More than 150 students from across the EU GREEN Alliance gathered at the University of Parma for the first EU GREEN Student Conference, held on 6–7 March.
Titled “United by Learning, Committed to Change”, the conference placed students at the centre of the Alliance’s development as active contributors to shaping the future of EU GREEN. After two months of online collaboration, participants met in Parma to finalise a joint document, “A Road to Your Ideal University.”
Opening the conference, Rector of the University of Parma, Paolo Martelli highlighted the importance of student participation in the transformation of universities within the European context. The document produced during the conference aims to provide ideas and recommendations for the future development of the Alliance while reinforcing Parma’s path towards its role as European Youth Capital in 2027.
According to Beatrice Aimi, Councillor for Youth Community of the Municipality of Parma, initiatives like this help build European identity by encouraging dialogue and engagement among young people, allowing Europe to be experienced as a shared community rather than a distant institution.
The opening session also featured contributions from Francesco Carpena (President of ESN ASSI Parma), Francesco Sansone (President of the Local Youth Council), Alessandro Bernazzoli (EU GREEN Project Manager at the University of Parma), and Marco Bartoli (Rector’s Delegate for EU GREEN Work Packages Coordination).
The programme included keynote contributions from representatives of academia, European institutions and student organisations, including Giorgio Pelosi, Vice-Rector for the EU GREEN Network; Claudia Peritore from the INDIRE National Erasmus+ Agency; Dominika Guzik from ESN International; Emil Kindl, President of the EU GREEN Student Council; Agneta Morelli, leader of EU GREEN WP8 – Campus Life; and Frances Lucy, President of the EU GREEN Senate.
The conference was organised around two main working structures: a Strategy Group and a Promotion Grant Group.
The Strategy Group worked across six thematic panels — Inclusion and Diversity; Universities and Local Communities; Mobility and Opportunities; Making Sustainability Concrete and Measurable; Innovative Teaching; and European Values and Civic Participation — contributing to the drafting of the Student Declaration “A Road to Your Ideal University.”
The Promotion Grant Group, composed of 18 students from different EU GREEN universities, focused on supporting student-led initiatives aimed at promoting sustainability, inclusion and collaboration across the Alliance. Their work explored how student ideas can be developed into concrete projects, from local events to educational innovations and partnerships with external stakeholders.
The conference marked an important step in strengthening EU GREEN as a student-centred European University Alliance, fostering dialogue among students from partner institutions and encouraging long-term collaboration.
Organised by the University of Parma with the patronage of the Municipality of Parma, the event was also included in the programme of Parma European Youth Capital 2027.
The final outcome will be the publication of the student declaration alongside proposals for student-led projects addressing sustainable mobility and well-being across EU GREEN campuses.
- Vagia Niki Stergioula (Vanita)
- Elisa Pelizziari
- Francesca Zanardi
- Lorenza Nuovo
- Federica Ignoti
