Recommendation of the European Parliament and of the Council of  15 February 2006  on further European cooperation in quality assurance in higher education
Date: 2006-02-15
Institutions: Council of the European Union, European Parliament
Subjects: cooperation policy, education policy, higher education, teaching quality

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Official Journal of the European Union

4.3.2006

II

(Acts whose publication is not obligatory)

EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND COUNCIL

RECOMMENDATION OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL

of 15 February 2006

on further European cooperation in quality assurance in higher education

(2006/143/EC)

THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL OF THE
EUROPEAN UNION,

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European
Community, and in particular Articles 149(4) and 150(4)
thereof,

Having regard to the proposal from the Commission,

Having regard to the opinion of the European Economic and
Social Committee (1),

After consulting the Committee of the Regions,

Acting in accordance with the procedure laid down in
Article 251 of the Treaty (2),

Whereas:

(1) Although the implementation of Council Recommenda-
tion 98/561/ΕC of 24 September 1998 on European
cooperation in quality assurance in higher education (3)
has been a marked success as demonstrated in the report
of the Commission of 30 September 2004, there is still a
need to improve the performance of European higher

education, particularly as regards quality, in order for it
to become more transparent and trustworthy for
European citizens and for students and scholars from
other continents.

(2) Recommendation 98/561/EC called for support to and,
where necessary, the establishment of transparent quality
assurance systems. Almost all Member States have set up
national assurance systems and have initiated or enabled
the establishment of one or more quality assurance or
accreditation agencies.

(3) Recommendation 98/561/EC called for quality assurance
systems to be based on a series of essential features,
including evaluation of programmes or
institutions
through internal assessment, external review, and invol-
ving the participation of students, publication of results
and international participation. The results of quality
assurance assessments play a significant role in helping
higher education institutions to improve performance.

(4) The essential

features referred to in recital 3 have
generally been implemented in all quality assurance
systems and they have been affirmed by the European
Ministers of Education, in Berlin, in September 2003, in
the context of the Bologna Process, working towards the
realisation of a European Higher Education Area.

(5) The European Association for Quality Assurance in
Higher Education (ENQA) was established in 2000 and
has a growing membership of quality assurance or
accreditation agencies in all Member States.

(1) OJ C 255, 14.10.2005, p. 72.
(2) Opinion of the European Parliament of 13 October 2005 (not
yet published in the Official Journal) and Council Decision of
30 January 2006.
ΟJ L 270, 7.10.1998, p. 56.

(3)

(6)

In the context of
the Bologna Process, Ministers of
Education from 45 countries adopted the standards and
guidelines for quality assurance in the European Higher
Education Area, as proposed by ENQA, during their
meeting in Bergen on 19 and 20 May 2005 and as a

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follow-up to the meeting in Berlin in September 2003.
They also welcomed the principle of a European register
of quality assurance agencies based on national review
and asked that the practicalities of implementation be
further developed by ENQA,
in cooperation with the
European University Association (EUA), the European
Association for Institutions of Higher Education (EUR-
ASHE) and the National Unions of Students in Europe
(ESIB), with a report back to Ministers through the
Bologna Follow-up Group. They furthermore underlined
the importance of cooperation between nationally
recognised agencies with a view to enhancing the mutual
recognition of accreditation or quality assurance deci-
sions.

(7)

(8)

(9)

EU action supporting quality assurance should be
developed in coherence with activities carried out in
the context of the Bologna Process.

It is desirable to draw up a register of independent and
trustworthy quality assurance agencies operating in
Europe, be they regional or national, general or
specialised, public or private, to support transparency
in higher education and help the recognition of
qualifications and periods of study abroad.

In the context of the Lisbon Strategy, the European
Council
in Barcelona, in March 2002, expressed their
conclusion that European education and training systems
should become a ‘world quality reference’,

HEREBY RECOMMEND THAT MEMBER STATES:

1.

2.

encourage all higher education institutions active within
their territory to introduce or develop rigorous internal
in accordance with the
quality assurance systems,
standards and guidelines for quality assurance in the
European Higher Education Area adopted in Bergen in
the context of the Bologna Process;

encourage all quality assurance or accreditation agencies
active within their territory to be independent in their
assessments, to apply the features of quality assurance
laid down in Recommendation 98/561/EC and to apply
the common set of general standards and guidelines
adopted in Bergen,
for assessment purposes. These
standards should be further developed in cooperation
with representatives of the higher education sector. They
should be applied in such a way as to protect and
promote diversity and innovation;

3.

encourage representatives of national authorities,
the
higher education sector and quality assurance and

accreditation agencies, together with social partners, to
set up a ‘European Register of Quality Assurance
Agencies’ (European Register) based on national review,
that takes account of the principles set out in the Annex,
and to define the conditions for registration and the rules
for management of the register;

enable higher education institutions active within their
territory to choose among quality assurance or accred-
itation agencies in the European Register an agency
which meets their needs and profile, provided that this is
compatible with their national legislation or permitted
by their national authorities;

allow higher education institutions to work towards a
complementary assessment by another agency in the
European Register,
their
for
international reputation;

to enhance

example

promote cooperation between agencies in order to build
up mutual trust and the recognition of quality assurance
and accreditation assessments, thus contributing to the
recognition of qualifications for the purpose of study or
work in another country;

ensure public access to the assessments made by the
quality assurance or accreditation agencies listed in the
European Register,

4.

5.

6.

7.

INVITE THE COMMISSION:

1.

2.

its

support

in close cooperation with the Member
to continue,
States,
for cooperation between higher
education institutions, quality assurance and accredita-
tion agencies, competent authorities and other bodies
active in the field;

to present triennial reports to the European Parliament,
and Social
the European Economic
the Council,
Committee and the Committee of
the Regions on
progress in the development of quality assurance systems
in the various Member States and on cooperation
activities at European level,
including the progress
achieved with respect to the objectives referred to above.

Done at Strasbourg, 15 February 2006.

For the European Parliament

For the Council

The President

The President

J. BORRELL FONTELLES

H. WINKLER

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Official Journal of the European Union

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ANNEX

‘European Register of Quality Assurance Agencies’

The Register should provide a list of reliable agencies whose assessments Member States (and public authorities within
Member States) can trust. It should be founded on the following main principles.

1.

The list of agencies should be drawn up by representatives of national authorities, the higher education sector
(higher education institutions, students, teachers and researchers) and quality assurance and accreditation
agencies active in the Member States, together with social partners.

2.

Conditions for registration of agencies could include, inter alia:

(i)

a commitment to complete independence in reaching their judgement;

(ii)

recognition by at least the Member State within which they operate (or by public authorities within that
Member State);

(iii) operation on the basis of the common set of standards and guidelines referred to in recommendations 1

and 2 addressed to the Member State;

(iv)

regular external review by peers and other experts, including publication of the criteria, methodologies
and results of such review.

3.

In the event of an initial refusal of registration, re-evaluation is possible on the basis of improvements made.