Policies on international cooperation

Denmark in the Global Economy

The Danish Government has launched an ambitious and pro-active strategy to gear Denmark for the future. The strategy, which was published in April 2006, contains 350 specific initiatives, which together entail extensive reforms of education and training programmes as well as research and entrepreneurship, and also substantial improvements in the framework conditions for growth and innovation in all areas of society.

In 2004, the government presented a Policy Paper to the Parliament about enhanced internationalisation of Danish education and training, lining up a strategy for the future work. Denmark is also active in the implementation of the Bologna Process concerning higher education, the Copenhagen Process about vocational education and training, and in international cooperation on the recognition of foreign qualifications.

The Policy Paper

The Danish education system is decentralised and primarily based on a fundamental confidence that the given framework and opportunities are implemented locally by the individual educational institution to create the best quality for pupils and students.

The Government's primary task is to set targets and establish a framework for this work. This is also reflected in the main points of the strategy for internationalisation that the Government is putting forward. This strategy includes:

• The international dimension of the content of education and training programmes

• Mobility of pupils, students and teachers

• Use of IT as an internationalisation tool

• Opportunities for institutions to cooperate and compete internationally

• Danish involvement in international cooperation forums for education – including international comparisons of education systems

• Follow-up and assessment.

• See the full paper: Policy Paper.

The Bologna Process

The Bologna Declaration is the official name of a written commitment to cooperate that the European ministers for higher education started in 1999. Now 40 countries are taking part in the cooperation.

The overall goal of the Bologna Process is that Europe will become one large higher education area, where students can freely move across borders pursuing their educational objectives.

For more information about the Bologna Process, see the official Bologna website. For information about the Danish participation in the Bologna Process, please refer to the website of the National Bologna Follow Up Group.

The Copenhagen Process

Ministers of Education from 31 countries launched the Copenhagen Process in 2002 during the Danish Presidency by signing the Copenhagen Declaration.

The overall aim is to enhance cooperation in vocational education and training, and the declaration contains four elements:

• The European Dimension

• Transparency

• Recognition of qualifications and competencies

• Quality assurance.

• Read the full text of the Copenhagen Declaration.

Mutual recognition of qualifications

Denmark takes an active part in international cooperation in order to promote mutual recognition of academic and professional qualifications, see:

• International Cooperation on recognition