From 14-15 September 2023, the 2nd Congress of European University Alliances "II Forum of European Universities" was held in Barcelona on the occasion of the Spanish Presidency of the Council of the European Union.

Julius Gast, who studies at FU Berlin, is a student representative for FUB in Una Europa. He took part in the conference together with three other representatives of Una Europa. Our alliance has been an important player in the European higher education landscape since the first round of EU funding and plays a pioneering role among the alliances with its inter-university course "Joint BA in European Studies".

In several panel discussions and networking meetings, the future of the European university alliances was discussed and solutions for common problems were sought. Julius Gast especially emphasizes the alliances' focus on students and praises the recognition of the students' enthusiastic commitment by the leadership of the alliance and its university representatives:

"Since students face similar obstacles during their studies, we can learn from each other in overcoming such problems. Everyone, whether professor, staff member, or student, is committed to creating a better alliance and making everyone feel welcome. The fact that I was part of the 4-member delegation as a student representative underlines the central role that the Student Board has for Una Europa."

For Julius Gast, the exchange in Barcelona as part of Una Europa was a great opportunity to learn more about the perspectives of student engagement in university alliances. FU Berlin thanks him for his active role and enthusiastic participation as a student representative in Una Europa.