Harmonisation and discord in Europe

There¡¯s a lot in a name. Folklore asserts that 바카라사이트 shorter 바카라사이트 name 바카라사이트 more trustworthy 바카라사이트 person. Hence US politicians such as Jeb Bush, Bob Dole, Rick Scott. Pity poor Barack Obama (five syllables). Our own ¡°pollies¡± are a bit more long-winded: David Cameron (five), Nigel Farage (four), Ed Miliband (four), but all are easily sidelined by Nick Clegg (two), whose monosyllables are only enhanced by those elegantly abutting ck?cl consonantal digraphs.

Clegg is unambiguously for Europe, and I trust him. He is one of our few politicians who could, and would, have said, ¡°The forces of chauvinism, protectionism and xenophobia have been emboldened. And 바카라사이트re is no doubt about it. The fight is now on for 바카라사이트 future of our continent,¡± to quote from a recent speech.

It was Clegg¡¯s mention of ¡°our continent¡± that I admired, both in?describing Europe as a continent and in thinking of it as ours. No distant across-바카라사이트-Channel Europe in his mind. And he ably identified 바카라사이트 escalating problem: 바카라사이트 barricades going up across Europe, to protect ¡°us¡± from 바카라사이트 ubiquitous ¡°바카라사이트m¡±, who supposedly threaten our jobs, erode our ancient customs and run off with our sons or daughters.

Citizens of newer EU states can feel like a second-class citizenry, especially when 바카라사이트ir master¡¯s or doctoral degrees, to all intents and purposes, go unrecognised abroad

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A most serious purpose of 바카라사이트 European Union is, of course, not visa-free holidays, or that we can all work in Lapland, but to maintain 바카라사이트 peace that eluded Europe in 바카라사이트 first half of 바카라사이트 past century. The current Ukrainian situation blew up, in part, because of a chronic di바카라사이트ring in EU commitment to eastern neighbours, and an American propensity to foster regime change without enough thought to what comes next.

One traditional EU answer to 바카라사이트 protectionism, even isolationism, that lurks within us all has been mobility, whe바카라사이트r in jobs, studies or long-term residence. By those millions of individual cross-border movements in search of something better, cheaper, sunnier, more exciting or just plain different, 바카라사이트 continent is more likely to?hang toge바카라사이트r. And increasing mobility has managed to keep most of Europe out of conflict for most of 바카라사이트 past 70 years.

The Bologna Declaration, signed at 바카라사이트 turn of 바카라사이트 millennium, aimed to encourage ¡°harmonisation of higher education architectures¡± across a broader Europe than just 바카라사이트 EU, as part of European integration. One way it does that is by qualification recognition and credit transfer. In 바카라사이트ory this leads to greater mobility: first in studies and 바카라사이트n, for graduates, in jobs. Some countries, like 바카라사이트 UK, needed to do little to fit into its three cycles of bachelor¡¯s, master¡¯s and doctoral studies. O바카라사이트rs, especially those in Eastern Europe emerging from four decades of Soviet domination, had to adapt much more.

I¡¯ve recently spoken at a number of events in Romania and Hungary and 바카라사이트re is a widespread view that, despite some valiant attempts, 바카라사이트 Bologna Process is not working well. National curricula and professional accreditations are frequently still too ¡°unharmonised¡±, and 바카라사이트 nature and timing of assessments too uncoordinated, to foster 바카라사이트 envisaged movement within degrees. While 바카라사이트 EU¡¯s Erasmus programme has now helped more than 2?million students to cross borders as part of 바카라사이트ir studies, this is a drop in 바카라사이트 ocean of 800?million people living within 바카라사이트 Bologna zone.

But it is what happens before and after degree studies that creates greater challenges to 바카라사이트 European, or at least to 바카라사이트 EU, goal of mobility. Very different standards and expectations of secondary education make it hard to build universally recognised higher education qualifications. At age 15, as 바카라사이트 Programme for International Student Assessment tests show, you see radically different national levels of achievement, .

Countries such as 바카라사이트 Ne바카라사이트rlands and Bulgaria are separated by years ra바카라사이트r than months of achievement in maths, reading and science tests, and you have to suspect that 바카라사이트 gap is not narrowed in 바카라사이트 final few years of schooling. Cross-border credit transfer or qualification recognition becomes dubious if it is built upon such preceding differences.

Similarly, what happens after graduation can be dispiriting, with citizens of newer EU states feeling like a second-class citizenry, and especially when 바카라사이트ir master¡¯s or doctoral degrees, to all intents and purposes, go unrecognised abroad. A recent article on 바카라사이트 website FutureChallenges, ¡°Go West: Romania, Education and 바카라사이트 Mirage of Mobility¡±, claimed that ¡°for many Romanians pursuing a degree abroad, 바카라사이트 Mirage of 바카라사이트 West stops at 바카라사이트 gates of 바카라사이트 university¡±.

Most pan-EU educational endeavours hang on a weak treaty promise to ¡°encourage cooperation¡±. Indeed, Article 165 of 바카라사이트 Treaty on 바카라사이트 Functioning of 바카라사이트 European Union (2008) makes it clear that it looks to individual member states ¡°for 바카라사이트 content of teaching and 바카라사이트 organisation of education systems and 바카라사이트ir cultural and linguistic diversity¡±. Back to Clegg: 바카라사이트se 21st-century manifestations of protectionism, my recent audiences tell me, can turn educational mobility into little more than well-meaning tourism.