The Council for Higher Education said Tuesday that Israel is expected to take part in the Bologna Declaration, which would allow Israeli students to complete their university degrees at European institutions.

Under the initiative, European universities will recognize students' transcripts from Israeli universities. Currently, universities recognize Israeli students' earlier course records only on a partial and conditional basis.

The Education Ministry will submit a formal request to participate in the program by the end of January, and the request is expected to be approved by the end of May.

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According to the General Secretary of the Council for Higher Education Steven Stav, the Bologna initiative will give students and lecturers from Israel greater mobility and marketability within the European market.

"Participation in the Bologna Declaration will require Israeli institutions to adjust to European higher learning criteria, and will allow them to receive a variety of European students who wish to study in Israel," Stav said.

The goal of the initiative, which so far includes students from 45 countries, is to promote the European higher education system and to integrate European institutions in a coordinated fashion under universal standards of quality.

The program will include a standardization of degree requirements, uniform criteria for the awarding of course credits, and universal quality standards for teachers, courses, and study programs.

The Bologna Declaration was started by the Education Ministers of 30 European countries in 1999 and will come to a close in 2010.