Higher education as soft power in the Eastern Partnership: the case of Belarus

The use of higher education (HE) as ‘soft power’ has a long history in Europe.

In the contemporary policy framework, the European Union (EU) has utilised

the transformative power of HE in the Eastern Partnership (EaP) via initiatives

such as Erasmus Mundus, Marie Curie and Tempus to create active teaching

and research partnerships with non-member states; and by doing so, it reiterates

the EU’s commitment to the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) and the

Bologna Process. Although laudable, these polices have had a limited effect in

Belarus which has remained a laggard in its engagement with EHEA. Belarus

remains a non-signatory to the Bologna Process, has limited introduction of the

Bologna structure and has only partially engaged in the European Credit

Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS). Student mobility from Belarus

within the EHEA is poor and non-governmental HE initiatives, such as the

European Humanities University (EHU), have succumbed to internal politics

resulting in the formation of a ‘university in exile’. This paper explores how

effective EU HE policies have been in Belarus and offers examples of initiatives

with the potential to develop HE as a transformative power in the country.