GA shifted to online format in stead of Cyprus location

EQAR members convened online in the afternoon of 10 March, for their 26th General Assembly (GA), organised, as is customary, in conjunction with the Bologna Follow-Up Group (BFUG) meeting.

The BFUG meeting and thus the GA, were moved to an online format just days before the planned BFUG meeting because of regional developments in the wider area. The Cyprus Presidency of the Council of the European Union took the decision “to hold all meetings scheduled to take place in Cyprus during March online”, underlining that although “the situation within Cyprus remained stable and secure, the potential for rapid regional developments meant that they could not rule out sudden travel disruptions.”

Yiannis Kasoulides of the Cyprus Ministry of Education, Sport and Youth welcomed everyone to the GA and expressed his regret at not being able to host everyone in person. He was nevertheless pleased that the General Assembly could still take place and continue its important work. He pointed out that “quality assurance continued to play a crucial role in strengthening trust, transparency, and recognition across higher education systems and that the work of EQAR was central to advancing these shared goals”.

EQAR President Stéphane Lauwick thanked Yiannis Kasoulides and the hosting team in Cyprus for all their hard work, coordination and collaboration with the EQAR Secretariat in organising the EQAR GA. He added that both the Secretariat and himself were deeply sorry not to be able to experience their hospitality in person and that he hoped for other opportunities to experience that in the near future.

The General Assembly adopted the agenda, the minutes, the accounts 2025, the budget 2027 and the Workplan 2026-2027. Members also discharged the Board and took note of the Annual Report, the Progress Report on the Work Plan 2025/26 and the updates.

> Check out the Annual Report 2025 (including the accounts)

Bjørn Stensaker was elected President of EQAR for a three-year mandate. He will succeed Stéphane Lauwick, who will finish his term at the end of June.

> Read the full news-item

The GA confirmed the founding members’ representatives on the Board for the years 2026-2028:

• Anna Gover (ENQA) – re-elected
• Jakub Grodecki (EURASHE) – re-elected
• Maria Kelo (EUA) – re-elected
• Lana Par (ESU) – re-elected

According to the agreed bi-annual rotation, the Board will assume the following functions as per 11 March 2026, with Stéphane Lauwick as President (until the end of his mandate at the end of June, after which Bjørn Stensaker will preside):

• Jakub Grodecki – Vice-President
• Anna Gover – Treasurer

The thematic session was dedicated to EQAR’s self-evaluation. It consisted of a presentation on the context, methodology and preliminary outcomes of the (governmental) surveys, followed by an input collection workshop.