Annual Report Final For Printing

Activity Report 2008

Welcome! ESU – The European Students’ Union - is the umbrella organisation of 47 national unions of students from 8 countries, and through these members represents over 11 million students. The aim of ESU is to represent and promote the educational, social, economic and cultural interests of students at a European level towards all relevant bodies and in particular the European Union, Bologna Follow-Up Group, Council of Europe and UNESCO. ESU is registered in Belgium as an international NGO, and was formerly known as ESIB – The National Unions of Students in Europe.

ESU’s mission is to ensure that the voices of Europe’s students are heard at the highest levels of European decision-making and in every arena related to higher education and student life.

ESU’s vision is of a European higher education system which embodies the principles of equity, quality and accessibility, where everyone, regardless of age, gender, disability, financial status or background is enabled to participate fully in quality higher education and complete a learning path tailored to their needs.

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Activity Report 2008

Inside... Welcome from the Chair.......................4

Making a mark ...............6 Let’s Go! Campaign......................................6 European Qualifications Framework............7 Lisbon and Students.....................................8 Pooling experts.............................................9 Making learning for life...............................10 Building a stronger student movement......11 Preparing for a world conference...............12 Ensuring quality in higher education..........13 Democratising the student movement.......14

All about ESU.................15 Our aims and structure..............................15 Looking ahead to 2009...............................19 Our members.............................................20 Who we work with.....................................24 Finances.....................................................26 ‘That was the year that was.......................28 The ESU team 2008-9.................................30

Activity Report 2008



Welcome to ESU’s Activity Report 2008 The ESU 2008 Activity Report provides a window into our work over the past year. It focuses on the main impacts that the efforts and persistence of ESU’s members and elected representatives have generated, and it brings to the public’s attention the key headlines; the headlines made by European students in 2008. You might say that the work of elected student representatives is one of continuously striving to improve students’ lives rather than a political battle for prestige and personal success. And it is true. But sometimes a glimpse of the achievements that brought European education policies closer to the biggest part of the academic community – the students themselves – is the perfect way to enhance the value of the long hours spent working behind the scenes.

Ligia Deca, ESU Chairperson 2008-2009



Activity Report 2008

2008 has been the year of mobility. Students now have a much better chance of being mobile in the 46 countries of the European Higher Education Area than before, because this issue has been continuously raised on the agenda by both national and European student representatives. The ESU “Let’s Go!” campaign has prompted national governments to respond to the demands of national student-teacher coalitions demanding their right to academically meaningful mobility. The result was seen in the Leuven Ministerial Conference of the Bologna Process – Europe has to ensure that 20% of its graduates are mobile by 2020. This was our goal. And it is now Europe’s. In its quest to represent students’ educational, cultural and social rights, ESU has also been focusing on empowering national student representatives to fight for more equitable higher education systems, through the “Lisbon and students” project aimed at making students a solid partner in the implementation of the Lisbon agenda. We have launched our Student Experts’ Pool as it is more and more self-evident that students should be regarded as partners in educational processes. We are thereby aiming to create a community of student experts, through continuous training and facilitation of interaction among all those involved in higher education on both the national and institutional level. ESU has also been a driver for the achievement of a stronger student movement. Firstly, we have vertically integrated our efforts for defending students’ rights through the joint ESU – OBESSU campaign called “Lights on the Rights!”. Secondly, we have been preparing for the first official meeting of regional student platforms, in cooperation with UNESCO and Education International. The meeting was aimed at creating a common global student voice towards the UNESCO World Conference on Higher Education, and to restart the global student dialogue, as a voice for social, educational and cultural progress. Student representation is a mission. We were allowed to fail, but not to fail in learning from our mistakes. We were allowed to be tired, but not allowed to give up. We were allowed to question, but not to lack faith in a better future. This year’s successes are owned by the 47 national unions of students democratically representing 11 million European students. It is their achievements that we are acknowledging with this report. May you enjoy the reading!

Ligia Deca ESUChairperson

Activity Report 2008 

Making a MARK: The Year in Headlines November 2008 saw the conclusion of the highly successful joint ESU and EI (Education International) project on mobility. Culminating in a validation conference, ‘Let’s Go! – Where to now?’, the project was a year-long campaign for greater student and staff mobility within higher education. With mobility a cornerstone of the European Higher Education Area, the project was a timely exploration of the current obstacles to mobility that exist across the continent, and an effective forum for exploring and defining solutions to ensure that they are tackled in the years ahead. Hosted under the banner of the French Presidency of the European Union, the validation conference was designated an official conference of the Bologna Process and included the participation of the European Commission, Council of Europe and UNESCO, recognition of the campaign’s role in putting mobility issues firmly at the top of the European education agenda. A key output of the campaign was the production of the Mobility Barometer, a unique piece of comprehensive research which includes all the 46 Bologna countries and directly points to the relative lack of progress on fostering mobility in the EHEA.

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Going places on student mobility

Our ‘Let’s Go’ Campaign led to the French Presidency of the EU adopting our 20% by 2020 mobility target in October 2008. Other key successes of the campaign were getting the French Government to adopt the campaign’s call for 20% mobile students by 2020, a target which was subsequently endorsed by both the European Commission and the 46 members of the European Higher Education Area. The final report from the Conference called for a broader coalition on mobility that led to the creation of the mobilty working group between ESU, EUA (European University Association) and EI (Education International).

Activity Report 2008

For 18 months until April 2008, ESU was at the helm of a major European Commission-funded project on the European Qualifications Framework (EQF). The EQF is an important European Union tool designed to transform higher education in Europe and to create greater transparency and comparability between different education systems, thus facilitating student and worker mobility across the EU. Implementation of the EQF at European level is entirely dependent on its delivery at the national level through National Qualifications Frameworks (NQFs). This project was therefore aimed at a qualitative assessment of current progress, and at exploring the main debates and obstacles that continue to hinder the successful adoption and implementation of this framework in national contexts.

Striding towards a European Qualifications Framework

Our EQF project has paved the way for greater stakeholder involvement in the design of national qualifications frameworks. The methodology consisted of involving partners from all education sectors – a national union of students, a national union of school students, an employers’ association, a trade union and a higher education network – from five different countries with very contrasting experiences and progress levels in terms of NQF implementation. These project partners were asked to lead a debate around the implementation of the EQF in their respective countries in two rounds of consultations, and then to report back to the project. The information gathered formed the backbone of the validation conference held in Slovenia from 21-22 April 2008, which brought together both the partners and other interested parties to draw out the main conclusions from the project. Activity Report 2008

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Through this project, European students clearly argued that the Lisbon Strategy should not be reduced to pure economics, but that social objectives must be at the heart of the process too.

Lisbon and Students

2008 also saw the publication of ESU’s Lisbon With Student Eyes report, funded by the European Commission, with the aim of identifying the ways in which the EU’s flagship Lisbon Strategy is implemented at national level, as well as gathering together the student perspective in terms of its impact on higher education. With Lisbon highlighting the importance of higher education and research to its strategy for growth and jobs, the need to ensure student input into this overarching part of EU policy has never been greater. The report combines an analysis of Member States’ 2005 National Progress Reports, as well as the results of a student survey which includes the responses of 9 national unions of students from  countries. It also draws on the results of a smaller survey among ESU’s member unions and the work of student unions on this topic since 2005. The report therefore serves as a guiding light for both student unions in developing their work on this issue, and for policy makers in preparing for stronger and more meaningful student involvement in the Lisbon agenda.

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Activity Report 2008

The concept of an experts’ pool is one which had been considered for some time as a way for ESU to share its knowledge and expertise with the sector as a whole. The concept became a concrete reality in 2008 with the creation of the first phase of the pool, comprising the equity trainers pool, the Institutional Evaluation Programme (an EUA independent membership service), student evaluators group, plus student experts that have been selected for institutional quality audits or national QA agencies reviews. The pool is designed to help ESU cope with the increasing volume of requests for internal and external expertise, particularly in the field of quality assurance, as well as enabling ESU to meet its own training needs. Furthermore, not only should the pool be self-sustaining, but it should also contribute to ESU’s financial stability with 25% of honoraries received being donated to the organisation. Putting the pool on a solid footing is a key feature of ESU’s Plan of Work for 2009.

Light on Student Rights

Pooling experts In 2008, the pool provided experts for 3 regional equity training events, more than 20 institutional quality assurance evaluations and 5 reviews of national QA agencies.

ESU has also launched a new campaign with OBESSU, the Organising Bureau of School Student Unions, to draw attention to the issue of students’ rights. ‘Light on the Rights’ focuses on trying to secure recognition at European level of a Declaration of Students’ Rights that ESU has drawn up, which would mark a major step forward in providing legal protection for students’ rights across Europe. For more information on the campaign, please visit: www.lightsontherights.eu The full publication can be found on our website: www. esu-online.org

Activity Report 2008

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Making learning for life Over the past year, ESU has been actively involved in the definition of the lifelong learning concept at the European level, both in the context of the Bologna Process and the European Commission’s Stakeholder Forum. These efforts have helped lifelong learning to be understood not only as professional upskilling and adult learning, but also as recognition of prior learning, valuing informal and non-formal learning and allowing a second chance for those who did not have the opportunity to enter higher education before.

Our main achievements in 2008 included adopting a clear position statement on lifelong learning with our 47 member unions at the 54th Board Meeting in Brusno, Slovakia, and organising a major European seminar on studentcentred learning, a key part of the lifelong learning paradigm, which took place in November in the Bulgarian capital, Sofia.

Learning does not stop once you put a diploma on your wall.

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Activity Report 2008

The past year has seen continued importance given to our capacity building work in countries where ESU does not currently have members. To this effect, a study visit was organised to Armenia in June 2008 that was followed up in September with a training session. All of these activities were carried out in close cooperation with the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) mission in the capital, Yerevan. The aim of the study visit was to improve the understanding of the Armenian student movement and to issue recommendations for its further development. A report has been drafted and is publicly available on ESU’s website. The 16th European Student Convention (Lille, October 2008) also provided ESU with the opportunity to reach out to students from Mitrovica and Pristina universities in Kosovo, followed by some collaborative work with Dutch NGO Spark to increase the dialogue between Kosovan students and other students across Europe. A further visit to Kosovo is planned for 2009, with a potential view to starting a 1-2 year project on the development of the student movement in the country. ESU also carries out advocacy work for students all around the world in support of the global student movement.

Activity Report 2008

Building a stronger student movement across continents

ESU acts as both a capacity-builder for student organisations and as a promoter of the ‘4 pillars’ of the student movement democracy, independence, openness and representativity. The publicising of a message by Iranian students highlighting breaches of human rights and the principles of academic freedom in Iran, which was sent in lieu of their attendance at the 16th ESC, is just one of a series of examples of our solidarity work with students everywhere. 11

Ten years on from the inaugural event, ESU has been actively involved in the preparation committee of the UNESCO World Conference on Higher Education +10 (to be held in July 2009), including helping to shape the agenda of the event. Given that student participation in the first WCHE was extremely difficult to secure, the key role that ESU is now playing in this event is a tribute to the success and recognition gained by the organisation and the student movement as a whole in the last few years.

Planning a World Conference on Higher Education

In addition, we have been working on the coordination of a meeting of the various regional student platforms in January 2009 (with the support of UNESCO and Education International). This meeting will result in a common global student statement on the topics of the conference and will hopefully mark the start of progress towards a new platform for global student cooperation.

A new EuroMediterranean University ESU was also at the forefront of the founding of Europe’s newest, and first pan-European, university. EMUNI, or the Euro-Mediterranean University, is a unique project to create an international university based in Slovenia. The key missions of the EMUNI University are: • To improve the quality of higher education with study and research program implementation;

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• To become an international university, which will take into consideration cultural diversity; EMUNI University will significantly contribute to the harmonisation of the higher education area and to the lasting development of the wider socio-economic and cultural environment in EUROMED countries, as well as providing greater recognition for Slovenia in the Mediterranean Union region. ESU is proud to be one of the official co-founders of this latest addition to the European higher education scene.

Activity Report 2008

Ensuring quality in higher education ESU took a major step into the field of quality assurance by performing the first full evaluation of a national quality assurance agency, ARACIS in Romania, in accordance with the European Standards and Guidelines (ESG). Doing so has put ESU on the map of organisations recognised as able to successfully perform such a comprehensive review. Another key development in quality assurance occurred with the creation of a new European Quality Assurance Register (EQAR). Founded by ESU and our E4 partners - EUA, ENQA and Eurashe - and mandated as part of the Bologna Process, EQAR represents a vital information and trust-building tool allowing higher education institutions, students and the labour market to identify credible and legitimate quality assurance agencies. As a full member of EQAR’s governing board, ESU will continue to play a primary role in the development of this, a major agent for change in higher education.

Activity Report 2008

In a significant mark of recognition, ESU’s Chairperson 20072008, Koen Geven, was nominated to join the collegium of the Magna Charta Observatory.

As its highest governing body, the collegium is responsible for upholding fundamental rights within higher education, safeguarding institutional autonomy and protecting against academic corruption.

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Involving and empowering members is a key ESU objective, and one of the main mechanisms for achieving this are the bi-annual European Student Conventions. ESC15, held in the Slovenian capital Ljubljana, focused on student democracy and the role of both ESU and its member unions in delivering this. The resulting Ljubljana Declaration consists of the following elements:

Democratising the student movement • The recognition of students as a major catalyst of reform; • ESU as a promoter of student representation structures; • A commitment from ESU to provide member unions with the structures, support and resources they need to implement their goals; • A commitment to diversifying the student body, as a key part of the democratisation process; • A pledge to remove barriers across borders and show solidarity with students across the globe.

The objectives above all form part of an overarching goal for ESU to provide an effective platform to represent European students with one voice. This Declaration has set the tone for ESU’s work in 2008 and into 2009, creating a solid focus on building a stronger student movement.

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Activity Report 2008

All about ESU • • • • • • •

Aims ESU works to fulfil a number of aims through its work in the field of European higher education:

To represent the views, needs and perspectives of European students, as advocated through member National Unions of Students (NUSes), to all key European decision-making bodies; To ensure student participation and increase the student input into higher education policy- and decisionmaking at local, national and European level; To promote a higher education system based on the values of quality, equity and accessibility for all; To be recognised as a key education stakeholder by all relevant actors, including the European Union, Bologna Follow-Up Group, Council of Europe and UNESCO; To be renowned and respected as a source of expertise on higher education policy at national, european and international levels; To build links and foster an exchange of information, ideas and experience among students and student platorms at a regional and a global level; To uphold the values of diversity, equity, participatory democracy and solidarity in all of our work.

Activity Report 2008

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Structure ESU has a democratic structure based on the primacy of its members – national unions of students from 38 different countries across Europe. Representatives of each NUS make up the Board of the European Students’ Union, which is the highest decision-making body in the organisation. The Board meets twice yearly, and elects ESU’s officials on an annual basis, with each member country having two votes. The elections appoint ESU’s representative structure, which consists of the following:

The Executive Committee The Executive Committee consists of a chairperson, vice chairperson and three additional members. The Executive Committee is responsible for steering and coordinating the organisation, both politically and operationally, on a dayto-day basis.

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Activity Report 2008

Content Committees

Structure

To support the work of the Executive Committee, Social Affairs Committee – The SAC is tasked the Board also elects representatives to sit on one with researching, training and representing students of five content committees: in the field of social affairs of higher education. Social

Administration Committee – This committee is responsible for finances, public relations and internal working conditions. It works in parallel with the secretariat and the vice chair in carrying out its work.

affairs involves questions of access, participation in, and completion of, one’s studies. It therefore involves all the work regarding the social dimension of higher education, including financial affairs, students’ health, accomodation and work.

Student Union Development Committee – The SUDC is tasked with supporting the development of student unions in Europe. In particular, it focuses on meeting the training and information needs of student organisations, building capacity and dealing with membership issues.

Academic Affairs Committee

- The AAC has responsibility for developing expertise and representation regarding academic affairs, the AAC deals with issues such as quality assurance, qualifications frameworks, ECTS and studentcentred learning, and crucially, coordinates work relating to the Bologna Process.

Activity Report 2008

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Structure Gender Equality Cross Committee – The role of this committee is to ensure the implementation of ESU’s Gender Mainstreaming Strategy and to increase awareness and understanding of gender equality issues among ESU and its members. It is made up of one member from each of the other four content committees.

Working Groups The Secretariat -

The operational activities of the Executive Committee are supported by a small secretariat, consisting of a Financial Officer, an Information and Communications Officer and a Project Officer. All are based at ESU’s headquarters in the centre of Brussels..

Commission of Internal Audit - The Commission of Internal Audit (or CIA) is a separate structure that is directly accountable to the Board. It exists to monitor the administration and finances of the organisation and to report on these at each board meeting.

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- In addition to the content committees, the Board can choose to create working groups to fulfil a specific function for a certain period of time. NUSes can apply to chair a working group for the duration of its mandate. ESU currently has six working groups in operation: • • • • • •

International Cooperation Working Group Mobility Working Group Ukraine Working Group Doctoral Studies, the rd Cycle and Research Working Group E-learning Working Group Working Group on Studying with a Disability in Higher Education

Activity Report 2008

Looking ahead to 2009... Building a stronger student movement that’s the headline of ESU’s plan of work in 2009, recognition of the fact that the greater the capacity of the student movement, the further we will get in terms of achieving a truly student-centred learning paradigm for European higher education. In particular, ESU will be directing its efforts towards: 1. Defending students’ rights through the development of the student movement - for example through the UNESCO World Conference on Higher Education. 2. Democratisation of higher education through fostering the social dimension and equity - centring around ESU’s ‘Equity in Higher Education from a Students’ Perspective’ project. . Quality higher education for all, with students in the centre - including addressing the needs of doctoral students and creating a diversified body of lifelong learners. 4. 20% mobile students by 2020 - moving towards the European dimension of HE through making student mobility a reality. With key events coming up, such as the Ministerial Conference of the Bologna Process in April, and the World Conference in Higher Education in July, it promises to be an exciting year !

Activity Report 2008

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Our Members ESU currently has 47 member NUSes from 38 countries: Austria - Österreichische HochschülerInnenschaft (ÖH)

Albania - Albanian Student Government (ASG) Belarus - Belarus Student Association (BSA)

Belgium - Fédération Des Etudiants Francophones (FEF)

Belgium - Vlaamse Vereniging van Studenten (VVS) Bulgaria - UBS

Bosnia & Herzegovina - Studentska Unija Republika Srpska (SURS) Bulgaria - Nacionalno Predstavitelstvo na Studentskite Saveti v Republika Balgaria (NASC)

Croatia - Hrvatski Studentski Zbor (CSC)

Croatia - Savez Studenata Hrvatske (CSU)

Cyprus - Pagkypria Omospondia Foititikon Enoseon (POFEN) Denmark – DSF

Estonia – EUL



Czech Republic - SKRVS

Finland - Suomen ammattikorkeakouluopiskelijakuntien liitto (SAMOK)

Finland - Suomen Ylioppilaskuntien Liitto (SYL)

France - Fédération des Associations Générales D’Etudiants (FAGE) France - Union Nationale des Etudiants de France (UNEF)

Georgia - Students Organizations League of Georgia (SOLG) Germany – FZS

Hungary - HÖOK Iceland - Studentarad Haskola Islands (SHI)

Ireland - Union of Students in Ireland (USI)

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Activity Report 2008

Israel - National Union of Israeli Students (NUIS) Italy - Unione degli Universitari (UdU) Latvia - Latvijas Studentu Apvieniba (LSA) Lithuania - (LSAS) Luxembourg - Union Nationale des Etudiant(e)s du Luxembourg (UNEL) Lithuania - Lietuvos Studentu Sajunga (LSS) Macedonia - National Union of Students of Macedonia (NUSM) Malta - Kunsill Studenti Universitarji (KSU) Netherlands - Interstedelijk Studenten Overleg (ISO) Netherlands - Landelijke Studenten Vakbond (LSVb) Norway - Norsk Studentunion (NSU)

Norway - Studentenes Landsforbund (StL)

Poland - PSRP Poland - ZSP

Portugal - FAIRe

Romania - Alianta Nationala a Organizatiilor Studentesti din Roma (ANOSR) Serbia - Studentska Unija Srbije (SUS)

Slovakia - SRVS

Slovenia - Studenska Organizacija Slovenije (SSU) Spain - Coordinadora de Representantes de Estudiantes de Universidades Pcas (CREUP) Sweden - SFS Switzerland - Verband der Schweizerischen StudentInnenschaften (VSS-UNES-USU) Ukraine - Ukrainian Association of Student Self-government (UASS) UK - National Union of Students (NUS-UK)

Activity Report 2008

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Involving members

ESU wouldn’t exist without our members - they are both key conduits taking our work out into the external arena, and the legitimation for all that we do. Involving, empowering and engaging all those that who collectively comprise ESU is therefore one of our key ongoing objectives.

ESU’s democratic structure ensures that the Board is at the heart of all that we do. Its full decision-making powers are exercised on a bi-annual basis at meetings in member countries. Membership of the Board is by union, which itself decides on the individuals to represent it. The official representatives of ESU are elected on an annual basis and held to account at each board meeting through a process of reporting and evaluation.

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Activity Report 2008

With a huge diversity in our members, including some that struggle to meet basic expenses such as the nominal membership fee, ESU runs a solidarity fund to provide additional financial support to unions, so that those with fewer resources do not lose out as a result.

Involving members The bi-annual European Student Conventions are packed with training sessions, workshops and seminars to help unions both function better internally, and perform better externally. Together, these events give board members the opportunity to meet face-to-face on a quarterly basis, creating a strength and unity that is rare among membership organisations.

ESU’s members are at the heart of everything we do.

Training and capacity building is a central feature of how we work with our members. Each board meeting is preceded by a high-level seminar to build knowledge and skills on a relevant topic. In 2008, the topics were equity in higher education and studentcentred learning.

Activity Report 2008

Another permanent fixture is a ‘BM for Beginners’ session to give those new to the Board the opportunity to find out how it works and thereby maximise their involvement.

ESU regularly produces publications, such as the Student Union Development Handbook, and provides training, for example on equity issues, to increase the knowlege base of unions and to provide them with valuable tools for their work. All written materials are provided free of charge, whilst attendance at training is heavily subsidised.

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ESU is a collaborative organisation working with a wide variety of governmental and nongovernmental organisations in Europe and beyond. Some of our key partners and examples of our collaborative work are below: The Council of Europe (CoE), based in Strasbourg, is both one of ESU’s funders and a regular project partner. Our work with them in 2008 centred around the ‘Desks’ project, the key outcome of which was the Student Union Development Handbook, which represents a key tool for building the capacity of both our existing members, and candidates for membership.

ESU has a strong relationship with the European Commission and receives long-term project funding, as well as an administrative grant to fund the core functions of the organisation. In 2008, we worked with the Commission on our Equity in Higher Education project, as well as on the ‘Let’s Go!’ mobility campaign and the Lisbon and Students project.

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Who we work with ESU is an active member of the Bologna FollowUp Group which is charged with monitoring and guiding the implementation of the Bologna Process across 46 European countries.

Our other key partner is Education International, and the ‘Let’s Go!’ mobility campaign is just one example of our partnership work with them during 2008.

Activity Report 2008

Who we work with Much of ESU’s external work is conducted through an alliance of higher education organisations. Known as the ‘E4 group’, this team consisting of ESU, EUA (European University Association), ENQA (European Network for Quality Assurance) and EURASHE (European Association of Institutions in Higher Education) regularly works together on issues of mutual interest and concern, and is considered a highly influential and well-respected player in European higher education.

In addition to our work with them as part of the E4 group, ESU and EUA have a strong bilateral partnership and cooperate on a number of projects including institutional relations and evaluation programmes, and the AccessAfrica project designed to build relations between higher education institutions in Europe and Africa.

Activity Report 2008

2008 has also seen increasingly close collaboration with UNESCO, firstly in terms of promoting a greater global student dialogue, and secondly in fighting against disreputable higher education providers and ensuring full implementation of the joint OECD-UNESCO guidelines for quality provision in higher education.

Partnership is the key to maximising the student input into higher education policy

ESU is a member of the European Youth Forum (YFJ) and contributes to their work on education policy at European level.

ESU has a close collaboration with organisations such as MENON, a European innovation and research network, and Scienter, a European research and innovation centre, on projects in the field of higher education and training. Examples include the Hextlearn and Access-Asia projects that ESU is currently involved with, which you can read more about on our website.

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Finances

As an NGO, ESU relies heavily on funding from European and international institutions for its continued operation. 2008 continued the trend of previous years with an overall increase in total income. The European Commission continues to account for the majority of the money received from international project grants. ESU also receives financial support for its projects from the Council of Europe. Both the Commission and the Council of Europe additionally provide the administrative grant for ESU’s core functions and overall sustainability. We want to thank our external partners for providing financial support to enable ESU elected representatives to participate in a number of higher education events, which it woul not be possible for them to do otherwise.

income sources realised 7% 1%

16%

18%

members EU Commission

%

CoE Education International 55%

Private sector In-kind

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Activity Report 2008

Finances

In terms of expenditure, the pattern follows that of 2007 with the majority share in 2008 allocated to projects and activities - enabling ESU to deliver on its aims, objectives and plan of work for the year. Spending on personnel rose by one-third in 2008, due mainly to an increased number of secretariat members and the implementation of a Brussels-based vice chairperson’s position. “Other” costs include committee travel expenses and other unforeseen travel and accommodation expenses, membership fees of partner organisations such as the European Youth Forum (YFJ), and the running of a solidarity fund for those NUSes unable to afford membership fees to be part of ESU.

Expenditure 2008 20% personnel 6% 54%

5% 15%

Activity Report 2008

administrative expenses internal missions other projects and activities

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That was the year that was... “ESU faced a number of positive internal changes last year. Some of them have been implemented already, requiring an additional effort to adapt to them, many more are being prepared for further remarkable change in the near future. Evolving internal structures, an expanding secretariat, and the launch of the student experts’ pool are among the top ones to mention.” Anita Lice, ESU Vice-Chair 2008-9

“2008 in ESU was a great experience - one which gave me the opportunity to work with people from different countries across Europe in a dynamic, international environment. And it was an experience which I will never forget.” Matthew Tabone, Executive Committee member 2007-8

2008 has been great year to be in ESU and in the first Student Union Development Committee. Overall, it has been a very inspiring, busy and exciting mandate. We have managed to create first Students’ Union Development Handbook. I became a trainer in the ESU trainers pool, and the Mobility Campaign, “Let’s GO!”, has been carried out which, personally, has been fantastic and one of most interesting projects to work on. I could continue but importantly, I want to underline the importance of the team spirit and the collegiality in the committee, which made the work an absolute pleasure. Kate Chachava, Student Union Development Committee 2008.

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Activity Report 2008

That was the year that was... “Joining ESU was one of the best decisions I have ever made. I met a lot of interesting people, I’ve worked in a stimulating multicultural environment and I was able to shape parts of the organisation and the European student movement. In particular, the work with and for different national student organisations motivated me even in times when I felt as if the workload would crush me.” Jens Jungblut, Student Union Development Committee 2008-9

“Being in ESU means being at the heart of the processses that change and shape European higher education. 2008 was a mixed pleasure. It was good because it showed me that the student movement is ever-optimistic and relentless in its pursuit of a better higher education system for all.

“Influencing policy at a European level is a mammoth task and something that NUS Scotland simply wouldn’t be able to do on our own. ESU is the collective voice that delivers for Scottish students on a European level, enabling us and other European NUSes to achieve so much more than we would be able to alone. For me as part of the ESU team, I’ll never forget the cooperation among student officers from across Europe which is truly inspirational and ultimately delivers for students.” Liam Burns, Academic Affairs Committee, 2008-9

It was bad because I also saw that the most important decision-makers are still scared to commit in practice to the goals we all seem to share.” Olav Øye, Executive Committee 2008-9

Activity Report 2008

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The ESU team 2008-9

Executive Committee: Ligia Deca Anita Lice Bruno Carapinha Olav Øye Alma Joensen

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Academic Affairs Committee: Liam Burns Alessia Cacciagrano Mark Sciriha Bergpora Snaebjornsdottir

Social Affairs Committee: Inge Gielis Jenny Bjork Damien Ramage Marin Bakša Claire Guichet

Student Union Development Committee: Jens Jungblut Kate Chachava Administration Committee: Antigoni Ioannidou David Troxler Joram op den Kelder Activity Report 2008

Contacts: Executive Committee: [email protected] Academic Affairs Committee: [email protected] Social Affairs Committee: [email protected] Student Union Development Committee: [email protected] Committee for Internal Development: [email protected]

The ESU 2008 Activity Report: Content: Frances Aldson, Ligia Deca, Olav Øye, Anita Lice Editing: Frances Aldson, Bert Vandenkendelaere Layout and design : Frances Aldson, Linus Rowedda Images: Bea Uhart, Frances Aldson, Quentin Delval Printed in Germany by TU Bergakademie Stura, Freiburg.

Rue de la Sablonnière 20 1000 Bruxelles Belgium t: +2 2 502 762 f: +2 2 706 4826 w: www.esu-online.org