In response to the request of the Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine, the National Technical University of Ukraine “Kyiv Polytechnic Institute” organized jointly with the UNESCO-European Centre for Higher Education (UNESCO-CEPES) and in partnership with the European University Association and the Council of Europe, an International Seminar on Higher Education in Ukraine and the Bologna Process (13-14 May 2004, Kyiv, Ukraine), in order to as ses the development of Ukrainian higher education and to address the issues relating to its accession to the Bologna Process.

In addition to participants from Uk raine, the meeting was attended by representatives of European universities and of international governmental and non- governmental organizations dealing with hi gher education in Europe, as well as representatives from ESIB (The National Unio ns of Students in Europe).

The seminar explored the following four themes:

1. the current state of higher education in Ukraine and the objectives of the Bologna Process;
2. existing quality assurance provisions and mechanisms in Ukrainian higher education and the respective requirem ents set by the Bologna Process;
3. public good and social responsibility in higher education;
4. the European dimension agenda of higher education in transition countries [with special reference to Ukraine].

The Communiqué of the Conference of Ministers responsible for Higher education, held in Berlin on 19 September 2003, states that "countries party to the European Cultural Convention shall be eligible for membership of the European Higher Education Area provided that they at the same time declare their willingness to pursue and implement the objectives of the Bologna Process in their own systems of higher education". In view of this opening of the Bologna Process, Ukrainian academics and students, policy makers and university leaders expressed their commitment to the implementation of the objectives and principles of the Bologna Process and their readiness to apply for joining the Bologna Process, as the Kyiv international seminar demonstrated. The main document of the International Seminar was the report "The Ukraine Higher Education System from the Perspective of the Bologna Process Objectives" prepared by a team coordinated by Professor Michailo Zgurovsky of The National Technical University of Ukraine "Kyiv Polytech nic Institute", in collaboration with other Ukrainian academics, policy makers and university managers.

The participants appreciate the quality of the report which greatly contributed to the overall success of the meeting. The report presented the current position of the higher education system in Ukraine, the progress made so far towards the Bologna Process objectives and the work that remained to be done, in view of Ukraine’s intention to join the Bologna Process.