Changes from report parliamentary committee draft to plenary report

EXPLANATORY STATEMENT

Change 8

ChangedThe concept of the European UniversityUniversities Alliances was first mentioned in the 2017 Sorbonne speech by Emmanuel Macron, President of the French Republic. It became reality in 2019 and was implemented as part of the 2021-2027 Erasmus+ programme. This idea is backed by a long-standing tradition of cooperation and exchanges between European universities that dates to the middle ages, with examples such as the travels of Desiderius Erasmus to academic cities, or the Grand Tour, a traditional educational trip through Europe, for young men from the 17th to the 19th century. The European UniversityUniversities Alliance Initiative, in its current form, was designed as a network of universities that promotes student mobility between campuses, and to advance pedagogical innovation. The first Alliances were launched in 2019, and became an immediate success. While the original idea was to launch just 20 alliances, 65 alliances exist today, bringing together more than 570 universities, representing more than half of the student population of the European Union. The calls of the Commission for university alliances were of an open nature, which allowed universities to fulfil them in an open and creative manner when it came to deciding the number of partners, the types of governance, the topics they would address and their forms of collaboration. This successful model has not only enabled the participation of the biggest, most internationally recognised universities, but also that of small and medium-sized universities, and those in the outermost regions, to unite around shared themes and objectives that contribute to the vitality of their territory, offering young people an EU level education, and tackling brain drain. This makes it a highly inclusive project that democratises academic excellence in an inclusive manner. Much more than networks, these Alliances also create intra-European campuses and have become catalysts for legislative changes. They are drivers of innovation, bridging the skills gap and encouraging a new generation of young Europeans to explore and learn. There are several reasons for looking closer into the Alliances, particularly at their future potential and issues that were identified over the years. In a time of increased global insecurity, the Alliances have become a real asset to improve the competitiveness and sovereignty of the European Union. It is therefore necessary to strengthen their capacity for innovation and research and for technology transfers,, particularlyincluding in critical and strategic sectors that can continue to achieve security and excellence for the European Union. When academic freedom is under attack, particularly by global actors such as the USA, European Universities Alliances are a tool with which the EU can continue to attract researchers and academics from all over the world. To this end, it is necessary to acquire investment and funding for the Alliances, in order to increase their capabilities, strengthen their efficiency, consolidate their models and secure their longevity, aiming towards their future independence. Programmes such Erasmus+ are of vital importance for this. Rather than create new Alliances, these programmes and their funding should support the success of existing Alliances that have already begun to re-shape EU academic excellence and academic freedom.