The missions and work of universities in Europe and elsewhere are underpinned by a number of fundamental values. EUA as an Association strongly believes in and works towards upholding these.
The Association’s activities include monitoring and promoting institutional autonomy as a core principle of university governance and advocating academic freedom as the single most important basis for meaningful academic research and teaching. EUA has a strong track record in standing up for freedom of expression and the protection of higher education and its communities from intimidation and attack.
In addition, the Association supports universities in nurturing a culture of openness, tolerance and dialogue by promoting diversity among students and staff, integrating refugees into their communities and acting as models of healthy democratic communities. EUA also encourages its members to fulfil their civic role by contributing to social and political debates, addressing societal challenges and contributing to sustainable development. EUA also focuses on the responsible and proper conduct of scientific work, as upholding research integrity and ethics is key to strengthening universities’ credibility and consolidating their role in society.
EUA works together with its members and a variety of partners, including Scholars at Risk, the Magna Charta Observatory and the International Association of Universities (IAU), to ensure that these values are respected and guide universities’ activities.
EUA, All European Academies (ALLEA) and Science Europe have issued a joint statement on the urgent need to back commitments to academic freedom and university autonomy with solid actions.
EUA expresses solidarity with universities and scholars where academic freedom is under pressure, especially in Turkey where there are reports of retaliation against academics who have expressed their views on military action in south-eastern Turkey. EUA stands up for university values and calls on all governments, universities and scholars, as well as all higher education stakeholders to remain committed to the internationally recognised principles of academic freedom and to work towards constructive dialogue.
EUA partner Scholars at Risk (SAR) released the report Free to Think 2019 analysing 324 attacks on higher education communities in 56 countries between 1 September 2018 and 31 August 2019. The report draws on data from SAR’s Academic Freedom Monitoring Project to identify trends related to...
view moreEUA is gravely concerned by reports of academics still being held in prison for having signed the Academics for Peace petition “We Will not be a Party to this Crime”, which addressed the situation in south eastern Turkey. On 26 July 2019, the General Assembly of the Turkish Constitutional Court...
view moreThe Erasmus+ Refugee Education Initiatives (REIs) consortium has launched a call for papers for a workshop on “Exploring European Experiences in Providing Higher Education for Refugees and Asylum Seekers”, taking place at Central European University, Budapest, on 19-20 March 2020. Papers from...
view moreThe European Commission’s agency for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs (DG GROW), together with the Executive Agency for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (EASME) invite experts, stakeholders and interested partners to complete their second online survey in the context of the...
view moreThe UNESCO King Hamad Bin Isa Al-Khalifa Prize for the use of ICT in Education recognises innovative approaches in leveraging new technologies to expand educational and lifelong learning opportunities. This year’s deadline for applications is 31 October, while the award ceremony will be held in...
view moreThe consortium of the EPFIME project on “Enhancing a thought-out Policy and Framework on Inclusive Mobility across Europe” has launched the Inclusive Mobility Surveys and invites higher education institutions, students with disabilities and ministries to respond until 30 November...
view moreEvery two years, the European Youth Event gathers young people from all over the EU and beyond to shape and share ideas on the future of Europe. Students from all disciplines and backgrounds are encouraged to register and participate in a variety of activities and artistic performances while...
view moreOn 2 July 2019, the Hungarian Parliament passed a law giving the government more control over scientific research bodies. The bill, if ratified by the country’s president, will place the 15 research bodies in the Hungarian Academy of Sciences in a newly established state research network...
view moreOn 21 May, the renowned Turkish Scholar Ayşe Gül Altınay was sentenced to two years and one month in prison for “aiding a terrorist organisation as a non-member”. She is accused of being one of the more than 2 000 signatories of the 10 January 2016 declaration “We Will...
view moreEUA, All European Academies (ALLEA) and Science Europe have issued a joint statement on the urgent need to back commitments to academic freedom and university autonomy with solid actions. The three partners, representing a vast section of Europe’s research and higher education system,...
view moreEUA is gravely concerned by recent reports that a court of appeals in Turkey has upheld prison sentences for academics who signed the 2016 Academics for Peace petition “We Will not be a Party to this Crime”, which addressed the situation in south eastern Turkey. In late February,...
view moreAhead of the European elections in May, EUA is engaging in a discussion with groups in the European Parliament with a view to preparing the ground for future collaboration. In an open letter to the leaders of the political groups in the Parliament, EUA President Rolf Tarrach invites them to...
view moreALLEA (ALL European Academies), the European Federation of Academies of Sciences and Humanities, published a statement on 15 February calling on the Hungarian government to cease its infringements on the institutional autonomy and academic freedom of the Hungarian Academy, a long-standing member...
view moreOn 28 November, EUA Secretary General Lesley Wilson participated in a roundtable discussion on the theme “Ideas are not Crimes: Defending Academic Freedom & Protecting Scholars”, hosted by MEP Wajid Khan from the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (S&D) in the...
view moreThe European University Association (EUA) is gravely concerned about the arbitrary and unjust imprisonment in Iran of Princeton University graduate student Xiyue Wang, now in its third year. The United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention concluded that Iran had no legal basis for his...
view moreThe European University Association (EUA) is dismayed by the latest developments in Hungary involving attacks on university autonomy and academic freedom. On 25 October 2018, the Central European University (CEU), a long-standing EUA member, announced that it will move a large part of its...
view moreScholars at Risk, together with the Academic Refuge project partners, have created a free massive open online course (MOOC) on why academic freedom matters. The course begins 29 October on FutureLearn. Scholars and students around the world ask questions; questions about the environment;...
view moreOn 12 September 2018, the European Parliament invoked Article 7, triggering a procedure to determine if Viktor Orbán’s government in Hungary has systematically breached the EU’s core values. Notably, this is only the second time the Article has been invoked in EU history, and...
view moreThe Hungarian government has announced plans to eliminate gender studies from the country’s list of accredited university study programmes. The Board of the European University Association (EUA) calls on the Hungarian Ministry for Human Resources to cancel its plans as gender studies are a...
view moreIn the context of an intensifying revolt against Nicaragua’s president Daniel Ortega, the European University Association (EUA) is particularly troubled by assaults launched by security forces on the campus of the National Autonomous University of Nicaragua (UNAN) in Managua. Two students are...
view moreEUA has expressed its concerns several times regarding the measures taken in Turkey since the attempted coup in July 2016 and continues to monitor the evolution of the political situation and its impact on the higher education sector. On Sunday 8 July, two weeks after the re-election of...
view moreThe European University Association (EUA) strongly condemns the recent intimidation of academics in the Hungarian media. The pro-government magazine Figyelo listed the names of more than 200 people, calling them “mercenaries” of George Soros, a Hungarian-American...
view moreEUA is asking its many members to speak out in the case of Dr. Ahmadreza Djalali, a scholar of disaster medicine who is facing execution in Iran. Iran’s Supreme Court recently confirmed Dr. Djalali’s death sentence, stripped him of his right to an appeal and rejected a recent request to review his...
view moreEUA Members and partners are invited to voice their support and to provide feedback on a draft advocacy proposal to the EU to establish a specific grant under the Erasmus+ programme for support of the placement of scholars and students with international protection status at European higher...
view moreThe support for student engagement in volunteering, civic, cultural, associative and solidarity...
read moreThe Global Convention on Recognition will provide a strong instrument for higher education...
read moreUniversity autonomy and academic freedom should be more than topics of proclamation and...
read moreJón Atli Benediktsson, Rector of the University of Iceland, reflects on the future and why...
read moreUniversities are based on and guided by values. It is vital that each institution declares them as...
read moreHow can universities use the renewed attention to values to their advantage? A key step is to move...
read moreTo remain world leaders in research and innovation, Europe’s universities need more supportive...
read moreAcademic freedom is the latest of the many victims on Hungary’s path towards an illiberal state,...
read moreThe Hungarian government’s clampdown on gender studies and research into migration sets a...
read moreEUA organised a focus group for university practitioners across Europe to discuss how to articulate and implement strategies for public engagement on 19...
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