive basis.

All admitted students will also have an endowment in research funds (around € 1624,30 per year).

Further financial support takes the form of teaching assistantships with official calls from the University, and research assistantships (usually coming from professors’ own research funds).

Who can apply?

We welcome candidates from any country, gender, and age holding a  Master Degree  (second cycle of higher education) ,  or who are in line to complete it  no later than October 31st, 2024 . Such a degree must be one of the following:

• an Italian laurea specialistica/magistrale (3+2-year system);
• an Italian university degree – pre-reform system (4 years).
• a second cycle degrees obtained abroad, recognized as equivalent to the above mentioned.

Please note that:

• Applicants awarded of the above academic degrees by foreign Universities in extra-EU countries must submit a certificate attesting the completion of their Bachelor’s and Master’s degree (i.e. first and second level degree) and the transcript of records.
• Applicants holding a degree awarded in the EU Member States or by an Italian private university can submit either certificates or a self-certification. The Diploma Supplement can be also submitted as an alternative to the certificate. 

Call for applications 2024/2025

• CALL FOR APPLICATIONS 2023/2024

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