EUNICE Students Strengthen Their Role in Europe: ESAB Leaders Join ESU Steering Committee and Shape the Future of Alliances at FOREU4ALL
EUNICE once again demonstrates the strength of its student governance: our student representatives have achieved two major milestones on the European stage. Not only have Maja Maćkowiak (PUT) and Gabriele Bonfanti (UNICT), Coordinators of the EUNICE Student Advisory Board (ESAB), been appointed to the newly established Steering Committee of the European Students’ Union (ESU) Conference of Alliances (CoA), but they also played leading roles during the FOREU4ALL Student-Led Community Event in Brussels.
Together, these accomplishments reflect the growing impact and professionalism of EUNICE students in shaping policies, cooperation mechanisms and the future of the European Universities Initiative.
What is ESU and the CoA?
- The European Students’ Union (ESU) represents more than 20 million students across 45 national unions and plays a key role in shaping European higher education policy.
- The Conference of the Alliances (CoA) gathers student representatives from all European University Alliances to strengthen cooperation, exchange best practices and promote student participation in governance.
EUNICE has been steadily building its role within ESU since 2023, and in 2025 ESAB officially became a permanent member of the CoA. The selection of Maja and Gabriele for the Steering Committee marks the next level of this collaboration.
Why this appointment matters
The Steering Committee will guide the work of the CoA, support ESU’s policy development and act as a liaison between ESU and all Alliances. Having two EUNICE representatives in this core group confirms:
- the maturity of EUNICE’s student governance model,
- the trust placed in EUNICE students at European level,
- the Alliance’s strategic contribution to shaping the future of the European Universities Initiative.
This is a collective success shared by the ESAB and the entire EUNICE community—students, staff and partners—who consistently support student participation at all levels.
ESAB Representatives Lead Workshops and Shape Best Practices at FOREU4ALL
Shortly after joining the ESU Steering Committee, EUNICE students showcased their leadership once again during the FOREU4ALL Student-Led Community Event, held in Brussels from 26 to 28 November 2025.
Representatives from PUT (Poland), UNICT (Italy) and UPHF (France) — Maja Maćkowiak, Gabriele Bonfanti and Héloïse Fohanno — actively participated in the three-day programme focused on best-practice exchange and strengthening student cooperation across all 65 European University Alliances.
Leadership roles during the event
EUNICE delegates were not only participants — they were session leaders:
- Mobility Funding Mechanisms workshop – facilitated by Maja Maćkowiak,
- New Educational Approaches workshop – led by Gabriele Bonfanti.
Additionally, Maja and Gabriele participated in the FOREU4ALL Executive Committee meeting, contributing to discussions shaping future guidelines for student collaboration.
Their contributions helped influence new recommendations and resources supporting students across all Alliances.
Together, these two achievements clearly demonstrate that EUNICE students are shaping the European higher education landscape:
- They co-lead the governance structure of the ESU Conference of Alliances.
- They guide discussions and produce best-practice solutions for the entire European Universities Initiative.
- They represent all EUNICE partners with professionalism, expertise and vision.
The successes of the ESAB are an important contribution to EUNICE’s mission: empowering students and giving them an influential role in building the universities of the future.
