European Identity - Individual, Group and Society - HumanitarianNet

108 EUROPEAN IDENTITY. INDIVIDUAL, GROUP AND SOCIETYeducational structures of European Higher Institutions and the legislationon Higher Education in the majority of member states.Despite the variety of approaches and ways of addressing thischallenge, experience of identity could be that of reforming togetheror, at least, at the same time, and driven by the same objectives, thepolicies on Higher Education in the different Bologna signatorycommunities. What is particularly relevant, in this respect, is that theBologna Declaration and the Prague Communiqué set in motion andorganised processes with objectives and means, studies, regularmeetings of Ministers, indicators, and calendars. In particular, thesedocuments articulated follow up groups with fixed periodical meetingsand conferences on crucial issues.The third set of actors concerns the higher education institutionsand universities. They were there from the beginning, as constantactors in the process. Yet their institutional role has become morecohesive in terms of internationalisation inside the institution as well astheir joint voice has become more and more articulated in the Conferenceof Rectors. The Salamanca Convention, and the soon to comeGraz Convention, mark important moments of joint declarations; whilethematic meetings like the Zurich meeting on the European credit(October 2002) show the capacity to reach significant consensus.Particularly, the emergence of the European University Association(EUA) is in itself a symbol and a development of European identity. TheEUA, which has already launched a number of significant projects, iscalled upon to play an important role in the development of jointuniversity action, quality levels and measures to further develop thecommon European Area of Higher Education.The Universities have invested enormously in the process. Theyhave also learned from it. They have indeed shown their capacity totake initiatives and to develop projects such as the Tuning HigherEducation Structures in Europe project as a response from the Universitiesto the Bologna process and the Bologna challenge.They have been and still remain together with the Commission andthe member states very much at the core of developing objectives, offostering the European dimension of Higher Education. The recognitionof their potential underscores the latest development in relation to theEuropean Parliament. The European Parliament has always been asupportive actor of the Europeanisation of Higher Education but it isonly recently that a new initiative has shown a particular emphasis anda possible road forward in the place and role of Universities and HigherEducation and their impact on European development. The documentreport on the Universities and Higher Education in the European