Vilnius, Lithuania, 26 June. The President of EMUNI, Joseph Mifsud, attended the International Conference organised by the International Association of Universities, in Mykolas Romeris University in Vilnius, Lithuania, a key member of EMUNI, between the 24 and 26 June.  The conference was entitled Ethics and Values in Higher Education in the era of globalization:what role for the disciplines?  The conference was opened by HE Ms. Dalia Grybauskaite, President of Lithuania.   The Keynote speech was given by Mr. Gintaras Steponavicius, Minister of Education and Science of Lithuania.

President Mifsud gave a presentation on EMUNI-Intercultural Dialogue in the Union for the Mediterranean, a higher education experience.

The theme that was developed during this session focused on the UfM, and how EMUNI, as one of the six foundation pillars of the UfM is developing its mission statement through a number of targeted activities, involving north.south, south-north and south-south cooperation in higher education and research.  A reflective exercise was attempate to focus also on the current proposed actions for EMUNI within the higher education field and the tuning process that is being suggested to define quality assurance and just-in-time graduate education for students coming from the member states of the UfM.  The reflections specifically focused on the Graduate programmes being developed, the higher education observatory envisaged and the policy instruments that are being developed with the support of experts co-financed by the service contract with the EU. In the discussion that followed the presentation, EMUNI was highlighted as an innovative example of the ‘discourse of praxis', a transborder university without walls.

During his stay in Vilnius, President Mifsud met with a number of partner institutions of EMUNI, from Cyprus, Lebanon, Italy, France, UK, Hungary, Spain, Arab Universities, the Council of Europe, Turkey, and Algeria.  A meeting with the Prof. Alvydas Pumputis, Rector of Mykolas Romeris University of Vilnius was held to prepare an agenda for future collaboration of Lithuanian institutions in EMUNI.  Prof. Pumputis espressed the wish of organising an EMUNI event in Vilnius, and in future Exchange of students from the south, discussion will continue with meetings to be held in Slovenia and later this year, in Ankara.  Prof. Mifsud also held extensive talks with Mr. Rimas Varkulevicius, Chairman of the Council of Kykolas Romeris (Chair of the Federation of Industry of Lithuania) on management structures inside Universities and on just in time education.