What happened at ESU's last board meeting (and why it matters to UK SUs)

The European Students’ Union (ESU) recently held its 89th Board Meeting in Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina, bringing together student reps from across Europe to address the big issues facing higher education.

For UK SUs navigating an increasingly complex set of issues, the discussions and decisions at the meeting offer useful insights into European-wide challenges and innovative policy approaches.

ESU’s policy frameworks offer UK SUs helpful resources for policy development. The organisation’s approach to issues like disability inclusion, academic freedom, and student support services provides tested frameworks that UK unions can adapt to their contexts.

The focus on “social dimension” policies – ensuring higher education serves all social groups – offers particular relevance as UK SUs grapple with access, affordability, and inclusion challenges.

ESU’s emphasis on international solidarity illustrate how student movements can provide mutual support across borders. UK SUs might consider how to participate in or support such international advocacy efforts.

ESU’s approach to framing student issues within broader democratic and human rights contexts also offer strategic insights for UK advocacy. It positions student rights as fundamental democratic principles rather than narrow sectoral interests, and demonstrates how to build broader public support for student causes.

The meeting’s emphasis on defending democratic values in education is especially important as higher education institutions worldwide face political pressures. ESU’s framework for institutional resistance to political interference, combined with its systematic approach to student rights advocacy, offers resources for SUs operating in any political context.

Understanding ESU

Founded in 1982 in Stockholm as the West European Student Information Bureau (WESIB), ESU has evolved into Europe’s most significant student organisation.

These days it’s the umbrella organisation representing 44 member national student organisations across Europe, collectively advocating for over 20 million students.

Following the fall of the Berlin Wall, the organisation expanded beyond Western Europe to encompass the majority of European student organisations, reflecting the continent’s political transformation and the growing importance of cross-border educational cooperation.

ESU’s mandate extends beyond traditional lobbying. While education policy remains formally a “national competence” under the Lisbon Treaty – meaning the EU cannot directly legislate on member states’ education systems – European cooperation significantly influences higher education through programmes like Erasmus+ (which in theory the UK has agreed in principle to re-join) and processes such as Bologna.

ESU is the primary representative of student interests in these European negotiations, monitoring and promoting student rights within this complex multi-level governance structure.

Its work spans critical areas including student mobility, quality assurance, social dimension policies, and fundamental rights. As European higher education policy continues to develop – exemplified by recent member state decisions on introducing a European degree and moving toward common quality assurance systems – ESU’s role in ensuring student voices are heard becomes increasingly vital.

Board meetings

ESU’s Board Meetings are the organisation’s highest decision-making body, functioning as council meetings where member organisations gather to determine ESU’s positions, statements, and strategic direction.

These biannual gatherings serve multiple purposes – they establish official policy positions on emerging issues, approve business plans and leadership elections, and provide a forum for sharing experiences and best practices across different national contexts.

The 89th Board Meeting’s location in Banja Luka was symbolic. As the capital of Republika Srpska in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the city represents the challenges and opportunities facing European higher education expansion.

Bosnia and Herzegovina, while an EU candidate country, already participates actively in European educational initiatives, including Erasmus+ and Bologna Process working groups.

Four Bosnian universities participate in the European Universities Initiative, demonstrating how European educational cooperation extends beyond formal EU membership.

The meeting’s theme of “Western Balkan Accession” highlighted ongoing processes toward EU membership for several regional countries, emphasising how educational cooperation often precedes and facilitates broader political integration.

Key decisions

Elections

Next year the European Students’ Union will be led by Lana Par, Arno Schrooyen, and Daciana Pop, whose blend of policy experience, diplomatic skill, and grassroots advocacy could reshape Europe’s student voice.

Lana Par has five years of work on quality assurance and sustainable funding under her belt – and was previously ESU vice-president. Arno Schrooyen brings a service mindset that prizes affordability, accessibility, and academic freedom. Daciana Pop has been informed by cultural diplomacy studies and housing-rights activism. Lana and Arno have been kind enough to help with the organisation of previous study tours.

Strengthening disability rights

One of the meeting’s most comprehensive outputs was a detailed statement on the rights and inclusion of disabled students. This reflects growing European awareness that only 30.9 per cent of learners with disabilities successfully access higher education – a bleak indicator of persistent structural barriers.

For UK SUs, this work offers helpful benchmarking opportunities. The statement addresses critical issues including access to mobility programmes, infrastructure accessibility, and support services. Particularly relevant is ESU’s push for the European Disability Card to be recognised by higher education institutions, potentially simplifying support access for disabled students studying abroad.

The statement also emphasises “early-stage interventions” to remove barriers from an early age and calls for more diverse admission methods beyond grade averages and standardised testing. These approaches could inform UK discussions about widening participation and inclusive admission practices.

Vocational education and training

ESU’s comprehensive statement on Vocational Education and Training (VET) addresses a big gap in European education policy. ESU advocates for stronger integration between higher education and vocational training, particularly through improved credit transfer systems and cross-mobility opportunities.

This focus on VET reflects broader European recognition that 40 per cent of required skills by 2030 will be at higher education or professional levels. For UK SUs, ESU’s call to enable seamless credit transfer between vocational and academic sectors offers insights into potential educational cooperation models.

The statement also addresses practical challenges facing VET students, including hidden costs, housing during relocations for work placements, and gender disparities across different vocational sectors. These issues mirror challenges facing UK students in vocational and technical education.

Defending academic freedom and rising authoritarianism

Arguably most urgently, ESU passed a resolution on “Resisting the Far-Right Assault on Higher Education,” directly addressing growing threats to academic freedom across Europe.

The resolution identifies concerning trends including:

Austria’s far-right Freedom Party proposing withdrawal from the Bologna Process and abolition of mandatory student union membership
Germany’s AfD attempting to interfere with university autonomy and calling for elimination of certain academic disciplines
Romania’s restrictions on student transport benefits without consultation
Sweden’s proposals to cut funding for diversity and inclusion initiatives

For UK SUs, the developments offer warnings about potential trajectories under populist governments. ESU’s call for higher education institutions to “recognise their own responsibility in the fight against the far-right” and create “places free of extremist actors” provides a framework for institutional resistance to political interference.

Student mobility

Several resolutions addressed barriers to student mobility, particularly financial constraints. ESU called for Erasmus+ budget increases, better support for disabled students, and improved recognition of qualifications across borders. ESU specifically criticised Romania’s elimination of transport discounts for students, highlighting the impact on educational access.

UK SUs might find ESU’s mobility advocacy relevant for post-Brexit discussions about international educational cooperation and exchange programmes.

Emerging challenges: from housing to digital rights

The meeting addressed numerous contemporary challenges facing students across Europe. Resolutions covered student housing safety standards following a devastating fire in Ljubljana, conversion therapy bans, and protection of Hungarian minorities facing discrimination.

ESU also tackled digital education issues, stressing that accessibility must be built into digitalisation efforts rather than retrofitted. The approach offers guidance for UK institutions implementing digital learning technologies.