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This article drau's on the preparatory research. discussions and conclusions of a conference on1 Regional Cooperation and Mobility in Higher Education jointly organized in September 1997 in Iceland by the Council of Europe and the Nordic Council of Ministers. Regional cooperation is defined as cooperation between sub-national regions" (either across a common border or longer distance). or between such regions " and/or countries located within a relatively small geographical area of Europe. The article introduces a number of very, diverse cooperation schemes fitting these definitions. It examines the nature and purpose of inter-regional cooperation in higher education, its relationship with other types of international cooperation in higher education and its role within overall inter-regional cooperation. Kei determinants of the future development of inter-regional cooperation in higher education are identified and scenarios and recommendations for the future proposed. The article demonstrates that regional cooperation is a complement to, and in no

This article provides an overview of the profiling of higher education programmes in Europe as part of the overall process of higher education reform in Europe over the past decade (2000-2012) and of the role of Tuning in this process. The article starts with a recall of the architecture and objectives of the change process, based on the interplay between the intergovernmental Bologna process (with a main focus on structural change), the European Union’s parallel Agenda for the Modernisation of Higher Education (with a focus on policy change for the Union’s main objectives: growth and jobs, mobility, recognition and attractiveness) and Tuning. The second part of the article provides some data about and examples of the method and importance of Tuning in stimulating and shaping the renovation of higher education programmes, with a focus on Tuning’s initial geographical area (Europe) and a glimpse to other continents, in line with Europe’s need to build up the visibility and attractiveness of its universities in the rest of the world. The final section is a retrospective and analytical reflection about the impact of Tuning on some key dimensions of the agenda for the modernisation of higher education in Europe; while acknowledging that the Tuning method and principles have not always been fully understood by higher education as well as governmental institutions, Tuning has made an outstanding contribution to such key aspects as the relevance, comparability and quality of programmes, the development of quality assurance and accreditation policies and agencies and the recognition of qualifications — both within Europe and with partner countries in other parts of the world.

This article tries to outline how and to what extent academic exchanges sponsored by national governments and agencies fit within the changing context of international academic mobility. The issue will be viewed mainly from the perspective of Europe; some aspects concern the whole of Europe, while others refer more specifically to those countries which are, or will soon be, members of the European Union. The main thrust of this paper is to underline the growing tension between nationally based educational systems, including national exchange agencies, and the growing awareness of the need for a more compatible and understandable higher education system in Europe, both for internal reasons and in order to strengthen European competitiveness in world markets. The picture of European exchange agencies outlined below is based mainly on data provided in ACA's publication Profile of the ACA Member Organisations1 and on information taken from their own Web sites. Observations about the changing role of national agencies in the internationalisation process are also based on the case studies and conclusions in the book National Policies for the Internationalisation of Higher Education in Europe, published by the Swedish National Agency for Higher Education.2

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