Mobility challenges for the Future Eric Froment Professor University of Lyon (Lumière-Lyon2) Founding President of the EUA Conference | Lille 6 & 7 October 2008

Communiqué: Mobility and EHEA! Bologne(1999)…. we engage in co-ordinating our policies to reach in the short term …the following objectives, which we consider to be of primary relevance in order to establish the European area of higher education…Promotion of mobility by overcoming obstacles to the effective exercise of free movement… Berlin (2003) Mobility of students and academic and administrative staff is the basis for establishing a EHEA Bergen (2005) We confirm our commitment to coordinating our policies through the Bologna Process to establish the EHEA by 2010 We recognise that mobility of students and staff among all participating countries remains one of the key objectives of the Bologna Process. London (2007) Mobility of staff, students and graduates is one of the core elements of the Bologna Process. Conference | Lille 6 & 7 October 2008

Supporting your campaign : Let’s Go It’s difficult to speak against mobility in general and even more so if you are dealing with university matters It’s difficult to add new elements to the debate Either concerning the reasons for mobility or the new reasons competitiveness citizenship or concerning obstacles even if we still need more statistics in spite of the new EI/ESU Mobility Barometer and It’s of course time for action But… Conference | Lille 6 & 7 October 2008

But… are we supporting mobility for the EHEA? It’s not just to support mobility for students and staff in HE We are in a seminar dealing with the Bologna process : we have to support mobility as a key element for building the EHEA These are clear goals and mean setting priorities. Are we acting in a coherent way? Conference | Lille 6 & 7 October 2008

What need to be looked at? What are the coherent priorities 1.Priority to mobility of students and staff between Bologna Countries not just between EU countries and not worldwide 2.Priority to develop vertical mobility in accordance with the Bologna architecture of cycles : incentives for achieving each cycle in different European HEI avoiding HEI offering only long cycle, or HEI afraid of loosing “their” students 3.Priority to develop European joint diplomas, European co-tutelle of PhDs and multilingualism to promote mobility inside Europe Conference | Lille 6 & 7 October 2008

Back to the Bologna declaration Looking at the action line number 6 “Promotion of the necessary European dimensions in higher education, particularly with regards to curricular development, interinstitutional co-operation, mobility schemes and integrated programmes of study, training and research“ This confirms that our problem is also related to the European dimension in the Bologna process Conference | Lille 6 & 7 October 2008

Concluding remarks Is it possible to move on 1.Without a true discussion at BFUG level on the social dimension of the Bologna process and if possible an agreement 2.Without HEI playing a greater role in students mobility through deeper implication and improved inter- institutional arrangements 3.Without a clear commitment of academic staff at all levels, being more mobile themselves and playing their role of prescribing actors for students and administrative staff. Conference | Lille 6 & 7 October 2008