European Students' Union Explained

European Students' Union
Established:1982
Institution:see member list
President:Iris Kimizoglu
Vice Presidents:Lana Par, Arno Schrooyen
Affiliated:European Youth Forum
Location:Mundo-Madou. Avenue des Arts 7/8, 1210 Brussels, Belgium
Members:44 (40 Countries)
Free Label:Executive Committee
Free:see executive committee
Homepage:http://www.esu-online.org/

The European Students' Union (ESU) is the umbrella organisation of 44 national unions of students from 40 countries, representing almost 20 million students.[1] [2] A consultative member of the Bologna Process, ESU is also a full member of the European Youth Forum (YFJ).[3]

History

On 17 October 1982, seven National Unions of Students (NUSes) from the United Kingdom, Sweden, Iceland, France, Denmark, Norway and Austria established the Western European Students Information Bureau (WESIB) at a gathering in Stockholm.[4] In February 1990, WESIB dropped the "W" to become the European Student Information Bureau (ESIB) following the political upheaval in Europe at the time. In 1992 the name was changed yet again into the National Union of Students in Europe. This reflected the recognition of the changing mission of ESIB from being a pure information-sharing organisation into a political organisation that represented the views of students in European institutions. In May 2007, the current name, European Students' Union (ESU), was introduced.

Over the years, the office of ESU has moved around Europe and was first hosted by the member NUSes. Following the establishment of WESIB in Stockholm, the office was based in the SFS Office in Sweden from 1982 until 1985, funded by a grant by the Swedish Government. By 1985 the grant was running low, and so NUS UK offered to host WESIB in their London headquarters. In 1988 the office moved to the ÖH offices in Vienna and remained there until 2000 when it was decided that for reasons of being near the European institutions, the office should move to Brussels and was hosted by VVS.

Structures

The highest ESU structure is the Board Meeting, bringing together representatives from all the National Unions of Students it represents. The Board Meeting sets the organisation's policy direction and elects members to the executive committee to run the organisation.

Executive committee

The executive committee (EC) is elected for a one-year term at the annual Board Meeting by representatives of the member organisations, with each country (not organisation) given two votes. The president and vice-presidents together make up the presidency of ESU, and are responsible for the day-to-day operations of the organisation along with the seven general members of the EC.[5]

TitleNameCountry
PresidencyPresidentIris Kimizoglu Germany
Vice PresidentsLana Par Croatia
Arno Schrooyen Belgium
Executive CommitteeDuarte Lopes
Jens Bartnes Norway
Lauren Pray Czech Republic
Levente Varga
Lisa Schivalocchi Italy
Tamara Ciobanu Romania
Nora Angelova

Member organisations

Country English Name Local NameESU Abbrev.[6]
ArmeniaArmenian National Students AssociationՀայ ուսանողական ազգային ասոցիացիաANSA
AustriaAustrian Students' AssociationÖsterreichische Hochschüler_innenschaftÖH
BelarusBelarusian Students' AssociationЗадзіночанне Беларускіх СтудэнтаўBSA
Brotherhood of Organizers of Student Self-GovernmentБОССBOSS
BelgiumFederation of French-speaking StudentsFédération Des Etudiants FrancophonesFEF
Flemish Union of StudentsVlaamse Vereniging van StudentenVVS
Bosnia and HerzegovinaStudents' Union Republic of SrpskaUnija studenata Republike SrpskeSURS
BulgariaNational Assembly of Student's Councils in the Republic of BulgariaНационално представителство на студентските съвети в Република БългарияNASC
CroatiaCroatian Students' CouncilHrvatski Studentski ZborCSC
CyprusPancyprian Federation of Student UnionsPagkypria Omospondia Foititikon EnoseonPOFEN
Czech RepublicStudent Chamber of the Council of Higher Education InstitutionsStudentská komora Rady vysokých škol SKRVS
DenmarkNational Union of Students in DenmarkDanske Studerendes FællesrådDSF
EstoniaFederation of Estonian Student UnionsEesti Üliõpilaskondade LiitEÜL
Faroe IslandsFaroese National Union of StudentsMeginfelag Føroyskra StudentaMFS
FinlandNational Union of University Students in FinlandSuomen Ylioppilaskuntien Liitto, Finlands studentkårers förbundSYL, FSF
Union of Students in Finnish Universities of Applied SciencesSuomen opiskelijakuntien liitto, Finlands studerandekårers förbundSAMOK
FranceNational Federation of Student's AssociationsFédération des Associations Générales d'ÉtudiantsFAGE
GeorgiaGeorgian Student's Organizations AssociationGeorgian Student's Organizations AssociationGSOA
GermanyFree Association of Student Unionsfreier zusammenschluss von student*innenschaftenfzs
HungaryNational Union of Students in HungaryHallgatói Önkormányzatok Országos KonferenciájaHÖOK
IcelandNational Union of Icelandic StudentsLandssamtök íslenskra stúdentaLÍS
IrelandUnion of Students in IrelandUnion of Students in Ireland, Aontas na Mac Léinn in ÉirinnUSI
IsraelNational Union of Israeli Studentsהתאחדות הסטודנטים בישראל
تحاد الطلاب في إسرائيل
NUIS
ItalyUnion of University StudentsUnione degli UniversitariUdU
LatviaStudent Union of LatviaLatvijas Studentu apvienībaLSA
LithuaniaLithuanian National Union of StudentsLietuvos Studentu SajungaLSS
LuxembourgNational Union of Students in LuxembourgUnion Nationale des Etudiant(e)s du Luxembourg UNEL
MaltaUniversity Students' CouncilKunsill Studenti UniversitarjiKSU
Student Alliance of MoldovaAlianta studentilor din MoldovaASM
MontenegroStudent Parliament of the University of MontenegroStudentski Parlament Univerziteta Crne GoreSPUM
NetherlandsDutch National Students AssociationInterstedelijk Studenten OverlegISO
Dutch Student UnionLandelijke StudentenvakbondLSVb
NorwayNational Union of Students' in NorwayNorsk studentorganisasjonNSO
PolandStudents' Parliament of PolandParlament Studentów Rzeczypospolitej PolskiejPSRP
PortugalAcademic Forum for Information and External RepresentationFórum Académico para Informação e Representação ExternaFAIRe
RomaniaNational Alliance of Student Organizations in RomaniaAlianta Nationala Organizatiilor Studentesti din RomaniaANOSR
SerbiaStudents Conference of Serbian UniversitiesStudentska konferencija univerzitetâ SrbijeSKONUS
SlovakiaStudent Council for Higher EducationŠtudentská Rada Vysokých ŠkôlSRVS
SloveniaSlovene Student UnionStudenska Organizacija SlovenijeŠOS
SpainCoordinator of Student Representatives of Public UniversitiesCoordinadora de Representantes de Estudiantes de Universidades PúblicasCREUP
SwedenSwedish National Union of StudentsSveriges Förenade StudentkårerSFS
SwitzerlandVSS-UNES-USUVerband Schweizer Studierendenschaften
Union des Etudiant-e-s de Suisse
Unione Svizzera degli Universitari
VSS-UNES-USU
UkraineUkrainian Association of Student Self-governmentУкраїнська асоціація студентського самоврядуванняUAS
United KingdomNational Union of StudentsNUS-UK

Candidate members

Candidate-members are NUSes that have submitted an application of membership to ESU but have not yet been granted member status by the Board Meeting. Candidate-members retain their status for one year and are subject to a "study visit" by ESU to ensure they meet membership criteria.

Associate organisations

Associate members of ESU are pan-European and international student organisations that have similar goals to ESU. The criteria for associate membership require the organisation to be democratic and student-run, have either students or NUSes as members, and represent students from at least 8 countries that are parties to the European Cultural Convention. Associate organizations can attend and speak at all ESU meetings, but cannot vote at Board Meetings.[7]

List of Executive Representatives

Source:[8]

!Year (Mandate)!President!Country!Vice Presidents!Executive Committee!Coordinators (appointed by the executive committee)
2024–2025Iris KimizogluLana Par CroatiaDuarte Lopes, Jens Bartnes, Lauren Pray, Levente Varga, Lisa Schivalocchi, Nora Angelova, Tamara CiobanuEstelle Née, Magnus við Streym, Urszula Lis
Arno Schrooyen Belgium
2023–2024Horia-Șerban OnițaIris Kimizoglu GermanyJoanna Maruszczak (until October), Lana Par (substituting Joanna Maruszczak), Andrej Pirjevec, Ana Gvritishvili, Arno Schrooyen, Ida Flemmich, Tamara Ciobanu, Tór Marni Weihe (until October), Magnus við Streym (substituting Tór Marni Weihe)Emily MacPherson, Bastien Degardins, Lauren Pray
Tanguy Guibert France
2022–2023Matteo Vespa ItalyKatrīna Sproģe Tanguy Guibert, Iris Kimizoglu, Andrej Pirjevec, Emily MacPherson, Tór Marni Weihe, Oraz Myradov, Ana GvritishviliAntoine Bakhash, Joanna Maruszczak, Sandi Rizvić
Horia-Șerban Onița
2021–2022Martina Darmanin MaltaMatteo Vespa, Kristel Jakobson, Martin Hammerbauer, Pegi Pavletić, Ruben Janssens, Meral Nur, Stanimir BoyadzhievKatrīna Sproģe, Borna Nemet, Anastasia Kreis
Jakub Grodecki
2021Martina Darmanin MaltaMatteo Vespa, Kristel Jakobson, Martin Hammerbauer, Pegi Pavletić, Ruben Janssens, Ronja Hesse, Otto RosenlundVicky Reichling, Borna Nemet, Carmen Romero (until June), Katrīna Sproģe (substituting Carmen Romero)
Jakub Grodecki
2019–2020 Gohar Hovhannisyan (Oct.-Dec. 2020) ArmeniaMartina Darmanin Monika Skadborg, Ursa Leban, Nina De Winter, Rajko Golovic, Helene Mariaud, Daniel Altman, Jakub Grodecki,Martin Paluoja, Daniel Lindblom (until November), Carmen Romero (substituting Daniel Lindblom)
Sebastian Berger
Robert Napier (until Sept. 2020) MaltaGohar Hovhannisyan Daniel Altman, Jakub Grodecki, Monika Skadborg, Ursa Leban, Nina De Winter, Rajko Golovic, Helene MariaudMartina Darmanin, Daniel Lindblom, Martin Paluoja
Sebastian Berger
2018–2019Adam Gajek PolandKatrina Koppel Daniel Altma, Joāo Martins, Gohar Hovhannisyan, Monika Skadborg, Sebastian Berger, Ursa Leban, Yulia DobyshukRob Henthorn, Hélène Mariaud, Marie Desrousseaux, (1st part of mandate), Martina Darmanin (substituting Marie Desrousseaux)
Robert Napier
2017–2018Helge Schwitters NorwayCaroline Sundberg Chiara Patricolo, Aleksandar Šušnjar, Filip Prihoda, Gohar Hovhannisyan, João Pedro Estêvão Martins, Katrina Koppel, Yolanda Trujillo AdriáSimona Gamonte, Patrick Dempsey, Robert Henthorn
Adam Gajek
2016–2017Lea Meister SwitzerlandLīva Vikmane Beth Button, Gramoz Shpendi, Adam Gajek, Aleksandar Šušnjar, Frederik Bach, Chiara Patricolo, Milana Jankovic (1st part of mandate), Helga Lind Mar (substituting Milana Jankovic)Melanie Fröhlich, Filip Prihoda, Helge Schwitters
Blazhe Todorovski
2015–2016Fernando Miguel Galán Palomares SpainLea Meister Liva Vikmane, Karolina Pietkiewicz, Cristi Popescu, Rebecka Stenkvist, Tijana Isoski, Viktor GrønneMelanie Fröhlich, Chiara Patricolo, Martin Retelj
Blazhe Todorovski
2014–2015Elisabeth Gehrke SwedenErin Nordal Blazhe Todorovski, Maksimas Milta, Cat O’Driscoll, Karolina Pietkiewicz, Lea Meister, Tiago Estêvão Martins, Tijana IsoskiMelanie Fröhlich, William Benn, Viktor Grønne
Fernando Miguel Galán Palomares
2013–2014Rok Primozic SloveniaElisabeth Gehrke Fernando Miguel Galán Palomares, Erin Nordal, Elin Blomqvist, Nevena Vuksanovic, Blazhe Todorovski, Maroš Korman, Maksim Milto, Michael Tolentino FrederiksenGabriela Bergan, Tiago Estêvão Martins, Aengus Ó Maoláin (1st part of mandate), Melanie Fröhlich (substituting Aengus Ó Maoláin)
Fernando Miguel Galán Palomares
2012–2013Karina Ufert LithuaniaTaina Moisander Fernando M.Galan Palomares, Florian Kaiser, Blazhe Todorovski, Tinja Zerzer, Nevena Vuksanovic, Elisabeth Gehrke, Liliya IvanovaAengus Ó Maoláin, Karl Agius, Brikena Xhomaqi (until November 2012), Gabriela Bergan (substituting Brikena Xhomaqi)
Rok Primozic
2011–2012Allan Päll EstoniaRok Primozic Nevena Vuksanovic, Kaloyan Kostadinov
2010–2011Bert Vandenkendelaere BelgiumRasa Cincyte Robert Santa, Karina Ufert
2009–2010Ligia Deca RomaniaAllan Päll Andrea Blättler, Alma Joensen, Bert Vandenkendelaere
2008–2009Ligia Deca RomaniaAnita Lice Bruno Carapinha, Alma Joensen, Olav Øye
2007Koen GevenAnela Beso, Bartlomiej Banaszak, Lara Lena Tischler, Maria Noleryd, Matthew Tabone, Viorel Proteasa, Rossella Iraci Capuccinello
2006Justin Fenech MaltaMaher Tekaya, Sime Visic, Marja-Liisa Alop, Tatsiana Khoma, Victor Vidilles, Janja Komljenovic
2005Vanja Ivosevic CroatiaÖyvind Reidar Bakke, Justin Fenech, Marzia Foroni, Katja Kamsek, Jean-Baptiste Prévost, Marija Stambolieva
2004Johan Almqvist SwedenMarzia Foroni, Lene Henriksen, Vanja Ivosevic, Péter Puskás, Robin Semal, Chris Weavers
2003Stefan Bienefeld GermanyJohan Almqvist, Mads Aspelin, Nikki Heerens, Vanja Ivosevic, Marija Mitrovic, Bettina Schwarzmayr
2002Martina Vukasovic SerbiaPetra Arsic, Stefan Bienefeld, John C. Friend-Pereira, Chris O’Sullivan
2001Jacob Henricson SwedenStefan Bienefeld, Ante Matic, Marlous Veldt, Martina Vukasovic
2000Remi Bordu FrancePolona Car, Aleksandar Dimiskov, Magne Hustavenes, Taru Liira
1999Antti Pentikäinen FinlandRemi Bourdu, Anja Kovacs, Marieke Rietbergen, Uros Vajgl
1998Peter Sondgaard DenmarkAntti Pentikäinen, Judith Sargentini, Emese Szitasi, Hilde W. Wibe
1997Agnieszka Bolimowska PolandMalcolm Byrne, Outi Hannula, Helena Randerborg, Reuben Seychell
1994 - 1996Stephen Grogan

Prior to 1997 ESIB was Chaired by a NUS instead of an individual, though its first director was employed in 1994.

!Year!Union!Country
1996Hökosz Hungary
1995SYL Finland
1994SYL Finland
1993SFS Sweden
1992SFS Sweden
1991VVS-UNES Switzerland
1990NUS (UK) United Kingdom
1989NUS (UK) United Kingdom
1988ÖH Austria

Notable people

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: European Higher Education Area and Bologna Process . 2022-11-23 . www.ehea.info.
  2. Web site: About . 2022-11-23 . European Students' Union . en-US.
  3. Klemencic . Manja . 2015 . European Students in the Bologna Process . International higher education . 50 . 1084-0613.
  4. Web site: The European Students' Union . 2022-11-23 . www.ecbe.eu.
  5. Web site: Elected representatives. Structures. European Students' Union. 30 April 2016. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20160504022936/http://www.esu-online.org/structures/electedrepresentatives/. 4 May 2016.
  6. Abbreviation given in ESU's member list, may differ from the associations' local or official abbreviations
  7. Web site: Associate members. About us. European Students' Union. 26 April 2016. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20160506042626/http://www.esu-online.org/about/associates/. 6 May 2016.
  8. Web site: ESU History . 2022-09-06 . ESU Online . en.