Composition (Members)

The Founding Members and the Social Partner Members constitute the group of Non-governmental Members.

The Founding Members are the E4 Group (ENQA, ESU, EUA, EURASHE) which founded EQAR following the mandate given by  European Ministers of Education.

The consultative members of the Bologna Follow-Up Group (BFUG) that represent the interests of employers or employees can become Social Partner Members. These are currently BUSINESSEUROPE and Education International.

All signatory countries of the Bologna Process can become Governmental Member of EQAR.

At present, there are four permanent observers at the GA: the European Commission, the Bologna Secretariat, the Council of Europe and UNESCO-CEPES. They do not have voting rights.

25 May 2017: 13th EQAR General Assembly in Gozo

13 March 2013: 7th General Assembly in Dublin

EQAR's two strategic goals relate to "International Trust and Recognition of Registered QAA's" and "Enhanced Transparency and Information Provision".

(Strategic Plan for the year 2013-2017) 

The EQAR Annual Report 2012 (print version) was presented at the General Assembly, including a Report by the Register Committee.

The General Assembly warmly welcomed representatives of EQAR's newest governmental members, Kazakhstan and the Czech Republic.

Following the approval of the Register Committee by the previous General Assembly, one member position had become vacant after the resignation of Gertie De Fraeye. ESU’s nomination to the Register Committee, Andrea Blättler, was approved by the General Assembly for the remaining mandate of the Register Committee’s until 30 June 2014.

As of 1 April 2013, the Executive Board will assume the following functions, according to the agreed annual rotation:

• Maria Kelo (ENQA)  - President
• Lesley Wilson (EUA) - Vice-President
• Stefan Delplace (EURASHE) - Vice-President
• Allan Päll (ESU) - Treasurer

17 January & 20 March 2012: 6th General Assembly, Copenhagen

EQAR members agreed on two strategic priorities for EQAR's work and as a basis for EQAR's future strategic plan:

• Promoting, through the Register, international trust and recognition of quality assurance agencies
• Increasing transparency and ensuring that information provided by EQAR is meaningful

Read the External Evaluation Report (August 2011)
Read the Self-Evaluation Report (March 2011)

On 20 March 2012, EQAR members convened for the second part of the General Assembly.

The General Assembly elected a new Executive Board for a two-year mandate. The following candidates were elected and will assume the following functions as of 1 April 2012, according to the agreed annual rotation:

• Lesley Wilson (EUA) - President
• Maria Kelo (ENQA) - Vice-President
• Allan Päll (ESU) - Vice-President
• Stefan Delplace (EURASHE) - Treasurer

The General Assembly also approved the nominations to the Register Committee for a two-year mandate. The current Register Committee’s mandate ends by 30 June 2012. ESU nominated one new member, Anca Prisacariu and will nominate a second new member later this year. All other Register Committee members were re-nominated.

Following the election of the Appeals Committee by the previous General Assembly, one deputy member position remained vacant. The General Assembly elected Gemma Rauret Dalmau for this position. Her mandate will end at the GA in 2015, together with the remaining Appeals Committee.

The Vice-Chair of the Register Committee reported on the Register Committees's work since the last General Assembly. The Report of the Register Committee will be integrated into the Annual Report 2011, which will be published before the Bucharest Ministerial Conference on 26/27 April 2012.

Representatives of Turkey, who joined EQAR as Governmental Member right before the General Assembly, as well as Croatia, Latvia and Montenegro, who had signed up for governmental membership already last year, were warmly welcomed at their first General Assembly.

18 March 2011: 5th General Assembly, Hungary

The Vice-Chair of the Register Committee provided an update on the Committee’s work since the last General Assembly and presented the Register Committee’s summary report, published in October 2010.

Helka Kekäläinen (ENQA) was elected to the Executive Board as replacement member for Emmi Helle, who had resigned from her position on the Executive Board. The President of the EB thanked Emmi Helle for her contribution and work in EQAR.

As of 1 April 2011, the Executive Board will assume the following functions, according to the agreed annual rotation:

• Andrea Blättler - President
• Andreas Orphanides - Vice-President
• Lesley Wilson - Vice-President
• Helka Kekäläinen - Treasurer

Croatia, Montenegro and Turkey were present at the GA as observers and announced that their governments were considering Governmental Membership of EQAR.

19 February 2010: 4th General Assembly, Madrid

The following candidates have been nominated and elected: Andrea Blättler (nominated by ESU) Emmi Helle (re-nominated by ENQA) Andreas Orphanides (re-nominated by EURASHE) Lesly Wilson (re-nominated by EUA). 

Apart from the election of the Executive Board, a new Chair of the Register Committee as well as two new Register Committee members were approved by the General Assembly. Their two-year mandate will start on 1 July 2010. The new Chair, Kjell Frønsdal - Judge of the Gulating Court of Appeal in Bergen, Norway - was by-elected by the Register Committee on 6 January 2010 after the current Chair, Mr. Justice Bryan McMahon had indicated he was not available for a second mandate. The two new Register Committee members are Gertie de Fraeye and Mindaugas Misiunas.

Another important milestone was the approval of the Initial Plans for the External Evaluation of EQAR. Initial discussions on this subject had already started in September 2009 at the third General Assembly.

29 September 2009: 3rd General Assembly, Stockholm

He expressed that the RC was pleased with the keen interest shown at the last GA for its work. While emphasising the utmost importance of transparency and accountability, he recalled two other important principles, namely confidentiality granted to applicants and the independence of the Register Committee. He explained that the Register Committee worked on the basis of the European Standards and Guidelines (ESG) as well as the Procedures for Applications, which were adopted in consultation with the GA. The Committee was committed to ensure that all applications are considered fairly and the available evidence is weighed carefully and rigorously.

Colin Tück, acting director of EQAR, presented the Interim Report on the Plan of Work summarising the goals and activities concerned with the management of the register, as well as the communication and external relations.

The General Assembly discussed the initial plans for the External Evaluation of EQAR. As foreseen by the London Communiqué (2007) and endorsed in the Leuven/Louvain-La-Neuve Communiqué (2009), EQAR should be evaluated externally after two years of operation.

Due to the resignation of Eric Froment from the Register Committee, the General Assembly approved the nomination of Julio Pedrosa as replacement for the remainder of the Register Committee’s mandate.

The European Commission presented the key points of their progress report on Quality Assurance and invited everyone, including other stakeholders, to consult the report and reflect on the ideas presented.

25 March 2009: 2nd General Assembly, Praha

Representatives of Slovenia, which has joined EQAR as Governmental Member right before the General Assembly, and Ireland, which had signed up for governmental membership already last summer, were warmly welcomed at their first General Assembly.

The General Assembly discussed EQAR's first annual report. The report, covering EQAR's activities in 2008 from its founding to the inclusion of the first agencies on the register, will be published when Europe's ministers of higher education meet in April to take stock of progress in the Bologna Process.

Following the end of her mandate in the European Students' Union (ESU) last year, Anne Mikkola, who had served as Vice-President of the Executive Board since EQAR's founding, had resigned from her post to allow a new representative of ESU to take over. The General Assembly by-elected Bruno Carapinha, a member of the ESU Executive Committee.

Bruno will also take over as President of the Executive Board from 1 April 2009, following an agreement to rotate functions annually amongst the representatives of EQAR's four Founding Members. The General Assembly thanked Anne for her work and wished Bruno a successful mandate. Lesley Wilson, who has been its President since March 2008, will continue to serve on the Board as the Treasurer. Emmi Helle and Andreas Orphanides will serve as Vice-Presidents for the coming year.

25 June 2008: First EQAR General Assembly, Sarajevo

4 March 2008: EQAR Founding Assembly, Brussels

Apart from the four Founding Members, two Social Partner Members (BUSINESSEUROPE, Education International) and 19 Governmental Members joined the EQAR Association on 4 March and participated in the Founding Assembly.

The Founding Assembly elected an Appeals Committee, approved the nominations to the Register Committee and endorsed the Executive Board appointed by the founders. A preliminary budget for 2008 and a membership fee scale were approved.