Quality Assurance in Higher Education – Memorandum of Understanding between ASHE and AKVO signed in Zagreb, Croatia, 01-05 September 2025
From September 1–5, 2025, the Agency for Quality of Higher Education (AKVO) of North Macedonia carried out a study visit to the Agency for Science and Higher Education (ASHE/AZVO) of Croatia in Zagreb. The visit was organized by the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC), and supported by the Education Reform Initiative of South Eastern Europe (ERI SEE).
The main goals of the visit were:
- Capacity building for sustained quality assurance development,
- Strengthening ESG implementation and compliance with legal/regulatory frameworks,
- Preparing for the upcoming ENQA review process.
Throughout the week, the delegation engaged in thematic sessions covering:
- ASHE/AZVO’s internal quality assurance (ESG, national standards and guidelines),
- Comparative legislative frameworks in Croatia and North Macedonia,
- ENQA and EQAR processes,
- Development of AKVO’s Action Plan,
- Regional cooperation opportunities supported by RCC and ERI SEE.
A highlight of the visit was the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the two agencies, formalizing their commitment to closer cooperation. The MoU was signed by Professor Hristina Serafimovska, the Director of AKVO, and Professor Danijela Horvatek Tomić, the Director of ASHE/AZVO.
As a concrete outcome, the ASHE, RCC and ERI SEE agreed to prepare a document of recommendations to support AKVO in enhancing its quality culture and ESG implementation, ensuring strengthened institutional readiness for the forthcoming ENQA review.
The visit demonstrated the value of regional peer learning and underlined the importance of cooperation between quality assurance agencies in the Western Balkans and the EU.
