From 21 to 23 October 2026, the General Assembly of the European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (ENQA) took place in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain. The Independent Agency for Quality Assurance in Education (IQAA) participated in the event.
Organised jointly with the Canary Agency for Quality Assessment and Accreditation (ACCUEE), the event brought together representatives of higher education quality assurance agencies, international organisations and the expert community.
One of the key topics at the General Assembly was the review of the Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area (ESG) and the presentation of the final draft of the revised ESG 2027.
The revision of the ESG aims to align European standards with current trends in higher education and quality assurance practice. The revised version places particular emphasis on cross-border quality assurance; digitalisation and the use of artificial intelligence; student-centred learning; academic values; and the transparency and independence of external evaluation procedures.
The ESG 2027 draft is scheduled to be considered at a meeting of the Bologna Follow-Up Group (BFUG) in November 2026. The revised standards are planned for formal adoption at the Ministerial Conference of the European Higher Education Area in May 2027.
Alongside the ESG discussions, participants considered international cooperation, quality assurance in transnational education, the revision of the European Approach for Quality Assurance of Joint Programmes, sustainable development, and strategic communications for accreditation agencies.
The event also included elections for ENQA’s leadership. Péter Levente Lakatos, a representative of the Hungarian Accreditation Committee (MAB), was elected as the Association’s new President.
IQAA’s participation in the ENQA General Assembly provided an opportunity to learn about current developments in the European quality assurance system for higher education, discuss the prospects for applying the revised ESG, and exchange experience with international colleagues.
