Following the signing of EQAR's statutes by the representatives of the E4 Group, the members of the new association held a Founding Assembly in the Royal Academy of Science and Arts (Brussels, Belgium).

Apart from the four Founding Members, two Social Partner Members (BUSINESSEUROPE, Education International) and 19 Governmental Members joined the EQAR Association on 4 March and participated in the Founding Assembly.

The Founding Assembly elected an Appeals Committee, approved the nominations to the Register Committee and endorsed the Executive Board appointed by the founders. A preliminary budget for 2008 and a membership fee scale were approved.

Founding of the European Quality Assurance Register (EQAR) on 4 March 2008

The European representative bodies of quality assurance agencies, students, universities and other higher education institutions, ENQA, ESU, EUA and EURASHE, have established the European Quality Assurance Register for Higher Education (EQAR) as a Belgian International Non-Profit Association (aisbl/ivzw) on 4 March 2008 in Brussels. The four organisations, also known as E4 Group, have been mandated by the Bologna ministers in London last May to set up a register of quality assurance agencies that operate in Europe and comply substantially with the European Quality Assurance Standards - May 2005.

In addition to the E4 Group, the social partners, BUSINESSEUROPE and Education International, as well as the Bologna governments and their intergovernmental bodies, Council of Europe and UNESCO-CEPES, can become members of the EQAR association and participate in its establishment and management. The establishment of EQAR aims at increasing mutual trust in quality assurance across Europe and at preventing dubious agencies, so-called "accreditation mills", from gaining credibility.

To be included in the Register, quality assurance agencies are required to undergo an external review by independent experts and submit their external review report to EQAR. A Register Committee, comprising 11 independent quality assurance experts, will decide upon applications. It is anticipated that agencies will be able to apply for inclusion from summer 2008. Further information can be found in the EQAR information document Presentation of the European Quality Assurance Register - EQAR.