SFS International Committee Committee participated at the end of November in European Student Union's 85th board meeting (BM), this time in the Estonian capital Tallinn. BM is the equivalent of ESU's general council and is held once per semester. In the autumn, half of the operating year has passed for the organization. From SFS, the delegation consisted of Emma Svensson and Andreé Lindahl. Together with political secretary Amanda Beckman, the work for the meeting was prepared.
During a BM, decisions are made about everything that concerns ESU; both political and organizational issues. The only difference between a BM in the fall and a BM in the spring is that the business plan is only raised at the spring meeting since this is at the end of the financial year.
Group photo of representatives from the national student organizations in Europe
An important dimension of a BM is also to network and discuss with representatives from all European student organizations. The first days consisted of seminars where we got an insight into the Estonian education system and what it is like to study in Estonia. Estonian ministers and representatives from the Estonian Ministry of Education were present. In addition, our international colleagues from Belarusian and Ukrainian student organizations attended a panel discussion on how to engage in the student movement under extraordinary circumstances. The Belarusian Student Organization BSA told about their situation where their work and activism is seen as a threat to the Belarusian state, and the Ukrainian Student Organization UAS talked about being active in a country affected by crisis and how it affects higher education in general. The situation of students in exile as a result of war or political persecution was also highlighted.
During the BM, four main documents were discussed that concerned artificial intelligence, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI), Social Dimension (SD) and Gender-based Violence in the Academy (GBV). SFS had several demands, most of which were approved. One important demand for SFS concerned the additional costs of students that in case of placement training (VFU) should not be paid for by the individual student. Together with the Nordic-Baltic cooperation within ESU where SFS is a member, the Nordic Chairman's Meeting (NOM), we achieved an impact for proposals regarding the organization's budget.
A continuing important and prioritized issue for SFS is the work environment in ESU. SFS raised the discussion about this during the strategy for Equity, diversity and inclusivity where it was debated and discussed a lot. The motion was about the possibility of prioritizing political focus issues to create a better work environment for elected officials and to focus on selected political focus issues for better impact. Unfortunately, the motion fell by the wayside. SFS will continue to push the issue so that ESU is a sustainable and accessible organization where committed and elected officials can work under good conditions, which also produces good results.
A major success for the SFS delegation was that ESU unanimously adopted the resolution submitted by SFS to condemn the Swedish government's attack on the student movement in the form of the cuts in funding announced in this year's autumn budget. This means that ESU unanimously joins SFS in criticizing the Swedish government's upcoming cuts in funding for the student movement. The resolution can be read here.
In addition to formal debates and decisions, a BM is filled with informal and social elements. During these we forge ties and come closer to other national student organizations. Through these ties we increase knowledge and understanding of the situation of students across Europe.