Higher Education Reform in Search of Bologna

The author addresses the issue of diverging national readings of the key Bologna concepts against the backdrop of national traditions of higher education - comparability of degrees, finality of qualifications relevant for the labour market, implementation of the ECTS system, and mobility. The basic proposition of the paper is that, in circumstances of semantic dissonance, the open method of coordination (OMC) is barely effective and may create a number of disparate effects. The OMC, having the form of free discourse and lacking enforcement mechanisms, is likely to encourage states to insist on their traditional concepts. On the other hand, a hard law method and guided discourse applicable within the legal framework of the EU may serve as a corrective force. The same counts even more in the pre-accession period if proper conditionality mechanisms are applied. Adapted from the source document.