15 years after Bologna. Development, current situation and challenges of the European Higher Education Area

Abstract

This article offers an analysis, starting from a review of international literature, of the background, de-velopment, key elements and current situation of the European Higher Education Area (ehea) that was launched in 1999, with a specific emphasis on the situation of Spain. To do so, the author deals with itsevolution, the social features of its development such as heterogeneity, the democratization of universitystudies, the massive influx of students or the new needs that the society of knowledge has to meet. The author also carries out an in-depth study of the commodification processes that university has been fa-cing during the last decades. Finally, the article offers some reflections about the changing process and the final meaning of the ehea and of university in general.