Promoting the mobility of students, graduates and academic staff across the European continent by overcoming obstacles to the effective exercise of free movement has been the overarching political priority of establishing the Bologna Process, as clearly outlined in the Bologna Declaration (1999). As such, acknowledging mobility as both a right and a structural necessity for building a competitive, attractive European higher education space, the ministers agreed to undergo reforms and adopt common tools to support it. Policies like the comparable degree structures, qualifications’ frameworks, the improvement of recognition practices, the use of the ECTS, the development of joint programmes or common standards in quality assurance were designed with their impact on enhancing mobility as a core objective.

In the Prague Communiqué (2001) mobility was reaffirmed as a core aim, linked explicitly to Europe’s cultural and linguistic diversity. Ministers committed to fostering the social dimension of mobility, and support the Erasmus+ programme. Internationalisation began to take a more visible form through promoting cross-border curricula, structured engagement with other world regions and the drive to make European higher education globally attractive and readable.

By the Bergen Communiqué (2005), the focus shifted toward operational enablers: portability of grants and loans, streamlined visa and work permit procedures, and stronger emphasis of the recognition of periods of studies abroad beyond full qualification. The London Communiqué (2007) treated mobility and internationalisation as operational priorities by identifying legal, financial, and administrative barriers and mandating national action to address them. The ministers further adopted an “EHEA in a Global Setting” strategy, which also included policies related to internationalisation and mobility seen through a global angle.

The Leuven/Louvain-la-Neuve Communiqué (2009) introduced the first quantitative target regarding the mobility of students, committing to at least 20% of EHEA graduates having studied or trained abroad by 2020. Mobility was linked to enhancing employability and intercultural skills, with measures pertaining to funding, recognition, visas and balanced flows.

In 2012, at the Bucharest Ministerial Conference, the ministers adopted the first strategy of the EHEA focused on enhancing mobility, called “Mobility for Better Learning”, while also introducing the concept of automatic recognition of degrees.

Among others, the 2012 strategy:

• defined the mobility contributing to the 20% target as physical mobility corresponding to at least 15 ECTS credit points or three months within any of the three cycles (credit mobility) as well as stays in which a degree is obtained abroad (degree mobility).

• encouraged the member countries to strive for more and better balanced mobility of the EHEA with countries outside the EHEA.

• committed to improved information about study programmes and increasing the quality and relevance of mobility periods, ensuring that they contribute to high academic standards, to the employability as well as the linguistic and intercultural competence of students.

• sought dialogue with other parts of the world and suggested more intensive collaboration in the field of quality assurance with regions outside Europe.

• called for avoiding rigid regulations and allowing more flexibility as national rules should not be a barrier for individual mobility and university cooperation.

• called on higher education institutions to adopt and implement their own strategy for their internationalisation and for the promotion of mobility, developing other possibilities for mobility such as virtual mobility and enabling non-mobile students to have an "international experience at home".

The Yerevan Communiqué (2015) focused on inclusive mobility opportunities for disadvantaged students and staff and emphasized the importance of automatic recognition and recognition of prior learning to both mobility and internationalisation, the latter increasingly framed as a vehicle for promoting democratic values, intercultural understanding, and cooperation beyond Europe.

The Paris Communiqué (2018) highlighted systemic enablers for mobility, such as automatic recognition, digitalisation of credentials and interoperability of data systems. The Rome Communiqué (2020) projected mobility and internationalisation into the 2030 vision of an inclusive, innovative, and interconnected EHEA. Mobility should thus become more flexible, encompassing physical, virtual, and blended formats, supported by interoperable digital systems and automatic recognition. The Rome Communique also included a stronger commitment to enabling all learners to acquire international and intercultural competences through internationalisation of the curricula or participation in innovative international environments in their home institutions.

Finally, in the Tirana Communiqué (2024), the ministers mandated the Bologna Follow-Up Group (BFUG) to prepare an action plan to stimulate mobility and internationalisation of higher education and to support measures for achieving a greener, more inclusive, and more balanced mobility. A dedicated Working Group on Internationalisation and Mobility was created for the 2024-2027 work period to prepare the action plan.

The ministers also recalled the importance of establishing interoperability standards to facilitate student access to mobility opportunities and support services, such as the European Student Card initiative. They welcomed the deepening and institutionalising of transnational cooperation, supported by the Erasmus+ programme, underpinned by and with respect for the Bologna tools and commitments. In this sense, they acknowledged that the European Universities alliances create new opportunities for our academic communities, and should include participation of students and staff in all decision-making processes.