The Convention of European Higher Education Institutions, held in Salamanca, Spain, had the objective of formulating the views of the European higher education institutions on the Bologna Process and to convey these views to the Ministers of Education. The convention expressed the determination to build a European Higher Education Area and discussed six themes: freedom with responsibility; employability; mobility; compatibility; quality; and competitiveness. As the resulting theses will be presented to the Ministers, what follows is a succinct presentation of the main items.

In the first theme, “Freedom with responsibility: empowering the universities", the main message is that the universities need autonomy and want to be held accountable. Furthermore, if mutual trust between government and universities on a partnership basis is required, nursing intellectual autonomy is essential.

The second theme, “Employability in the European labour market”, lead to the view that employability of the graduates is important and that universities should prepare students to cope with the labour market and their future professional role. The universities should contribute to transparency and recognition of qualifications by specifying the learning outcomes in a way that is meaningful for students, employers and others concerned. Diversity and flexibility of programmes and learning experiences have been considered positively.

The “Mobility in the European higher education area” was the third theme. Mobility, both horizontal and vertical, was considered a central value, requiring full implementation of recognition instruments, such as ECTS (extended to accumulation and lifelong learning), the Lisboa Recognition Convention, the Diploma Supplement and the ENIC/NARIC networks. The benefits for staff, students and researchers and the need to remove administrative barriers to mobility were emphasised.

The fourth theme was “Compatibility: a common but flexible qualifications framework”. The first degree (“Bachelor”) after 3 to 4 years, or 180 to 240 credits, was indicated as the rule, although the possibility of 5 years integrated programmes leading to a “Master” degree should admissible. The importance of ECTS, quality assurance and thematic networks has been indicated.

Under “Quality assurance and accreditation”, the fifth theme, the establishment of a European platform to disseminate good practice and advise on appropriate procedures was proposed. The objective is to foster mutual acceptance of quality assurance decisions in Europe, preserving national and subject differences and institutional autonomy.

In the sixth theme, “Competitiveness at home and in the world”, the views expressed were that it is good for students, as it promotes quality, and that it requires more openness and transparency, as well as the European higher education institutions being perceived as welcoming institutions. It calls for strategic networking and to the development of educational trademarks and brands.

As a global conclusion, it was emphasised the willingness and capability of the universities to lead the effort to renovate and redefine higher education at a European scale.

Towards Accreditation Schemes for Higher Education in Europe?
The conclusions of the CRE project (july 2000 - may 2001), co-funded by SOCRATES programme, were validated at the February 8-9th 2001 seminar in Universidade Técnica de Lisboa, Oeiras.
The conclusions were conveyed to the Salamanca Convention of European Higher Education Institutions. They do not represent any formal decision but rather the synthesis of very lively and rich discussions held in plenary and working group sessions.
Towards Accreditation Schemes for Higher Education in Europe?