Re-examined proposal for a Council recommendation concerning European cooperation in quality assurance in higher education
Date: 1998-07-02
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: European cooperation, common position, education, higher education, teaching curriculum

COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES 

Brussels, 02.07.1998 
COM(1998) 405  final 

97/0121(SYN) 

Re-examined proposal for a 

COUNCIL  RECOMMENDATION 

concerning European cooperation in quality assurance 
in higher education 

(presented by the Commission pursuant to Article  189 c (d) 
of the EC Treaty) 

EXPLANATORY  STATEMENT 

1.  On  28 May  1998  the  European  Parliament  proposed  at  its  second  reading  an 
amendment  to  the  Council's  common  position  on  the  Council  recommendation  on 
European  cooperation  in quality  assurance  in higher education1. In accordance  with 
Article  189 C(d) of the EC Treaty, the Commission must re-examine its proposal on 
the  basis  of which  the  Council  established  its common  position,  in the  light  of the 
amendment proposed by the Parliament. 

2.  The  amendment  concerns the following  change to  Part  I,  section  A,  second  indent, 

of the common position: 

"to  encourage  and  help  higher  education  institutions  to  use  appropriate  measures, 
particularly  quality  assurance, as a means of  improving  the quality  of teaching  and 
learning, as well as training in research, another important aspect of their task". 

3.  At the first  reading, the Parliament had adopted an amendment which referred  to the 
introduction  of  evaluation  systems  in  research  in  general.  The  Commission  had 
rejected  this  amendment  because  the  legal  basis  of  the  recommendation  (Articles 
126 and  127 of the Treaty) does not cover research. 

- 

4.  However,  the  amendment  submitted  at  the  second  reading  refers  to  training  in 
research,  an  important  aspect  of  the  vocation  of  higher  education  institutions  and 
often  intimately bound up with general education. The inclusion of this reference  is 
a  useful  clarification  and  the  Commission  accordingly  accepts  the  amendment 
proposed by the Parliament. 

Adopted 26 February  1998; not yet published. 

Commission's  original  proposal:  COM(97)  159  final;  Commission's  modified  proposal:  COM(97) 
707 final. 

2-

RE-EXAMINED  PROPOSAL 

The amendment  adopted  by the  Parliament  and  accepted  by  the  Commission  includes  a 
change  to  the  text  of  Part  I,  section  A  of  the  Recommendation  which  thus  reads  as 
follows (the change is underlined): 

"A. 

to  support  and,  where  necessary,  establish  transparent  quality  assurance  systems 
with the following aims: 

- 

- 

- 

to  safeguard  the  quality  of  higher  education  within  the  specific  economic, 
social  and  cultural  context  of  their  countries  while  taking  due  account  of  the 
European dimension and of a rapidly changing world; 

to  encourage  and  help  higher  education  institutions  to  use  appropriate 
measures, particularly  quality  assurance,  as  a means  of  improving  the  quality 
of  teaching  and  learning,  as  well  as  training  in  research,  another  important 
aspect of their task: 

to stimulate mutual exchanges of information  on quality  and quality  assurance 
evaluated  at  Community  and  world  level  and  to  encourage  cooperation 
between higher education institutions in this area;". 

ISSN 0254-1475 

COM(98) 405 final 

DOCUMENTS 

EN 

16  04  10  06 

Catalogue  number  :  CB-CO-98-416-EN-C 

ISBN  92-78-37503-9 

Office  for Official  Publications of the European Communities 

L-2985 Luxembourg 

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