General Information & 
Current EHEA Secretariat

General Information

The Bologna Secretariat (currently known as the EHEA Secretariat) was established following the Berlin Ministerial Conference, with its role and functions agreed at the BFUG Meeting in Rome in November 2003. For the last ten years, the Terms of Reference for the Bologna Secretariat had been adopted at the first BFUG of each working period. 

The primary function of the EHEA Secretariat is to provide neutral support to the work of the EHEA and its further consolidation. It carries out its activity in close communication with the BFUG and under its authority. The Secretariat supports the BFUG, its Board and working structures, and the organisation of the Ministerial Conference. It acts independently of the countries hosting it, acting exclusively under the mandate given by the BFUG.

Current EHEA Secretariat

Moldova and Romania host the current EHEA Secretariat from July 2024 to June 2027. The Secretariat's headquarters are at the Romanian Executive Agency for Higher Education, Research and Innovation Funding in Bucharest. The main tasks of the Bologna Follow-Up Group Secretariat are:

• to assist the BFUG, its Board, and working structures in implementing the 2024-2027 Work Programme and in the follow-up work, including planning activities and following up on the BFUG decisions;

• to provide administrative and operational support for the BFUG, its Board and working structures, including planning meetings, preparing background papers and minute- taking;

• to revise and maintain the European Higher Education Area website and to maintain archives up-to-date and accessible;

• to administer the European Higher Education Area social media accounts and its newsletter, in coordination with the Co-chairs and the Vice-chair;

• to act as an external and internal contact point for the European Higher Education Area;

• to support the organisation of the Ministerial Conference and Bologna Policy Forum in Iași and Chișinău in 2027 by ensuring logistical preparations and supporting the preparation of the background documents, under the supervision of the BFUG and in close cooperation with the Vice-chair;

• to provide representation at external events, upon request of the organisers and in consultation with the BFUG Co-chairs;

• to support the interaction and liaison with the European Education Area (EEA) and the European Research Area (ERA) and promote the Work Programme of EHEA to organisations and third parties;

• to prepare and provide appropriate information and dissemination materials about the EHEA for the European and international higher education community and stakeholders, and for the general public;

• to carry out any special tasks concerning the implementation of the Work Programme of the European Higher Education Area as mandated by the BFUG or the BFUG Co-chairs, within the scope of these ToRs.

Other documents of the EHEA Secretariat

Guidelines for minuting and formatting documents General rules regarding secondments at the EHEA Secretariat