The EUPeace Student Council was represented at the European Universities Initiative (EUI) Forum 2026 at Maynooth University, Ireland, by its Vice-President, Leon Hebeisen, who joined an international panel exploring the evolving role of students in shaping the future of European University Alliances.
Strengthening student involvement
As a panellist in the breakout session Students as Builders and Testers of Alliances, Hebeisen contributed alongside representatives of the European Students’ Union (ESU), the Arqus Alliance, ENGAGE.EU, and the European Association for International Education (EAIE). The discussion examined how European University Alliances can move beyond traditional models of student consultation towards genuine co-creation, enabling students to become active partners in governance, project development, institutional transformation, and the long-term strategic development of their alliances. Drawing on his experience as Vice-President of the EUPeace Student Council and his involvement in the FOREU4ALL project, Hebeisen emphasised the importance of creating meaningful opportunities for students to engage in alliance activities from the outset.
Students are not just the future of European higher education. They are already helping to build it.
Opportunities for student engagement at EUPeace
A central example highlighted during the discussion was the EUPeace Students’ Peace Declaration, a student-led initiative developed collaboratively by representatives from across the Alliance. Rather than responding to an existing institutional framework, students took the initiative to create a shared declaration reflecting their collective vision of peace, dialogue, inclusion, and responsibility. The Declaration demonstrates how meaningful student engagement can contribute not only to individual initiatives but also to the identity, values, and long-term sustainability of a European University Alliance. Reflecting on his own journey within EUPeace, Hebeisen also shared how an unexpected invitation to attend one of the Alliance’s early governance meetings marked the beginning of his engagement with the European university cooperation. What began as a single opportunity evolved into a sustained commitment to strengthening student representation, fostering cross-Alliance collaboration, and advancing student-led initiatives within EUPeace. His experience illustrated one of the discussion’s central messages: students often do not lack motivation, they simply need meaningful opportunities to become involved.
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Meaningful exchange at the EUI Forum 2026
Beyond the panel discussion itself, the Forum provided an important platform for dialogue, collaboration, and knowledge exchange among students, university leaders, policymakers, and alliance representatives from across Europe. It also offered valuable opportunities to strengthen existing partnerships, establish new connections, and exchange perspectives on the future of the European Universities Initiative.
Leon Hebeisen’s participation reflects the EUPeace Student Council’s continued commitment to ensuring that students play an active role in shaping the future of European higher education, not only as beneficiaries of the European Universities Initiative, but as partners, leaders, and co-creators of its development.
Hebeisen shared his impressions of the Forum on his social media.
