29 May 2023
Twelve Unite! students participate in the European Students' Assembly 2023
The second edition of the European Students Assembly will take place from the 31st of May until the 2nd of June in Strasbourg, France. Students from most of the European alliances will meet to discuss European issues and make recommendations to the European Commission.
The European Student Assembly (ESA) is a grassroots project that gathers each year more than 200 students from most European University Alliances (EUA) to debate current issues, draft political recommendations for the future of Europe and advocate them among stakeholders and decision makers.
Unite! students will be represented in the assembly by Dana Reignier-Tayar, Grenoble INP-UGA; Gabriele Morello, PoliTo; Hatef Hajian, Aalto; Lluís Gil, UPC ; Núria Escursell, UPC; Elaia Etchamendy, Grenoble INP-UGA ; Charlotte Boudali, Grenoble INP-UGA; Hugo Cazaux, Grenoble INP-UGA; Roman Bouchet, Grenoble INP-UGA; Ariadna Anguita Julià, UPC ; Gonçalo Castro, ULisboa and Fjolla Hasani, TU Graz.
From March to May 2023, the selected student representatives have been working remotely to deepen their understanding of a chosen topic and produce a collection of recommendations before meeting with their peers in Strasbourg to propose concrete solutions. During the three days of the event, Unite! students will meet with their European peers in the very premises of the European Parliament, to finalize their recommendations together with the members of their specific panel. The final recommendations will be voted on in the plenary assembly, resulting in a common position paper to be shared with European decision-makers.
According to Lluís Gil, one of the Unite! representatives who is also a member of Unite! SURE!, “every panel for ESA is unique, so we are all preparing in different ways. However, all panels have dedicated part of their work to seek several experts' opinions on the topic that we are debating, and some of them have even held meetings with them to further expand their knowledge on the topic. Several working groups have also been established in the different panels to research relevant information and share it with the rest of the group”.
Apart from that, the organization for ESA has organized two events that are very relevant to the preparation tasks:
- Policy drafting workshop (for volunteer writers) : 4th of May, 5 PM CET
- Digital visit to the European Union Court of Justice on May 8th at 2:00 PM CET,
- Twinning session with Erasmus Student Network Ukraine (upcoming, date TBD)
Students have been divided in different panels and round tables according to the main topics of the discussion. Two of the panels will be coordinated by Unite! students:
- Dana Reignier-Tayar, (Grenoble INP-UGA): coordinator of panel 2: Lessons from the past? How could the French-German history of reconciliation serve as a model to overcome conflicts and build unity?
- Gabriele Morello, PoliTo: coordinator of panel 8: Cities of the future. How could sustainable cities contribute to European autonomy and people welfare?
Unite! students will participate in the different panels to discuss and propose solutions around the following topics:
- Hatef Hajian, Aalto (PhD): Panel 3: Energy. How to secure fair and sustainable access to energy in Europe at different levels?
- Lluís Gil, UPC (Bachelor): Panel 6: Digital. How to ensure a fair and sustainable digital transition in a context of exploding demand and raw material scarcity?
- Núria Escursell, UPC (Masters): Panel 6: Digital. How to ensure a fair and sustainable digital transition in a context of exploding demand and raw material scarcity?
- Elaia Etchamendy, Grenoble INP-UGA (Bachelor): Panel 7: Defense. Is the EU in a position to develop an efficient foreign policy and an autonomous defence policy that would ensure the security of its citizens?
- Charlotte Boudali, Grenoble INP-UGA (Masters): Panel 8: Cities of the future. How could sustainable cities contribute to European autonomy and people welfare?
- Hugo Cazaux, Grenoble INP-UGA (Bachelor): Panel 8: Cities of the future. How could sustainable cities contribute to European autonomy and people welfare?
- Roman Bouchet, Grenoble INP-UGA (Bachelor): Panel 8: Cities of the future. How could sustainable cities contribute to European autonomy and people welfare?
- Ariadna Anguita Julià, UPC (Masters): Panel 9: Excellence versus inclusion? How can European higher education institutions offer a more inclusive access to skills and knowledge?
- Gonçalo Castro, ULisboa (Bachelor): Panel 9: Excellence versus inclusion? How can European higher education institutions offer a more inclusive access to skills and knowledge?
- Fjolla Hasani, TU Graz (Masters): Panel 10: European Year of Skills - What role can higher education institutions play in reducing the skills gap in Europe?
More information
The European Students' Assembly is one of the main activities of the European University Community. The event was created with the objective of giving students a public voice in the European Union. This will be a unique opportunity for students from across Europe to address some of the complex challenges facing the EU today, with the aim of collecting recommendations for the European Commission.