EUA launches European-wide debate on university autonomy

The European University Association (EUA) is the representative organisation of universities and national rectors’ conferences in 47 European countries. EUA plays a crucial role in the Bologna Process and in influencing EU policies on higher education, research and innovation. Thanks to its interaction with a range of other European and international organisations EUA ensures that the independent voice of European universities is heard, wherever decisions are being taken that will impact on their activities.In April 2017, the EUA renewed a crucial and timely European-wide dialogue on the importance of university autonomy. Its Annual Conference, Autonomy and freedom: The future sustainability of universities, at the University of Bergen in Norway, marked ten years of EUA work on the topic.

The debate came at a pivotal moment as there was an increasing tendency of national governments to interfere in university autonomy and academic freedom.

To support the broader dialogue, EUA presented the state of play on university autonomy in Europe at the Annual Conference with the launch of its newly-updated Autonomy Scorecard. The extensive study profiled and scored 29 higher education systems and was a central reference in discussions and analyses of institutional autonomy – both in Europe and beyond.

ESO: Background information: Can Europe stand up for academic freedom? The Bologna Process, Hungary, and the Central European University http://www.europeansources.info/record/can-europe-stand-up-for-academic-freedom-the-bologna-process-hungary-and-the-central-european-university/

ESO: Background information: Protests in Hungary over proposal on higher education institutions http://www.europeansources.info/record/protests-in-hungary-over-proposal-on-higher-education-institutions/

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