On September 11th of 2025, the European Parliament adopted the report: ‘A new vision for the European Universities' by the MEP Laurence Farreng (FR, Renew).
The European Universities Alliances is an ambitious project that aims to enhance the European Education Area by creating networks of universities to improve the quality of education, mobility, innovation & research, and opportunities for students and staff members. The initial aim of setting up 20 alliances exceeded expectations. By 2025, 65 alliances were created, encompassing more than 570 Higher Education Institutions and more than 2200 external partners. ESN welcomes the adopted resolution, underlining the importance of a strategic view for the universities' alliances, encouraging innovation and cooperation for the long-term of these initiatives.
The document, which acknowledges among others Draghi’s report on European Competitiveness, Letta’s report on the future of the Single Market, Manuel Heitor’s report on the interim evaluation of Horizon Europe and the European Competitiveness Compass, was approved by the majority of voters, with 76% in favour (461 votes), 16% against (100 votes), and 8% abstentions (48 votes).
Despite the alignment of the report to the importance of increasing Erasmus+ funding, student representation, inclusivity and transnational cooperation, ESN would like to emphasise that synergies with the National development plan, Horizon Europe and FP10 do not represent a stable funding source for alliances, limiting their long-term planning and impact. Concerns about competition for limited Erasmus+ funding for the next programme highlight the urgent need for a robust, dedicated funding strategy to enable the alliances to achieve their ambitious mobility goals without compromising the wider Erasmus+ programme. Funding calls should also incorporate contributions from national, regional, local and private sources to ensure real and sustainable success, encompassing quality, excellence and inclusion, provided that academic freedom and institutional autonomy are guaranteed.
Aligned with the Union of Skills, the alliances should continue promoting flexible learning pathways for students, innovative teaching methods, through the cooperation between universities and companies, by the further use of micro-credentials and Lifelong Learning to enhance students' opportunities and connections with the labour market. Furthermore, ESN also expresses concern about the lack of explicit research and innovation pillars within the alliances under the current framework, which undermines the full potential for cooperation between higher education institutions.
ESN emphasises the need for meaningful student engagement and collaboration with student organisations in planning and conducting outreach strategies, advocating for student representatives to have voting power in the highest decision-making bodies and influence on alliance decisions, with the valuable recognition of the students’ perspective for the future of the university alliances. This is why the ESN recognises the importance of FOREU4ALL in providing spaces to exchange knowledge and good practices through the Student-Led Community, in which students have an active role within the European Universities.
Overall, ESN views the “New Vision for the European Universities” as a highly promising report. Incorporating it into the new Multiannual Financial Framework directly reflects the added value of this initiative and the need for a more inclusive and robust strategy for European universities. However, there are continuous challenges that will shape the future of this initiative and need to be considered, particularly unpredictable funding, administrative barriers and meaningful student participation. Adopting a holistic approach would enable the European Universities to consolidate their role as the key actors in fostering mobility, innovative teaching and learning, student engagement, and European competitiveness within the European Education Area.
Article written by ESN with the support of the Chairs of the Student-Led Community of FOREU4ALL.
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