Activities of Marie-Christine VERGIAT related to 2011/2180(INI)
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT on the contribution of the European institutions to the consolidation and progress of the Bologna Process PDF (236 KB) DOC (143 KB)
Amendments (30)
Amendment 1 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 1 a (new)
Citation 1 a (new)
- having regard to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and in particular Article 26 thereof1,
Amendment 2 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 1 b (new)
Citation 1 b (new)
- having regard to the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, and in particular Article 14 thereof,
Amendment 5 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas the goals of the Bologna Pprocess –- to enable compatible systems of higher education in Europe – is still valid and the strengthening of the process is serving the goals of growth based on knowledge and innovation within the Europe 2020 strategy, particularly in the current economic crisis; 1 2 do away with the barriers which still prevent people from moving to another country in order to study or work and make higher education in Europe attractive to as many people as possible, including young people from third countries with which the European Union establishes close relations in the context of cooperation policies - are still valid, but whereas an assessment and a review are http://www.ehea.info/Uploads/Declarations/SORBONNE_DECLARATION1.pdf http://www.ehea.info/news-details.aspx?ArticleId=253 needed in order to establish the extent to which those goals have or have not been achieved and to take account of the problems, lack of understanding and opposition encountered by universities and academics;
Amendment 9 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A a (new)
Recital A a (new)
Amendment 10 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A b (new)
Recital A b (new)
Ab. whereas, in view of their threefold function (education, research and innovation), universities have a vital part to play in the future of the Union and the education of its citizens, and whereas the role of higher education is to provide a learning environment, open to everyone without discrimination, that promotes autonomy, creativity and optimum use of knowledge;
Amendment 11 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A c (new)
Recital A c (new)
Ac. whereas the university is a major aspect of European heritage, now almost a thousand years old, whose significance as a force for progress in society cannot be reduced to its contribution to the economy and whose development cannot be made solely contingent on economic needs;
Amendment 12 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A d (new)
Recital A d (new)
Ad. whereas the right to education is a fundamental Union value, and whereas it is the responsibility of the Member States to ensure that that value is put into practice; whereas it is important to support universities financially, first and foremost through the provision of sufficient public funding, while at the same time guaranteeing their autonomy; whereas the European Union has a key role to play in the establishment of the European Higher Education Area by supporting the Member States' efforts and cooperation in this field;
Amendment 13 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas the three-degree structure is applied – in some cases successfully – in most of the Bologna countries, despite the difficulties encounteredby most of the Bologna countries; whereas this has quickly led to a shift in the focus of teaching towards vocational requirements and away from the acquisition of knowledge, even though there is no evidence that this makes it easier for students to find jobs; whereas the quality of teaching and research has also been seriously affected by this reform;
Amendment 18 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
Recital C
Amendment 23 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas mobility must be available to all and is the cornerstone of the higher education reform; whereas there are still significant obstacles to mobility, in the form of social rights, the financial capacity of the individuals concerned and sociocultural stereotypes, with the result that only 2 % of students take advantage of mobility;
Amendment 27 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E
Recital E
E. whereas the social dimension must be strengthened as a necessary condition for the development of the Bologna Processof the Bologna process must be strengthened in order to alleviate the problems encountered by students and teaching and administrative staff; whereas this is a prerequisite if higher education is to become a genuine force for individual and collective emancipation;
Amendment 30 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F
Recital F
F. whereas universities, public administrations and enterprises must be strongly committed to the issue of employabilityone of the university's important tasks is to equip graduates with the skills they need to find a stable, well paid job;
Amendment 35 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G
Recital G
Amendment 40 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Calls for a strengthening at EU level of support for the Bologna Process, in particular as regards, in cooperation with the Member States, of support, including administrative and financial support, for the institutions affected by the Bologna Process, in particular as regards the broadest possible access to high-quality higher education, the recognition of academic qualifications, and the promotion of mobility and employability, and, with those aims in mind, the elimination of administrative obstacles;
Amendment 49 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Notes that the establishment of a European Higher Education Area (EHEA) is a major achievement, which must be enhanced through the use of appropriate tools and procedureskey economic, social and cultural challenge facing the European Union, but that it must be addressed in a manner consistent with the principle of cultural pluralism, the diversity of education systems in the Member States and higher education's role in society;
Amendment 59 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Highlights the fact that the priorities set up within the Bologna process represent the conditions necessary to guarantee that every student enrolled in a European university has the right topossibility of graduateing and tof seeing his qualification recognised in any EU country, with the goal of creating a genuine European University Citizenshipparticipating State; points out that these priorities have not yet been achieved and that the implementation of the Bologna Process has instead served to create competition between qualifications and higher education establishments and a division between students from the Member States and those from third countries;
Amendment 65 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Calls for the development of an effective, bottom-up approach, fully involving all key actors such as universities, trade unions, the business sector and, first and foremost, teachers and student and, first and foremost, teachers, students and administrative staff; notes that in countries where the Bologna process has been implemented it has generally led to a reduction in the level of representation of the academic community on management bodies, in particular to the benefit of economic actors, primarily major undertakings;
Amendment 73 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Calls for a commitment on the part of universities to new teaching and training strategies aimed at a learning-centred university systemon universities to consider adopting new teaching strategies, alongside a strengthening of traditional forms of teaching (human sciences, pure science, research, etc.), and new professional and lifelong training strategies aimed at creating a university system which focuses on acquiring and exploiting knowledge, research and development;
Amendment 82 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Stresses that ECTS credits should be developed with a view to enhancing students' knowledge of their chosen subjects, not solely as a range of general skills meeting the needs of the market;
Amendment 86 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Calls for the development of the universities’ ‘third mission’ to society; Notes universities’ ‘third mission’ to society; stresses that this mission must not be carried out at the expense of educational and research establishments as a result of the management costs involved in the commercialisation of research activities, and calls for a substantial part of the revenues generated through these activities to be allocated to the social dimension of the planned reforms;
Amendment 91 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Calls for the identification of new, targeted and flexible fundPoints out that education budgets are an investment in the future and that sacrificing them could have serious consequences in the longer term; consequently, opposes the major budget reductions in the area of education ing mechanisms with a view to supporting growth, excellence and the particular and diverse vocations of universitieost Member States and the steady increase in school fees, leading to a massive rise in the number of vulnerable and indebted students having to work to finance their studies; believes that these developments have a negative impact on attempts to strengthen the social dimension of education, which is the principle on which the Bologna process is founded, and highlights the need for adequate public funding for universities to fulfil their particular and diverse vocations;
Amendment 97 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7a. Calls, therefore, on the Member States to consider the possibility of freezing enrolment fees given that, particularly in the current period of economic and social crisis, they are an obstacle to higher education for the majority; calls on the EU institutions and the Member States to increase their education budgets, particularly as regards scholarships;
Amendment 102 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Calls on the EU, the Member States and universities to improve information forestablish mechanisms for providing information and financial and administrative support for all students, academics and staff in order to foster structured mobility flows; calls for a strengthening of the services of Erasmus through better fundingenhanced funding, based on social criteria, the opening of the programme to a larger number of students, improved credit recognition and greater flexibility of the time frame allowed;
Amendment 130 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Calls for strong financial support for agreements on common core curricula, which guarantee well defined learning outcomes, inter alia by exploring the methodology approach developed by Tuning; calls for particular attention to be paid to the specific problems of humanities curricula; stresses the need to involve the academic community as a whole, particularly students, teachers and researchers, in developing the various stages of university education;
Amendment 133 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Asks for further support for national and European measures to guarantee equitable inclusion and fair access for studentsfair access, progress and inclusion for students, particularly those from under- represented groups;
Amendment 144 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Draws attention to the particular needs of the Bachelor’s degree, its curricula and its employability,; stresses in this respect the need for specific actions and for more effective cooperation between universities and the labour market with a view to developing more relevant curricula and enhancing employability, Member States and economic and social actors in order to enhance the prospects for future graduates of finding a stable, well-paid job corresponding to their level of qualification;
Amendment 160 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Calls on national governments andto develop, with the support of the Commission to develop, a system of structured cooperation in order to deliver joint degrees, within clusters of disciplines, with recognifor recognition of degrees and qualifications across the EU by improving the performance of, and financial support for, Erasmus Mundus and the future education and training programme; believes that national degree guidelines are necessary to maintain the diversity and recognition of education within the EU;
Amendment 176 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
Amendment 198 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. Calls on the Member States and the EU to provide updated and comparable data on the basis of which to monitor the implementation of the EHEA and, to that end, to remove the obstacles and resolve the problems associated with the implementation of the process, and not to penalise those institutions which have not yet implemented the planned reforms;
Amendment 202 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 a (new)
Paragraph 21 a (new)
21a. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to strengthen cooperation and research programmes, and to develop new ones, based on mutual interests with third-country universities, particularly those in conflict zones, in order to allow access to higher education and training for students from these countries, without any discrimination;