On 20 April 2026, CIVICA students joined more than 250 students from across Europe at the European Student Assembly (ESA) in Strasbourg, France. Held at the European Parliament, ESA brings together students from European University Alliances to debate key challenges facing Europe and develop policy recommendations on issues ranging from democracy and digital transformation to education and social inclusion.
Representing CIVICA, students participated in panel discussions, collaborative policy drafting and parliamentary debates, contributing to conversations on the future of the European Education Area and European cooperation more broadly. Beyond the policy proposals themselves, ESA offered participants a unique opportunity to experience European decision-making firsthand, work across cultures and disciplines, and reflect on the role of young people in shaping Europe’s future.
CIVICA students Giulia Rebecca Conte and Maria Yesayan, both students from CEU, share their reflections on participating in ESA 2026, discussing collaboration, representation, higher education and the importance of student engagement in European policymaking.
Giulia Rebecca:
I applied to the European Student Assembly (ESA) 2026 because I have become increasingly interested in a question: how can institutions stay close with the people they represent? Through my involvement in student representation - both within my Alliance, CIVICA, and in the FOREU4ALL Student-led Community - I have been exposed to a range of approaches to student participation. This comparative perspective made me more aware of the potential of these structures, but also of their inconsistencies across alliances. ESA, therefore, was an opportunity to reflect on these differences in a policy-oriented setting and to integrate student input into European-level discussions.
At ESA, I served as coordinator of Panel 6, focused on higher education and interdisciplinarity. My role was less about leading in a directive sense and more about facilitating a process among students with diverse academic and national backgrounds. We were analysing different assumptions about what higher education should prioritise and how European cooperation should support it. During the online meetings leading up to April and the in-person session at the European Parliament, the need to reconcile these perspectives within limited time made of this process an interesting challenge.
What surprised me most was how difficult it is to translate broadly shared principles into actionable proposals. Concepts such as interdisciplinarity or European cooperation tend to generate consensus among students, they go without saying, yet pose significant questions when they need to be applied to specific contexts. At the same time, I was struck by how quickly a group can develop a sense of cohesion when working towards such outcomes. It was interesting to observe how this dynamic could unfold much more rapidly under the conditions created by ESA.
What I took away from the experience is less about the ten final recommendations my panel finalised - which, nonetheless, were all adopted - and more about participation itself. ESA reinforced the idea that meaningful engagement is not simply about representation, but about the ability to work through complexity, to listen attentively, and to accept compromise as part of the process. It also allowed me to reflect more critically on the differences I had observed across alliances, and on what conditions are necessary for student participation to move from being formal to deep and permanently enshrined in the alliance procedures.
Once one considers that education is not formally a EU competence, yet has remained on the European agenda since the inception of the Union, it becomes even clearer that the “Europe of Knowledge” is an objective worth continuously reaffirming. In this sense, European University Alliances, such as CIVICA, are extraordinary yet tangible expressions of this spirit, and bring it closer to students’ everyday realities. ESA did not resolve the questions that led me to apply, but it helped refine them, offering a reinforced commitment to the sustainment of participatory processes at the European level.
Maria:
I had the opportunity to participate in the European Student Assembly (ESA) 2026 in Strasbourg as part of CIVICA, and it was honestly one of the most meaningful academic and personal experiences I’ve had so far.
I applied because I wanted to be part of a space where young people from all over Europe come together not only to discuss challenges, but to actively work on policy solutions. As a public policy student and someone deeply involved in youth work and international cooperation, I was curious to experience how real policy discussions are shaped in a diverse, international environment. I also wanted to challenge myself — to step outside my comfort zone, meet new perspectives, and contribute to something bigger than individual academic work.
During the Assembly, I was part of Panel 6: Educating Without Borders, where we worked intensively on developing policy recommendations focused on education, accessibility, and equal opportunities across Europe. The process was very dynamic — full of discussions, debates, compromise, and continuous rewriting until we reached proposals that reflected different national realities and shared European values.
Beyond my own panel, I also actively participated in debates in two other panels: Strengthening Democracy and Engaging Citizens and Unlocking Digital Potential. This allowed me to engage with topics closely linked to my academic and professional interests, especially around governance, civic participation, and the role of digital transformation in democratic systems.
One of the most memorable parts of ESA was also the final stage: being in the European Parliament in Strasbourg and voting on all the policy recommendations after months of preparation and discussion. That moment felt both exciting and meaningful. It gave us a real sense of how decision-making processes work at a European level and what it means to transform ideas into collective outcomes. As a public policy student, sitting in that space and actively participating in the voting process was a truly valuable and almost surreal experience.
What surprised me the most was the level of collaboration and openness among participants. Despite coming from different countries, disciplines, and political perspectives, there was a shared commitment to listening, debating respectfully, and building something together. It made the entire process feel genuinely European in the best sense — diverse, but united in purpose.
For me, ESA was not only about policy writing. It was about learning how to communicate under pressure, defend ideas while respecting others, and find common ground in complex discussions.
Most importantly, I left Strasbourg with new friendships, stronger networks, and a deeper motivation to continue working in public policy and youth empowerment. Representing CIVICA in this setting was a real honor, and the experience strengthened my belief that young people are not just participants in Europe’s future — they are active contributors to shaping it!
