A New Stage in the Harmonization of Veterinary Education in Belarus
with the European Standards
From 1 to 5 October 2019, within the framework of the European Commission – BRIDGE project, the authorities of the Academy and the representative of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food of the Republic of Belarus paid an official visit to the headquarters of the European Association of Veterinary Education Establishments(EAEVE) and the University of Veterinary Medicine in Vienna (Vetmeduni Vienna), Austria.
In the office of the European Association, our delegation had a meeting with the administration, where they discussed the standards and legislation of the European Union on veterinary education, including the fundamental EU Directive 2005/36 of the European Parliament and the Council of Europe “Recognition of Professional Qualifications”, the possibilities for the Vitebsk State Academy to join the organization were discussed as well as the stages of preparation for the international accreditation to follow.
The EAEVE is the official accrediting body of veterinary education institutions in the EU and other countries wishing to comply with the European standards. On may 30, 2019, the General Assembly of the Association adopted a new procedure for the assessment and accreditation of veterinary education establishments for a compliance with the European requirements. The guidelines for the international assessment and accreditation of veterinary education institutions have recently been translated into Russian and are being under our consideration for further action.
All faculties of veterinary medicine in the EU are members of the EAEVE and are accredited by it. And what is more, in recent years, the universities of non-EU countries started actively apply for the membership in the Association and undergo accreditation.
Also, the representatives of the Academy visited the University of Veterinary Medicine in Vienna to get acquainted with the practical implementation of the European standards in veterinary medicine, as well as to discuss further projects on cooperation between universities. The program included a meeting with the Rector and Vice-rectors of the Vienna University, familiarization with the work of departments, clinics and the University farm.
As a result of the visit, an agreement was reached to start the procedure of accession of the VSAVM to EAEVE. Work has begun with the University of Vienna on drafting a cooperation agreement, which will provide for the exchange of graduate students and teachers, scientific cooperation and participation in the Erasmus+project. Besides, EE VSAVM was invited to join the Eurasian-Pacific University network (Eurasia-Pacific UNINET) to participate in the inter-University research projects.
Read more about the visit to Vienna in the new issue of the newspaper “Bulletin of the Academy of Veterinary Medicine”.
