Chairman of the State Duma Committee for Education and Science Alexander Shishlov (the Yabloko faction), now at Strasbourg at the session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, had a meeting on June 24, 2002 with the Director General of the Department for Education, Culture and Heritage, Youth and Sports of the Council of Europe Benedict Rugas and the Head of the Committee for Higher Education and Science Szhur Bergan.

During the meeting the sides reached an agreement on conducting an inter-regional seminar "Development of the European system of Education on the Basis of Bologna the Declaration of 1999" at St. Petersburg University in autumn 2002. European experts will participate in the seminar.

"After the adoption of the Lisbon convention on recognising diplomas and signing the Bologna Declaration, the intensive process of internationalisation of education has developed in Europe, and virtually all the member-countries of the Council of Europe participate in this process at present," noted Shishlov in an interview with journalists.

Shislov added: "In my opinion Russia should become actively involved in the Bologna process and the state should facilitate the integration of Russian higher education in the common European space of higher education that has been created today. Russian students will gain here, and this will enhance the competitiveness of Russia's higher education."

"At the seminar in St. Petersburg we shall discuss the practical steps required to support Russia's higher education institutions that wish and are ready to participate in the integration process," stressed the Chairman of the State Duma Committee for Education and Science.

See also:

"EUROPEAN HIGHER EDUCATION". Joint Declaration on the European Ministers of Education Convened in Bologna on the 19 June1999.

Reform in education