From 24 to 25 March 2026, ESN took part in the XI edition of the Aula Mediterrània Interdisciplinary Research Seminar, held at the Institut d’Estudis Catalans in Barcelona and organised by the European Institute of the Mediterranean (IEMed), with the support of the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM).
Our Liaison Officer for Africa and the Middle East, Emna Memmi, participated in the first round table titled: “From Mobility to Mutuality. Rethinking Academic Exchange in the Mediterranean”, alongside Pablo Pareja (Deputy Vice-Rector to the Rector, Universitat Pompeu Fabra) and Céline Pascual (Vice-President for Sustainable Development, Aix-Marseille Université), in a session chaired by João Lobo, Project Analyst at the UfM Higher Education and Research Division. The round table explored the challenges and opportunities of academic mobility in the Euro-Mediterranean region and reflected on how to build a more integrated Mediterranean Higher Education Area, with more balanced mobility flows between the northern and southern shores.
The panel offered a valuable opportunity to showcase ESN’s work in the Mediterranean, particularly our joint initiatives with Mediterranean Universities Union (UNIMED): such as the Mediterranean Student Summit, an annual event where students from both shores of the Mediterranean gather for three days in a Mediterranean city to discuss key regional challenges and co‑draft recommendations that are later shared with universities and local stakeholders. ESN also brought in perspectives from its recent policy paper reacting to the New Pact for the Mediterranean, emphasising our intention to be an active partner and intermediary in the design of youth councils and Mediterranean university alliances under the Pact’s “People” pillar. In addition, we presented recent ESNsurvey findings, underlining the potential of short‑term mobility and online or blended exchanges as entry points for European students who are still hesitant to choose a mobility experience in the Southern Mediterranean.
During the discussion, ESN highlighted the persistent asymmetry between South–North and North–South mobility flows and stressed the need for European universities to more actively promote Southern Mediterranean institutions as hubs of knowledge, innovation and intercultural dialogue. We advocated for deeper cooperation on joint research initiatives and co‑supervision of PhD projects, as well as for policies that prevent mobility from becoming a one‑directional and unequal process that contributes to brain drain from Southern countries. Throughout the event, ESN brought a student‑centred perspective to the debate, showcasing the work we do on the ground, hand in hand with universities and decision‑makers, to translate the internationalisation of higher education into concrete benefits at local level.
The seminar also featured a rich two‑day programme that brought together leading institutions and high‑level representatives from across the Euro‑Mediterranean region. The opening session included welcoming remarks by Teresa Cabré, President of the Institut d’Estudis Catalans, and Senén Florensa, Executive President of IEMed, followed by an inaugural address by Petra Kezman, Deputy Secretary General for Human Development at the Union for the Mediterranean, and Agustí Fernández de Losada, Secretary of European, Multilateral and Development Cooperation Affairs of the Government of Catalonia. Their interventions underlined the strategic importance of higher education, mobility and research for Euro‑Mediterranean cooperation.
Beyond the round table on mobility, the programme addressed the broader “Challenges of academic exchange and training in the Euro‑Mediterranean region” through a second round table on “The Strategic Role of Education in Euro‑Mediterranean Studies”, bringing together university leaders and experts to reflect on how to train a new generation of professionals and researchers with a Mediterranean perspective. The seminar continued with the Aula Mediterrània Best Master’s Dissertation Award ceremony and an open mic session where master’s students presented their research, reaffirming the seminar’s commitment to supporting young researchers.
On the second day, several thematic parallel sessions explored key issues such as transitional justice in the Levant and North Africa, governance of diversity in Mediterranean cities, anti‑migrant narratives, structural racism, women’s voices, diasporas and religious minorities, and the geopolitical role of the Suez Canal, offering an interdisciplinary reflection on the Mediterranean in the emerging global order.
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