The role of U!REKA in an unpredictable and vulnerable European reality
26 March 2025
The geopolitical situation in Europe has changed and future developments are difficult to predict. This situation challenges European actors to reflect on their role and influence. At their recent meeting on the 10th & 11th of March, the rectors of U!REKA considered the role U!REKA can play in this current political situation and wanted to share their thoughts in an open letter to the colleagues and students of their institutions. You can read the letter here.
Dear U!REKA colleagues, students, teachers, researchers, staff members,
Recent events in Ukraine and the United States have triggered a new cascade of insights, realities, and decisions that were previously unthinkable - or at least far beyond the foreseeable horizon of European societies. First of all, our thoughts are with our partners in Odessa who are at the physical forefront of this shift in realities. We really feel close to them in these hard times. This upheaval shakes the certainties of our lives. The unpredictability of the situation and thoughts about the possible impact can provoke unease and uncertainty. It is helpful to be able to talk freely about this with family and friends, but equally so in the professional context of the U!REKA community.
And that’s what we did: during our meeting we explored what the events and facts we are facing could mean for U!REKA. What role can we play as a European university in a Europe that is becoming aware of its new, self-reliant role in securing our sovereignty and preserving our values? How might our research be affected if funding comes with a defence earmark, and how would our students and colleagues feel about this?
European values
One thing’s for sure: our prosperity and life is a shared European concern. So U!REKA, as a European University Alliance, cannot stand idle. Here's what we can do:
- Raise media literacy, for instance by offering fact checking capabilities, respect for true knowledge, for historical facts, for logical reasoning and for informed debate.
- Take steps to promote democratic awareness and critical discourse skills among our students.
- Organize and fuel the debate on our European independence and autonomy.
- Anticipate professions of the future and adapt our study programmes to societal needs.
- Contribute to increasing Europe’s resilience via our research, taking into consideration the core values of the U!REKA network.
- Provide opportunities for students and researchers from around the world who cherish European values.
Most of all we feel that we are here to strengthen our society by explaining, teaching and defending our European values. Respecting human dignity, freedom of movement and thinking, our representative democracy that seeks to balance all interest in society, equality of all, the rule of law and respect for human rights.
These are the six cornerstones of our European life that you can find everywhere, even to the extent that you tend to forget that the protection of these values can no longer be taken for granted. And that is exactly where we as a U!REKA community need to intervene.
We believe that this geopolitical crisis can be an appropriate moment to engage in debate, to use your creativity and entrepreneurship to take action.
U!REKA rectors
Geleyn Meijer – Hogeschool van Amsterdam
Riitta Konkola – Metropolia University of Applied Sciences
Koen Goethals – HOGENT University of Applied Sciences
Naomi Graham – Edinburgh Napier University
Andreas Breinbauer – University of Applied Sciences BFI Vienna
Kai-Oliver Schocke – Frankfurt University of Applied Sciences
Antonio Bélo – Polytechnic University of Lisbo