The Bologna Process was initiated in June 1999, with the signing of the Bologna Declaration by 29 European states (today, 47 states). The Declaration stated the commitment to achieve a European Higher Education Area as a key way to promote citizens' mobility and employability, as well as Europe's overall development. From its inception, as well as today, the Process involves EU Member States, as well as non-EU states. Although the Bologna Process is not an EU initiative, it is nevertheless promoted by the EU inside and outside Europe as well as supported financially by EU institutions (e.g. through EACEA programs). This paper aims to answer the question: why does the EU support the dissemination of the Bologna Process outside Europe, although it is not an EU process?
The paper examines the interests of the EU in the external dimension of the Bologna Process. The paper claims that the EU uses the external dimension of the Bologna Process to strengthen certain elements in its own internal and external policy. The paper reveals the manner in which the EU uses the external dimension of the Bologna Process to enrich and strengthen its non-military modes of power, such as soft power, civilian and normative power, shedding light on the connection between the Bologna Process' external dimension and the foreign relations of the EU.
Using the Othering theory, the paper further demonstrates how the external image of the EU, affected by these non- military modes of power, is translated into self-image, and thus, shapes and affects the creation of a European identity for the citizens of the EU.
