The Rector of the University of Andorra, Juli Minoves, has been elected President of the Western Europe Regional Conference of Rectors of the Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie (AUF), succeeding the Rector of Paris Dauphine-PSL University, Bruno Bouchard. The election took place on Tuesday 22 September 2026 during a virtual meeting of rectors from across Europe, attended by senior representatives from universities including Paris-Sorbonne, Paris Nanterre, Sciences Po Paris, Geneva, Louvain, Luxembourg and Barcelona, among others. Minoves will serve as President for the next two years.

The Western Europe Regional Conference of Rectors is a forum for exchange and consultation that brings together the rectors of AUF member institutions in the region. The C2R-EO promotes debate, reflection and action on university governance and the main challenges facing higher education, while fostering the development of partnerships and networks between institutions. It currently brings together Francophone universities and universities committed to multilingualism from ten European countries: Germany, Andorra, Belgium, Spain, France, Greece, Italy, Luxembourg, Portugal and Switzerland.

The Rector of the UdA had previously served as Vice-President of the Conference of Rectors and represented it on the Board of Directors of the International Academy of Scientific Francophonie. The C2R-EO will establish thematic committees to be proposed by the new President, who will also act as a liaison with European institutions. Led by Professor Olfa Zéribi, the C2R-EO secretariat is based in Brussels, and most meetings of the Conference of Rectors are held online.

Meanwhile, AUF Rector Slim Khalbous will deliver the inaugural lecture of the academic year at the UdA on 6 October at the Centre Cultural Lauredià.

Publication date: 22 September 2026