Norway and Europe
Norway has long traditions in cooperating with other European countries in the field of education. The extent and intensity of cooperation has increased concurrently with the European integration process through the EU.
In 1999, the ministers of education of 29 European countries signed the Bologna Declaration, which aimed to establish a European higher education area by 2010. The process that followed the Declaration is known as the Bologna Process.
One of the main targets in the Europe 2020 strategy, the EU's strategy for improved competitiveness, is to strengthen the educational sector and to remove obstacles to the mobility of researchers, teachers, pupils, students and apprentices.
The Council of Europe is the oldest of the European cooperation organisations. The organisation was founded by 10 countries, including Norway, in 1949 and its key aims are promoting democracy, the constitutional state and respect for human rights.
The Nordic Council of Ministers is the forum for Nordic governmental cooperation.