NEAA participated in the ENQA General Assembly and the meeting of the BFUG Thematic Peer Group C on Quality Assurance (TPG-C on QA) in Brussels, Belgium

From the 22nd to 24th of October 2025, a jubilee event and conference marking the 25th anniversary of the European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (ENQA) took place in Brussels, Belgium. During the conference, ENQA's annual General Assembly was also held. The events were hosted by the Flemish Council for Higher Education – Quality Assurance (VLUHR QA) and the Belgian Agency for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (AEQES).

The jubilee event was held on 22 October in Brussels City Hall. Guests were welcomed by Frederik Ceulemans, Deputy Mayor of Brussels, followed by presentations on Belgium's higher education quality assurance systems from Eva Jaroszewski, Director of AEQES, and Patrick van den Bosch, Head of VLUHR QA. A discussion then took place between former ENQA Presidents Christoph Grolimund and Patrick Walsh and former ENQA Vice-President Caty Duykaerts on "ENQA's journey and future directions". The event concluded with closing remarks by Douglas Blackstock, ENQA President from 2021 to 2025.

The conference and General Assembly on 23–24 October were held in the Flemish Parliament. Prof. Eliza Stefanova, President of the National Evaluation and Accreditation Agency (NEAA), took part in the CEO Breakfast - meeting of chief executives of ENQA member agencies - where it was noted that a group of experts (the European Policy Lab), nominated by the education ministries of the Member States, has been formed to discuss pathways towards a label (seal) for a Joint European Degree (Joint European Degree Label).

The conference was opened by Eva Jaroszewski, Patrick van den Bosch and Douglas Blackstock. Panel discussions and parallel sessions were held on subjects including the ESG and ENQA's work in a global context; the impact of quality assurance as a key commitment within the European Higher Education Area; ENQA's role in building a community of agencies that share expertise, foster innovation and support cooperation; the forthcoming update of the ESG; the use of artificial intelligence in the work of agencies and others.

During the General Assembly discussions and votes were held on on amendments to ENQA's statutes and rules of procedure, as well as the election of new members of its Board, the election of a new President and two new Vice-Presidents, and the adoption of ENQA's 2026–2030 strategy, the 2025 report, the 2026 work plan, and the organization's 2026 membership fees. Cristina Ghitulica, Director-General of the Romanian Agency for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (ARACIS), was elected President of ENQA. Prof. Stefanova took part in the discussions and votes as the representative of NEAA, which is a full member of ENQA.

The conference concluded with closing remarks by Susanne Conze, Head of the Higher Education Unit at the European Commission's Directorate-General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture, the hosts from VLUHR QA and AEQES, and Douglas Blackstock.

Images: NEAA

NEAA was also represented at the jubilee conference and General Assembly by Dyani Kurulenko, Senior Expert for International Cooperation at NEAA.

After the conference, Prof. Stefanova participated in a meeting of the Thematic Peer Group on Quality Assurance (TPG-C on QA) of the Bologna Follow-Up Group (BFUG).

The meeting presented the state of play in each country regarding quality assurance of flexible learning pathways (for entry into higher education, during higher education, and for transition to the labour market). In a dedicated small-group discussion, countries shared challenges and good practices from other agencies to address them.