The General Assembly, Circle U.’s highest decision-making body, approved her re-election on 26 May. The Alliance President’s term runs until August 2027; her Vice-President is the Rector of the Università di Pisa, Prof. Dr Riccardo Zucchi. The day before, the rectors and presidents of the nine member universities had already met to discuss strategies for a follow-up application for EU funding for Circle U. from November 2027 onwards.
On her re-election, von Blumenthal said: “I am delighted that our European partners have once again placed their trust in me for the upcoming transition phase of Circle U. In the coming months, the focus will be on positioning our alliance well for long-term cooperation. The discussions in Belgrade have once again highlighted how important exchange and solidarity are among European universities.”
Support for Serbian partner university
In addition to strategic issues concerning the alliance, the political situation in Serbia also dominated discussions surrounding the General Assembly. For more than a year, students at Serbian universities in particular have been protesting against corruption and for reforms to uphold the rule of law. The University of Belgrade has publicly expressed its solidarity with the protests and has become a central hub of the movement. As a result, the university is under considerable political pressure. The situation also calls into question academic freedom in the country.
In this context, Circle U. has stood in solidarity with its partner university. The HU Presidium has also already publicly criticised the Serbian government’s actions towards the University of Belgrade and expressed its solidarity with the university community. On the sidelines of the meeting in Belgrade, discussions took place with the Ambassador of the European Union as well as with ambassadors from several European countries. In addition, the President of HU and Circle U. and the Secretary General of the Alliance took part in a panel discussion entitled “Universities under Pressure: Academic Freedom, Democracy and European Solidarity”.
European University Alliance Circle U.
Circle U. is part of the European Commission’s “European Universities initiative” and has been funded since autumn 2020. The aim is to pool the strengths of renowned European universities and, through shared structures, offer innovative European teaching and learning programmes. In doing so, the initiative seeks not least to strengthen European values and cooperation. In addition to Humboldt-Universität, Circle U. comprises Aarhus University, the University of Belgrade, King’s College London, the University of Oslo, Université Paris Cité, the University of Pisa, the University of Vienna and the Université Catholique de Louvain.