AIKA Participates in the ENQA General Assembly to Strengthen Cooperation in European Higher Education Quality Assurance

From 21 to 23 October, the 2026 General Assembly of the European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (ENQA) took place in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain. AIKA was represented by its Head, Jolanta Silka.

The theme of this year’s General Assembly was “Collaborate. Learn. Innovate.” The main topics included cooperation between higher education institutions and quality assurance agencies, quality assurance in cross-border education, and collaboration in policy development and practical implementation.

Discussions on cooperation between quality assurance agencies and higher education institutions explored the interplay between internal and external quality assurance and the balance between accountability for quality and its enhancement, while safeguarding the independence of external evaluation and the autonomy of higher education institutions. The session on cross-border quality assurance presented the findings of a mapping exercise conducted within the ENQA project ROQA-TNA, based on a survey of ministries and quality assurance agencies across the European Higher Education Area (EHEA).

An important part of the General Assembly was the presentation of the final revised version of the Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area (ESG), as well as the priorities for the next phase of the Bologna Process. These developments are also relevant to the further development of Latvia’s higher education quality assurance system and the introduction of the new approach to institutional accreditation. One of the parallel sessions focused on the status and latest developments in the revision of the European Approach for Quality Assurance of Joint Programmes.

During the General Assembly, new ENQA leadership was also elected. Péter Levente Lakatos of the Hungarian Accreditation Committee (MAB) was elected President of ENQA, while Kristin Vinje of Norway and Patrick Van den Bosch of Belgium will continue to serve as Vice-Presidents. AIKA’s Head, Jolanta Silka, was confirmed as a member of the ENQA Appeals Committee, which examines complaints concerning the activities of ENQA and its members.

Participation in the ENQA General Assembly provided AIKA with an opportunity to follow discussions at the European level, strengthen professional contacts and gain insights that can contribute to the further development of Latvia’s higher education quality assurance system.

AIKA’s participation in the General Assembly was funded through the ESF+ project No. 4.2.2.6/1/25/I/001, “Implementation of Cyclical Institutional Accreditation in Higher Education.” International experience and cooperation are particularly important as Latvia prepares to transition to cyclical institutional accreditation, which aims to foster a quality culture and purposeful development within higher education institutions and to establish an accreditation approach that is consistent, proportionate and focused on the sustainable enhancement of higher education quality.