The Bologna Follow Up Group (BFUG), which oversees the development of the European Higher Education Area (EHEA), is served by a Secretariat provided by the country that will host the next Ministerial conference. The BFUG Secretariat has therefore now moved to Albania, and at its request, the Council of Europe is organizing a series of training sessions.

The first session was held on May 31and included introductions by Linda Pustina, the BFUG Vice Chair and an adviser to the Prime Minister of Albania and Ligia Deca, the Education and Science Counselor to the President of Romanian and a former Head of the BFUG Secretariat. Irina Geantă provided an overview of the role and functions of the BFUG Secretariat on the basis of her experience with the former Romanian Secretariat, and Sjur Bergan, Head of the Council of Europe’s Education Department, gave an overview of the development of the EHEA since 1999.

The Council of Europe has played an important role in the development of the EHEA since its inception and will continue to do so in the current work period through its contributions to the BFUG as well as to several working groups, including those on the fundamental values of higher education (academic freedom and integrity, institutional autonomy, participation of students and staff in higher education governance, and public responsibility for and of higher education), the social dimension of higher education, and the Roadmap accompanying San Marino’s recent accession to the EHEA. The Council of Europe will also contribute to groups on qualifications frameworks and the recognition of qualifications.