The Council of Ministers, on January 30, adopted without debate a recommendation on the recognition of quality assurance in higher education. This is the outcome of a long process of deliberation between the Council, the Commission and the Parliament.

Back in the Berlin 2003 Conference of the Bologna process, ministers had agreed to commit themselves to the development of quality assurance at an institutional, national and European level. However it wasn't until this month that the recommendation was approved. In particular, it says that member states should encourage the creation of a "European register of quality assurance agencies" and give the freedom for higher education institutions to choose one agency from a list of all the agencies registered in the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) instead of being limited to its national agencies. The report from the Commission to the Parliament and Council, on which this recommendation is based, will be published soon.