7th Meeting of the RCC – ERI SEE Joint Working Group on Recognition of Academic Qualifications held in Tirana, 4th – 5th February 2020

The Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) and ERI SEE Joint Working Group on Recognition of Academic Qualifications met again on the occasion of the Seminar on Quality Assurance Systems in the Western Balkans (WB) held on 4th and 5th February 2020.

The purpose of the meeting was to support the alignment of the WB Quality Assurance Systems with the European Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance, as a corner-stone of building trust and quality of higher education, which is necessary to ensure smooth recognition of academic qualifications across the region.

The Seminar provided an opportunity for the participants to hear the latest developments and trends in Quality Assurance at regional level. Furthermore, to address the needs of the Western Balkans, it provided an opportunity for understanding the challenges in translating the ESGs into national contexts, as well as the challenges in evaluating compliance with ESGs with the assistance of an experienced, international evaluator. Ample space was provided for discussions to fully understand the members’ concerns and feedback.

Participants were also presented the developments regarding the Joint Information System aiming to facilitate communication and information exchange regarding recognition and accreditation processes, and further steps were agreed.