BRUSSELS - The European Students' Union (ESU) is glad to announce its formal adoption of the «The Bergen Declaration» a global declaration drafted by student activists from South America, North America, Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Pacific in May 2016. The Norwegian Students' Union (NSO) and the European Students' Union (ESU) jointly took the initiative to compose, together with students from across the globe, a document which demonstrates a statement of values for a global student voice.

ESU fully supports the Serbian Student Union (SKONUS) in their efforts to achieve student representations in all working groups responsible for drafting the new Law of Higher Education in Serbia. We strongly believe that students should be considered as partners, or even key stakeholder when discussing all issues of higher education.

During the last decade, students' social profile has changed a lot. Democratisation of higher education (HE) allowed economically disadvantaged people to access higher education institutions (HEI). However, social protection systems (grants, health insurance etc...) did not follow proportionally.

As of 17th March, the German Federal Constitutional Court decided the actual implementation of the German Quality Assurance System contradicts the constitution and therefore changes have to be made till end of 2017. Nevertheless, the German Federal Constitutional Court remarks through the whole report, that Quality Assurance is a fundamental element of the higher education system.

Since the terrorist attacks that have taken place in Paris and Brussels in 2015 and 2016, we could observe a great feeling of insecurity and fear. Governments all over Europe and beyond started to use the situation to expand and enforce security measures and therefore restrict personal freedom of citizens. In the name of counterterrorism, they lowered public scrutiny of security authorities and strengthened intelligence agencies.

The European Students have reported several times before on the attacks of the Spanish Government to the equality of its Higher Education System and to the access to education. The most significant attack has been the increase in tuition fees and the cuts of the Spanish Student Grant System, removing access to financial support as a right.

During the 1st of May demonstrations in Medellin Colombia, 4 student activists were detained by the national police when returning home from the march. The arrest was conducted in unclear circumstances and with apparent abuses of the minimum judicial guarantees. Students Santiago Ángel, Juan Camilo Ángel, Cristian Camilo Peña and Alexis Casas Valencia, members of the Colombian Association of University Students (ACEU), University of Antioquia and one member of the Colombian Communist Youth (JUCO) were taken to a police station and stripped from their belongings.

ESU very much welcomes the Reference Framework of Competences for Democratic Culture developed by the Council of Europe. This new educational tool will be key in helping people teach, learn and measure democratic values.

In April 2016, one of the Slovenian parliamentary parties has proposed changes to the law on Student Community without any previous notice or consultation with the representatives of students in Slovenia. ESU and its' member unions believe that changes to the basic law that deals with the framework of the student movement in Slovenia without any consultation with the students is unacceptable and calls upon the decision-makers in Slovenia to ensure that the opinion of the legal and legitimate student representatives in Slovenia will be taken into account.

ESU stands up for a socially equitable and inclusive higher education system. It is crucial that everyone who is striving for a higher education also has the financial possibility to achieve this goal, regardless of their individual financial situation. Therefore, we are against financial cuts in education, especially if they concern the student grant system. Student grants are the only structure providing the ability to afford studies to everyone, which implies the providing of accommodation, food and university material.

The Bergen Declaration was drafted and agreed on by the participating NUSes from all over the World during the Global Student Voice seminar in Bergen. The declaration will be translated in the following weeks, and made available to endorsements from each of your individual unions.

 In every policy paper ESU seeks to outline our vision for a truly modern and colegial higher education and student interests. The following part provides an overview of ESU`s main policy on higher education.

 ESU believes that open access to all levels of education is the cornerstone of a socially, culturally and democratically inclusive society, and a pre-requisite for individual and societal development and well-being. ESU sees higher education as a human right, which is guaranteed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.