EUA meets with Commission Executive Vice-President Roxana Mînzatu

To this end, EUA President Josep M. Garrell and Deputy Secretary General Monika Steinel met with Roxana Mînzatu, Executive Vice-President for Social Rights and Skills, Quality Jobs and Preparedness of the European Commission, and several members of her cabinet on 7 January.

Following Commissioner Mînzatu’s confirmation in her new role at the end of 2024, this initial meeting provided an invaluable opportunity to discuss several topics of key importance to Europe and its universities. These include the role of higher education and skills in bolstering Europe’s competitiveness, through elements such as lifelong learning and micro-credentials. Moreover, EUA’s representatives presented the Association’s perspectives on the continuing development of EU programmes that foster transnational university cooperation, not least the Erasmus+ programme and the European Universities Initiative, which will remain a high priority in 2025 and into the coming years.

The European University Association is the voice of Europe’s universities, representing over 900 members across the continent, including 35 national rectors’ conferences. As such, EUA looks forward to continuing its long-standing constructive dialogue with the European Commission and strategically engaging with its new leadership throughout the 2024-2029 mandate.

Indeed, this meeting roughly marked one year since the publication of ‘A renewed social contract for Europe and its universities’, EUA’s key messages for the 2024-2029 mandate of the EU institutions. Following elections to the European Parliament and the appointment of a new College of European Commissioners, this paper’s input on how universities and policy makers can work together to shape a strong, open and future-proof Europe remain highly relevant and will continue to inform EUA’s work in Brussels and further afield.