Abstract:

This paper focuses on assessing the past 20 years of the Bologna Process and the effects and outcomes it had on the quality culture and mindsets of higher institutions of education (HIE), their leaders and stakeholders.The Bologna Process has been an unprecedented project that aims at channeling the European highest standards of education across the continent. It created a unique scientific and research space that promotes and encourages research and educational cooperation, students and professors exchange, collaborative projects, initiatives and more. The European Commission is also an actor and full member of the Bologna Process because of its EU-centered interests. Our results show that although huge work has been done in the last 20 years since the Bologna Process started there are still some discrepancies and drawbacks member states will have to overcome. We concluded that most of the problems identified are systematic and in some cases cannot be solved without severe and rigid structural reforms and changes in the national legislation.