The Academic Cooperation Association conference hosted ca. 200 participants: representatives from higher education institutions, national rectors’ conferences; national/regional governments and European institutions; European and international intergovernmental organisations and higher education associations.

The conference reviewed the core elements of the Bologna reforms (BMD-structure, ECTS, QA, etc.), guided by the overarching question in which way exactly these reforms would help to improve the reputation and attractiveness of European higher education in the world.

In a second step, the conference looked at additional measures, e.g. European-level information and marketing measures in non-European countries, the creation of more internationally attractive programmes, ways to increase mobility into Europe, and the “export” of European higher education “products”.

Finally, it took up points raised in the Prague and Berlin Communiqués, such as the role of a common framework of qualifications. “Regional sessions” with experts from non-European countries clarified the impact of the Bologna reforms in other world regions.