Madrid, 28 January 2025. The Secretary General of the Conference of Rectors of Spanish Universities (CRUE), María Teresa Lozano, took part in the Forum of Secretaries General of the European University Association (EUA), held online on 24 January.
During the meeting, the President of the EUA, Josep Maria Garrell, and its Secretary General, Amanda Crowfoot, reported on progress across several of the association’s key areas of work.
One of the central issues discussed was concern over the absence of explicit references to “education” in the titles of the new European Commissioners, as well as the need to improve coordination within the European Commission. In this context, participants highlighted the importance of maintaining ongoing dialogue with the Commission to ensure that higher education remains a priority on the EU political agenda. To this end, the President of the EUA met with the Executive Vice-President of the European Commission, Roxana Mînzatu, in what was her first meeting with the university sector. The purpose of the meeting was to establish an open dialogue on the role of the EUA and the importance of cooperation with the European Commission for the benefit of the university sector. One of the outcomes of this meeting was the inclusion, on the January Council agenda, of an exchange with the Directorate-General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture on the blueprint for a European Degree.
The forum also included a presentation by Thomas Estermann and Vinciane Gaillard on the policy agenda of the new European Commission. Discussions addressed the so-called “fifth freedom” — the freedom of knowledge — and its implications for European universities. In addition, concerns were raised about the instrumentalisation of universities and the prevailing focus on STEM disciplines, which could have an impact on research diversity and university autonomy.
Finally, the meeting addressed the use of digital platforms by universities and conferences of rectors. It was noted that some countries have begun to move away from X (formerly Twitter) towards alternatives such as Bluesky and Mastodon, and it was suggested that this issue continue to be explored in future meetings.
The forum concluded with a reminder of the upcoming EUA Council meeting, to be held on 31 January, and the organisation’s annual conference, scheduled to take place in Riga on 10 and 11 April. It was also confirmed that the next Forum of Secretaries General will be held in Stockholm on 15 and 16 September 2025.
