Introduction

With the Berlin Communiqué of 19 September 2003 the Ministers of the countries participating in the Bologna Process entrusted the implementation of the Bologna Process action lines, the steering of the Bologna Process and the preparation of the next ministerial meeting to a Follow-up Group. A Board was to oversee the work between the meetings and the overall follow-up work would be supported by a Secretariat provided for by the country hosting the next Ministerial Conference.

At their London meeting in May 2007, Ministers agreed that the next ministerial meeting would be hosted by the Benelux countries in Leuven/Louvain-la-Neuve in April 2009.
Consequently, a transnational Bologna Secretariat was set up. The Flemish and French Communities of Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg each appointed one member to the Bologna Secretariat for the period 1 July 2007 to 30 June 2009.

In this period four countries held the Bologna Process Presidency:

• Portugal – 2nd half of 2007
• Slovenia – 1st half of 2008
• France – 2nd half of 2008
• Czech Republic – 1st half of 2009

The representative of Luxembourg acted as Vice-Chair.

One of the main tasks of the Secretariat was to assist the subsequent Chairs and the members of the Bologna Follow-up Group (BFUG) and the BFUG Board in the follow-up work for the period July 2007 to June 2009, including planning of activities and following up on BFUG decisions, supporting Bologna working groups and carrying out any special tasks concerning the implementation of the work programme.

Bologna Action lines

With the 2007 London Communiqué the Ministers in charge of Higher Education in the Bologna Process countries reaffirmed their commitment to completing the agreed action lines with a view to creating the European Higher Education Area and identified a number of priority areas for the following two years. Taking this as a starting point, the Bologna Follow-up Group at its meeting in Lisbon (Portugal) on 2-3 October 2007 agreed upon a work programme for the period 2007-2009
BFUG12_6a Bologna work programme 2007-2009 (draft version). It integrated the proposals put forward by countries and organisations participating in the Bologna Process for follow-up activities at European level in the areas where the London Communiqué had identified a need for further action. Next to seminars and conferences, the BFUG also set up a number of Working, Coordination or Steering Groups on specific issues. At the end of the working period, the reports and recommendations of the various groups were endorsed by the BFUG as a whole and fed into the preparations for the Leuven/Louvain-la-Neuve Ministerial Conference.

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Bologna Follow-Up Group and Board meetings

Portuguese Presidency July 2007 – December 2007

Board meeting 15 - Lisbon 30-31 August 2007
BFUG Board 15 Lisbon Aug 2007 - Minutes

BFUG Meeting 12 - Lisbon 2-3 October 2007
BFUG Meeting 12 Lisbon Oct 2007 - Outcome of Proceedings

• Adoption of the work programme for the period 2007-2009.

Slovenian Presidency January 2008 – June 2008

Board meeting 16 - Ljubljana 16 January 2008
BFUG Board 16 Ljublajana - Draft Minutes

BFUG Meeting 13 - Brdo 13-14 March 2008
BFUG Meeting 13 Brdo March 2008 - Draft outcome of proceedings

• Approval of the template and the indicators for the 2009 stocktaking exercise.
• Election of three Bologna Board members for the period July 2008 – June 2009.

Board meeting 17 - Bled 8-9 June 2008
BFUG Board 17 Bled June 2008 - Minutes

BFUG Meeting extraordinary - Sarajevo 24-25 June 2008
BFUG Extraordinary Meeting 13-b Sarajevo June 2008 - Draft outcome of proceedings

• Discussion on “Bologna Beyond 2010”
• Identification of priorities among the existing action lines: mobility of students and staff, social dimension, qualifications frameworks, recognition, curriculum reform.
• Identification of new challenges: Global competitiveness, demography/lifelong learning, creative graduates, responsibilities of actors, resources.
• Establishment of the Independent Assessment Advisory Committee.

French Presidency July 2008 – December 2008

BFUG Meeting 14 - Paris 14-15 October 2008
BFUG Meeting 14 Paris Oct 2008 - Draft outcome of proceedings

• Discussion on “Bologna Beyond 2010”

Czech Presidency January 2009 – July 2009

Board meeting 18 - Prague 16 January 2009
BFUG Board 18 Prague Jan 2009 - Draft minutes

BFUG meeting 15 - Prague 12-13 February 2009
BFUG Meeting 15 Prague Feb 2009 - Draft outcome of proceedings

• Endorsement of the reports prepared by Working and Coordination Groups
• Discussion of the draft Leuven/Louvain-la-Neuve Communiqué

Board meeting 19 - Ostend 23 February 2009
BFUG Board 19 Ostend Feb 2009 - Draft Minutes

BFUG meeting 16 - Prague 26-27 March 2009
BFUG Meeting 16 Prague March 2009 - Outcome of proceedings

• Endorsement of the stocktaking report and the report on Bologna beyond 2010.
• Finalisation of the draft Leuven/Louvain-la-Neuve Communiqué

BFUG meeting 17 - Leuven 27 April 2009
BFUG Meeting 17 Leuven April 2009 - Outcome of proceedings

• Last preparations for the 2009 Ministerial Conference in Leuven and Louvain-la-Neuve.
• Election of three Bologna Board members for the period July 2009 – June 2010.