The European Union will continue to support the reform of higher education in Bosnia and Herzegovina and implementation of the Bologna process in the coming years and “it is crucial that politicians and governments at all levels in Bosnia and Herzegovina make education a top priority,” EU Delegation Charge d’Affaires Boris Iarochevitch told journalists on Thursday just before the beginning of a  Conference on Higher Education.

The conference co-organised  by the European Union and the Council of Europe, brought together 150 experts in the field of higher education in BiH, with the goal of defining priorities for action to reform Higher Education in BiH.

The conference marks the end of a series of three joint projects of the EU and the Council of Europe under the title “Strengthening Higher Education in Bosnia and Herzegovina” implemented between 2003 and 2011. The projects have been designed to help Bosnia and Herzegovina fulfil the commitments it has made since formally joining the Bologna Process in 2003.

“We are marking an important milestone, with the completion of this package of three successive projects,” said Iarochevitch. “We are talking about Bosnia and Herzegovina’s integration through the Bologna process in a much bigger entity – the European Union.”

The projects have helped to raise the level of Bologna-specific expertise among the academic community and the education authorities. Core areas of activity have included a new degree system and the framework for qualifications in higher education, quality assurance and recognition of qualifications.

“It is very important that diplomas are recognised equally in all countries participating in the Bologna Process ,” Iarochevitch said. “It is also very important that we improve the mobility of students, not only BiH students going to Europe, but also European students coming to Bosnia and Herzegovina, and it is also very important for the labour market, because we need clear indications to employers about the quality of diplomas.”

He underlined the need to harmonise legislative practices within the country, since differences remain between different parts of the country, and the education system is very fragmented, with an “impressive” number of education ministries.

Sjur Bergan, Head of the Department of Higher Education and History Teaching at the Council of Europe pointed out that Bosnia and Herzegovina is a country full of possibilities and competent people.

“Differences at the local level may appear very important, but from the European perspective they are much less important, and they confuse more than they explain,” Bergan remarked. “I’m not saying you should leave differences aside, but you should take into account the very serious work that has been done in reforming higher education in Bosnia and Herzegovina in such a way that your partners, 46 other countries in the European Higher Education Area, can easily understand what higher education is about in Bosnia and Herzegovina.”

Esma Hadžagić, Assistant Minister  in charge of education sector  at the BiH  Ministry of Civil Affairs, stressed that in Bosnia and Herzegovina, diplomas are often not recognised in employment offices, or by employers.

“We have not managed to achieve a unified approach to titles, since universities and education authorities don’t have an agreement,” she said.

 More information on the project(s)