Category: News

On Tuesday, November 5, the Archbishop of Urgell, Monsignor Joan-Enric Vives, concluded his pastoral visit to the Andorran parishes at the headquarters of the European University, accompanied by Mn. Pepe Chisvert, Episcopal Delegate for Education and Rector of Sant Julià de Lòria, who is also Vice-Chancellor of eUniv. The prelate thus completed a pastoral program that is regularly organized every seven years, which also includes various educational institutions of the Principality.

This visit marked the Episcopal Co-Prince’s first visit to eUniv, where he was welcomed by the Rector, Dr. Antoni Noguero, accompanied by the Academic Protonotary and the University Manager, and in commemoration of the event, he was awarded the University’s Medal of Honor. During the meeting, the Co-Prince had the opportunity to tour the university campus, learn about the institutional and academic development of the University, and share perspectives with other members of the university community on various issues affecting education and the country.

Dr. Llum Torrents, coordinator and professor of the Bachelor’s in Catalan Language, has published the following article in Diari d’Andorra:

The Principality of Andorra is the only state where Catalan holds official status: the Andorran Constitution declares in Article 2 that its official language is Catalan; Article 3 of the Cooperation Agreement between the European Community and the Principality of Andorra, from 2005, recognizes the Catalan language and provides for its protection, appreciation, and promotion; the Language Law 6/2024, in effect since this year 2024, grants Catalan the status of the native and official language and establishes that the Catalan language is a fundamental element of Andorra’s identity, personality, and cultural heritage. Despite this favorable status, the Principality of Andorra finds itself in a multilingual environment, where Catalan interacts with Spanish, French, and Portuguese.

According to the report Immigration in Andorra 2023, prepared by the Andorran Research + Innovation Sociology Group, the population originating from Spain represented, in 2022, more than 20% of Andorra’s total population, while 38.8% were Andorran-born citizens. Regarding the salaried population, workers from Spain made up the largest group in 2022, and this year also saw an increase in workers from Spanish-speaking Latin American countries. The primary economic sectors involved in this multilingual context were commerce, hospitality, business services, and the sector of personal services and social activities. In this regard, the Study on Knowledge and Language Use among the Andorran Population of 2022 notes that “there is a strong presence of both Catalan and Spanish in Andorran society,” used interchangeably or exclusively, with Spanish being particularly prevalent in public service settings.

Due to geographic proximity, demographic presence, and linguistic robustness, Spanish is a strong language in Andorra, despite the diversity of languages present in the territory. Studies show that inequalities in language use can occur when citizens choose to use one language over another for convenience (using one’s native language if the interlocutor understands) or to expedite communication (if the interlocutor speaks another language that we know); in these cases, a language becomes useful if I can use it without issues in most circumstances and contexts. On the other hand, the choice to use one language or another can also be due to factors such as language loyalty, the desire to integrate into the community, or legal requirements. Speakers may continue using their native language or make an effort to use another if they believe one option offers sufficient benefits in terms of communication, social recognition, or if there is a sense of commitment.

The Official and Native Language Law defines language within the framework of linguistic rights; it includes the rights of people with hearing disabilities and deafness, establishes a legal requirement for a minimum knowledge of the language, mandates the use of the language in communications with the public, and enforces the use of Catalan by the public administration. This law also structures civil society’s involvement through entities such as the Language and Training Coordination Board and the National Language Council and includes a system of sanctions concerning Catalan language use.

Why do I think this approach is so important? Essentially, because one of the key factors that can determine the survival of a language is its usefulness to speakers. On the one hand, a language fully exists when it is used in communication; on the other, a language is a living, evolving entity because it adapts to societal changes and responds to the balance and relationships among different languages present in the same context.

Why is Catalan so important to the European University of Andorra? For our institution, language holds individual and collective significance; it is the result of our history, part of our shared memory, and cultural heritage. In the university context, language is a vehicle for specialized knowledge and enhances our understanding of the world, social progress, community cohesion, and reflects our contribution to a necessarily diverse, respectful, and inclusive world.

The Ateneu Barcelonès organized the round table “One Language, the Same Cause” on Thursday, October 24, to address the critical situation of Catalan across Catalan-speaking territories from diverse and cross-sectional perspectives. Senator of the European University (eUniv), Maria Cucurull, participated on behalf of Andorra and Cultura Activa, alongside Xavier Antich, president of Òmnium Cultural; Anna Oliver, from Acció Cultural del País Valencià; Antoni Llabrés, president of Obra Cultural Balear; and Guillem Dalmau, president of Òmnium Cultural Catalunya Nord.

During the session, moderated by Lluïsa Jordà, vice-president of Ateneu Barcelonès, it was shown that, while there are particularities in the situation of Catalan in each territory, certain underlying currents are shared. Cucurull highlighted the importance of an educational model that supports knowledge and use of Catalan, as well as the need for public institutions to allocate resources to promote the language. In this regard, the new law on Catalan as an official and native language was noted as a tool to reverse the situation of Catalan in Andorra, while it was emphasized that without resources to ensure its implementation, the law will not have the desired effect.

The discussion emphasized that there are “reasons for hope” in each Catalan-speaking territory. These include a powerful critical mass of Catalan speakers willing to promote and use Catalan, a recent ecosystem of Catalan influencers on social media who can serve as role models for young people, and initiatives like Escoltes del País Valencià, which promote the use of Catalan in recreational spaces.

The event concluded with a musical performance by Borja Penalba, who performed musical adaptations of several poems by Catalan-speaking authors.

During this month of October, the Ministry of Science, Innovation, and Universities of the Government of Spain has begun issuing declarations of equivalence to the Spanish university Degree for the bachelor’s degrees from eUniv issued by the Government of Andorra.

The applications were submitted in August 2023, and the first positive resolutions correspond to the bachelor’s degree in Law. According to Article 2.c) of Royal Decree 880/1022, dated October 18, the declaration of equivalence is the official recognition of the education completed to obtain a non-Spanish university degree and its equivalence to one of the three academic levels of the Spanish university system, in this case, the Degree level.

Furthermore, Article 5.2 states that the declaration of equivalence will have, throughout Spanish territory and from the date of its granting, the academic and administrative effects corresponding to the university level to which the equivalence is declared.

Graduates of eUniv bachelor’s degrees already had the academic right to access master’s programs in any member state of the European Higher Education Area, so this declaration of equivalence is an extension of their rights to the professional field.

General Health Psychology is one of the 34 regulated professions in Spain, and in order to practice it there, it is necessary to obtain the corresponding official Spanish Master’s degree.

Starting from the 2024-25 academic year, graduates in Psychology from non-Spanish universities who wish to access this professional master’s program will no longer need to apply for prior ministerial recognition of their degree: the new Spanish regulations only require that the foreign curriculum includes a minimum of 90 mandatory ECTS credits related to Health Psychology in order to access the master’s program.

The eUniv Bachelor’s degree in Psychology allocates 105 of its 180 mandatory ECTS credits to Health Psychology subjects, allowing its graduates to pursue this professional training in Spain if they so wish.

Last Sunday, October 20th, at the Tibetan Bridge in Canillo, the first of 7 plaques was placed, which, following the Tamarro route, will be installed in the 7 parishes of the country as part of the “Andorra País de Pau” project. Together with UNESCO Andorra, the project aims to contribute Andorra’s vision to promote peace in the world.

Thus, within the setting of the Tibetan Bridge, the first point of the Andorra Peace Route was marked, uniting Eastern and Western philosophy with a dialogue between Mossèn Ramon of Canillo and Lama Wangchen (representative of the Dalai Lama in Europe).

The stakeholders of the Andorra País de Pau project are Andorra Tourism, the Ministry of Culture, the Communes, and UNESCO Andorra.

Representatives from eUniv attended the event, supporting the “Andorra País de Pau” project and the objectives of the event’s organizers.

With the integration of eUniv into the European Network of Academic Integrity (ENAI), the university has been able to take part in the fourth edition of the PhD Summer School organized in Konstanz (Germany) by the ENAI, from September 16 to 20.

eUniv’s commitment to staying updated and connected in matters of academic quality and integrity is clear, and as a result of these sessions, measures and policies followed by universities across Europe and other parts of the world have been observed, with the presence of institutions such as Coventry University (UK), the University of Maribor (Slovenia), or Kwantlen Polytechnic University (Canada), among many others.

During this week, the latest trends in a wide variety of areas related to academic integrity were discussed. From addressing plagiarism to implementing policies and guidelines at an international level, which led to particularly enriching debates. The various presentations by doctors and specialists in academic integrity followed a format of presentation and debate aimed at developing solutions and improvements in the field, with the following standing out in particular:

• Mladen Borovic (University of Maribor, Slovenia): Technical challenges and solutions for achieving academic integrity values in generative AI, which addressed the implications of AI and highlighted promising solutions such as the use of watermarking and its legal integration by the European Union in 2026.

• Ece Zehir Topkaya (İzmir Democracy University, Turkey), Özgür Çelik (Balıkesir University, Turkey) & Durmuş Özbaşı (Canakkale Onsekiz Mart University, Turkey): What makes a well-developed academic integrity policy?, a session where various policies developed by leading universities around the world in terms of academic integrity were compared and analyzed.

• Irene Glendinning (Coventry University, UK): Academic publishing, peer review and misconduct in research and publishing, which highlighted the challenges faced by scientific journals and the solutions derived for detecting and reporting fraudulent elements in this field.

In January 2025, the first forum on the use of artificial intelligence as a learning tool in higher education will be held, organized by the Alma Mater University Institute (IUAM) of eUniv. In line with its goal of promoting research on the university institution from all social science disciplines, IUAM aims to address the debate on the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) in education and how it is rapidly changing the learning landscape.

AI enhances various aspects of university life beyond teaching, such as administrative tasks, faculty support, research, data analysis, and student services. AI offers numerous possibilities to enrich teaching and learning experiences through personalized tutoring and intelligent content creation. This transformation is driven by technological advancements, increased accessibility to AI tools, and the recognition of AI’s educational benefits. However, the integration of AI into university classrooms has sparked significant debate. While AI presents exciting opportunities for educational improvement, it also raises concerns and ethical challenges.

In this regard, all information about the forum can be found on the IUAM website. In any case, the forum, which will take place in a hybrid format, will be structured around five different presentations:

• AI and student learning outcomes
• AI and teaching practices
• Ethical considerations
• Future trends and challenges
• Case studies and best practices

All submissions must be sent via email to submissions.researchforum2024@euniv.eu before November 30, 2024.