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“EUROPEAN STUDENTS’ UNION” 

international non-profit organisation 

Brussels (Belgium) 

Number 0896.361.756 

As adopted at the 88th Board Meeting in Oslo, Norway

November 2024

1. Denomination 

The name of the international non-profit organisation is “European Students’ Union”, abbreviated “ESU”. 

2. Head Office 

The head office of ESU is in the Brussels- Capital Region. The head office can be relocated within the territory of the Brussels Capital Region by decision of the Executive Committee. 

3. Objective of the Association 

3.1. Aims of the Association 

ESU has the following goals: 

• to promote the views of students on the educational system as a whole. 

• to promote the social, economical, political and cultural interests of students and the human rights of students which have a direct effect or an indirect effect on education and on the status and welfare of students in society. 

• to promote equal opportunities for all students regardless of their political belief, religion; ethnic or cultural origin, gender, sexual orientation, social standing or any disability they may have. 

• to promote access to quality higher education for all people. 

• to promote European and global cooperation and to facilitate information exchange with students and students’ organisations. 

• to promote co-operation with other organised groups in matters pertaining to education and student life. 

• to provide assistance and support to students’ unions in Europe in their work to protect student interests. 

In pursuing these objectives and by bringing together students unions, ESU represents the views of students to all actors in the field of education and student life in general. 

3.2. Activities 

In order to realise its objectives, ESU will: 

• collect, summarise and distribute information between the member organisations;
• organise seminars, meetings and trainings; 
• develop policies and issue demands; 
• promote ESU policies and principles amongst other stakeholders in Education, both on a European and National level; 
• run campaigns.

ESU shall co-operate with bodies which are relevant to fulfilling its objectives as long as the activities of these organisations do not contradict the principles of ESU. It shall also carry out all other activities conducive to the realisation of the above aims and objectives. 

4. Definition of membership 

Involvement in ESU can be obtained as: 

• Member; 
• Candidate; 
• Associate Organisation. 

Only organisations which act in accordance with the Statutes, the Standing Orders and the Financial Standing Orders can become involved in ESU. 

The application shall consist of a written and signed application letter, the statutes and standing orders, a summary of the plan of work and the completed ESU membership questionnaire (all in English, statutes and standing orders in English and the original language). These documents shall be sent electronically 

A member, candidate or associate organisation can withdraw their membership of ESU by notifying the Executive Committee in writing. 

4.1. Member 

4.1.1 The members of ESU are National Unions of Students in Europe, legal entities constituted according to the law – statutes and usages – of their countries of origin:

• who are controlled and run by students; 
• who hold democratic elections and are run on a democratic basis; 
• who are representative; 
• who are autonomous and independent in their decision-making; 
• whose objectives are in accordance with the objectives of ESU as stated in the Statutes. 

4.1.2 National Unions of Students must be open to all students from universities and/or other higher education institutions in the country concerned, regardless of their political conviction, religion, ethnic or cultural origin, gender, sexual orientation, social standing or any disability they may have. 

4.1.3 The members of ESU have the right: 

• to vote and to speak at meetings; 
• to put forward motions and to nominate candidates. 
• to be mandated by the EC or Presidency to represent ESU in whatever capacity deemed necessary. 
• to apply for chairing working groups. 

4.1.4 The members of ESU have the obligations to: 

• to update the information in the membership questionnaire of ESU regularly.
• to attend the Board Meetings. 
• to pay the established membership fees.

4.1.5 Reassessment of member NUSs will take place on a cyclical basis, as outlined in the Membership Strategy. In addition, the EC or the Board can, in consultation with the EC member or coordinator mandated to follow up on membership issues, propose to re-assess the membership of a member of ESU. Before proposing to the BM to reassess a member the concerned member must be given the chance to comment on the proposal and the reasons for the reassessment. If the BM votes in favour of a review, a study visit team will be established in which the NUS which is to be re-assessed cannot be a member. The study visit team reports latest at the BM after the next where then a decision can be taken. 

4.1.6 If two or more full member unions of ESU merge, fuse or dissolve themselves to erect one organisation that covers all of the previous member unions, the full membership of ESU will be inherited from the respective previous organisations. However, the membership is inherited under the condition of a membership assessment Study visit that has to be conducted before and reported at the second BM after the merge or fusion has been officially announced to the Board. 

4.1.7 If a member does not attend four consecutive BMs, that member will be deemed to have withdrawn from ESU. The member involved will be notified in writing after missing three consecutive BMs and at least 60 days in advance of the next BM. Only physical absences to the whole meeting or a missed registration and presence at a virtual BM (for at least three roll-calls) are considered for this purpose. 

4.1.8 If a member fails to pay membership fee and/or declare TDI or has any other debt with ESU invoiced not later than 30 days before the Board meeting the voting rights will be suspended, unless an agreement has been reached between the EC and the debtor. 

4.1.9 If a member defaults on payment of membership fees or has any other debt with ESU for two or more years without the consent of the BM, this member will be deemed to have withdrawn from ESU. The member involved will be notified in writing 3 months prior to the two years expiring. 

4.2. Candidate 

No decision to grant full membership can be taken without a study visit. For this purpose, in the case of prolongation of candidate status it is required to have organised a new study visit (after the decision to prolong the candidate status). 

During the first three Board Meetings as candidate member, a decision on the status candidate member can only be taken after a study visit has been organised, provided that the Board Meeting has accepted its application for membership. 

During the candidacy term, a study visit must be organised to evaluate the candidate member. A decision on the status of a candidate member must be taken by the Board at the first Board Meeting conducted after the study visit or after three completed Board Meetings as candidate member. At this point, the Board may decide to grant membership, refuse membership or prolong the candidate status of the applying union by maximum of four ordinary Board Meetings thereafter. Should the Board decide to prolong the candidacy of the applying union, a new study visit must be organised. After no more than four ordinary Board Meetings, the Board must decide to either grant membership or refuse membership to the applying union. The Union may reapply for a new candidate status after the refusal.

Candidates have the right to: 

• attend ESU meetings, except closed parts of the Board meeting; 
• speak at ESU meetings, except closed parts of the Board meeting; 
• put forward motions at the Board Meeting, with support of a full member. 

4.3. Associate Organisation 

4.3.1 Student organisations working in at least 8 countries party to the European Cultural Convention are eligible to become associate organisations. 

4.3.2 Associate organisations have the right to: 

• attend all ESU meetings, except closed points of the meeting; 
• speak at all meetings, except closed points of the meeting. 

4.3.3 Associate organisations have the duty: 

• to attend the Board Meetings of ESU. 

4.3.4 Organisations fulfilling the following criteria are eligible to become associate organisations: 

• have students or local/national student organisations as members; 
• are democratically run for students and by students; 
• have objectives in line with ESU objectives laid down in ESU Statutes;
• have members from at least 8 countries parties to the European Cultural Convention.

5. Working Structure 

The institutions of ESU are: 

• the Board Meeting; 
• the elected institutions of ESU: 

• the Executive Committee, including the Presidency; 
• Commission for Internal Audit; 
• Working Groups. 
• additionally, the following appointed structures are also to be considered ESU institutions:
  • the Secretariat; 

• Expert Pools; 
• Coordinators; 
• Task forces. 

All institutions of ESU are ultimately accountable to the Board Meeting or with the exception of CIA and WGs to the Executive Committee in the duration between Board Meetings. 

5.1. The Board Meeting 

5.1.1. Composition of the Board Meeting 

The Board Meeting shall be composed of all the organisations involved in ESU. It shall be the highest decision-making body within the organisation. It shall meet at least twice a year. The decisions of the Board Meeting will only be in force after the Board Meeting where they were adopted. As an exception, some provisions of the Standing Orders, determined by the Standing Orders, can be suspended by the Board during a Board meeting for urgent or extraordinary reasons. The suspension applies only for the BM during which the suspension was decided and is approved with a ⅔ majority. 

Board Meetings shall be convened at the request of the Executive Committee or at least one fifth of ESU full members, made in writing to the ESU office. The call must be issued at least 60 days in advance of the BM. The EC can decide to convene a virtual BM if the extraordinary circumstances require so. Such a decision has to be ratified by a 2⁄3 at the virtual BM. 

5.1.2. Competencies of the Board Meeting 

The Board Meeting shall: 

• Related to the Organisation 

• take decisions about plans of action, policies and resolutions; 
• take decisions about the budget; 
• take all decisions concerning changes to the statutes; 
• take the decision to disband the organisation. 

• Related to the Executive Committee 

• take all decisions concerning the election and discharging of the Executive Committee;
• take all decisions concerning the mandate of the Executive Committee;
• approve or disapprove the work of the Executive Committee; 
• grant discharge from liability to the Executive Committee. 

• Related to the involvement in ESU 

• take all decisions concerning membership status; 
• grant the status of associate organisation. 

• Related to the Working Structures 

• take all decisions concerning the election and discharging the members of the Commission for Internal Audit; 
• create, mandate and disband Working Groups; 
• elect the chair of each Working Group; 
• elect the host organisation of Board Meetings, or mandate the EC to elect the host organisation of a specific Board Meeting. 

The Board Meeting shall deal with all other matters that the Board Meeting deems necessary as provided these matters are not against the Statutes or Standing Orders. 

5.1.3. Decision making procedures in the board meeting 

The Board Meeting can only take valid decisions when an absolute majority of all members and a two-thirds majority of the total number of possible votes are present. Decisions shall be taken by an absolute majority unless otherwise specified in the Statutes or Standing Orders. 

Each country shall have an equal number of votes. If there is more than one member from a given country, the votes of that country shall be divided equally between them. If a member fails to attend the Board Meeting, it can transfer its vote(s) to another member, provided it is presented in writing to the Board Meeting. 

If a member fails to attend three consecutive Board Meetings, the member loses the right to transfer its vote(s) to another member. The member involved will be notified in writing after missing three consecutive Board Meetings and at least 60 days in advance of the next Board Meeting. Only physical absences from the entire meeting or a missed registration and presence at a virtual BM (for at least three roll-calls) are considered for this purpose. are considered for this purpose. 

The Board Meeting shall strive to reach the widest possible agreement. 

A record of the decisions of the board meetings shall be kept. These records must be accessible to all members. 

5.2. Executive Committee 

5.2.1. Composition of the Executive Committee 

The Executive Committee consists of five to seven ordinary members and a Presidency consisting of the President and two Vice-Presidents. These are all individuals. The Executive Committee is elected by the Board Meeting. 

5.2.1.1 The number of persons in the EC is decided by a motion to be treated before the EC elections and supported by an absolute majority and this decision will stay in force unless decided otherwise. 

5.2.1.2 The term of mandate of all the members of the EC is for one (1) year and starts on the first of (1) August and ends on the thirty first (31) of July. The period between the elections and the first (1) of August is to be considered one of transition between the present EC and the elected members. 

5.2.1.3 A gender balance of at least 40% of men and 40% of women in the ESU Executive Committee excluding the members of the Presidency must be assured. The Presidency (excluding the President) needs to be equally gender balanced. 

5.2.2. Competencies of the Executive Committee 

The Executive Committee is responsible for the execution of the decisions of the Board Meeting, political affairs and the overall finances of ESU. 

The Executive Committee shall: 

• take initiative to promote the views of ESU; 
• be responsible of the external representation of ESU; 
• implement the decisions, resolutions and policies of the Board Meeting; 
• appoint the secretariat; 
• design partnership agreements with other organisations; 
• report to the Board Meeting on all its activities, as specified in the standing orders;
• draw up the agenda for the Board Meetings in cooperation with the Secretariat;
• meet at least once between Board Meetings. 

The Executive Committee has the right to speak and to put forward motions in Board Meetings. 

5.2.2.1 The EC may delegate competencies and responsibilities to the Presidency who must report to the EC at every meeting. The EC may not delegate issues concerning setting the political strategy, the selection of coordinators and appointing internal task forces and steering committees of expert pools, and the overall financial wellbeing and development of the organisation. 

5.2.3. The Presidency 

The Presidency shall be the operational decision-making body within the organisation and is responsible for the day-to-day coordination and management of the organisation and steering of its institutions. In addition, they shall be responsible for the organisation’s lobby work and coordination of policymaking. The presidency members as a whole and individually are considered legal representatives of ESU. 

The Presidency is responsible for the preparation of the Executive Committee meetings and must report on its activities to the Executive Committee at every meeting. 

5.2.4. The President 

The president shall be responsible for the coordination of the work of the Executive Committee and carry out the day-to-day financial affairs of ESU. 

5.2.5. The Vice-President 

The Vice-Presidents shall be responsible for the coordination of the work of the Secretariat and carrying out the day-to-day financial affairs of ESU. 

5.2.6. Decision-making procedure in the Executive Committee 

The members of the Executive Committee shall endeavour to reach the widest possible measure of agreement. Decisions in the Executive Committee shall be taken by simple majority, unless otherwise specified in these statutes or ESU’s standing orders. The quorum of the Executive Committee shall be at least half of the members. The EC can approve its own Rules of Procedure, compliant with these statutes and ESU’s Standing Orders, with a ⅔ majority. 

5.2.7 Resignation of EC members 

5.2.7.1 Until discharged by the BM all members of the EC shall be fully accountable to the BM for their actions. 

5.2.7.2 Only the BM can grant resignation to a member of the EC. In case of resignation of an EC member, more than thirty (30) days before the start of a BM, the Executive Committee has to open a call and select a new EC member. This selection has to be ratified by simple majority by the following Board meeting. If the resignation of an EC member falls within thirty (30) days of the start of the BM, a call must be issued and an election takes place at the BM. 

5.2.7.3 In case of resignation of more than one third of EC simultaneously the Board Meeting decides on how to proceed. 

5.2.8. Non-Election of EC and President or Vice-Presidents of ESU 

5.2.8.1 In case no President is elected, the current President can, by a simple majority vote, continue until the next Board Meeting. If the current President does not wish to continue, one of the current Vice-Presidents can by a simple majority vote continue as President until the next Board Meeting. If one or both Vice-Presidents(s) of ESU are not elected and the President and the member(s) of the EC are elected, the EC will decide which member(s) of the EC shall be deemed as the Vice-President (s). This decision must be ratified by the Board by absolute majority at the subsequent Board Meeting.

5.2.8.2 If one or more positions under five people in the EC (except for the President and Vice-President) remain unfilled by the closing of the Board Meeting, the EC shall issue a call to select person(s) to form part of the EC within two months of the end of the BM. This decision must be ratified by absolute majority at the subsequent Board Meeting. 

5.8.2.3 In case the EC has more than eight members and one or more positions over the eight is left unfilled, the EC will be considered to be complete in the size it has been elected until the next  Board Meeting. 

5.2.9 Signature 

Financial matters up to 1000 Euro are the competency of all members of the Presidency and by the EC mandated staff. Each of them individually can engage ESU for these matters after agreement from the rest of the Presidency. All other acts that engage ESU are, except special powers of attorney, signed by two members of the Presidency or at least one member of the Presidency, being the President or the Vice-President who is responsible for ESU finances, and one mandated member of the ESU staff. 

5.3. The Secretariat 

5.3.1. Composition of the Secretariat 

The composition of the Secretariat is a matter of the Executive Committee. The Secretariat is accountable to the Executive Committee. The Executive Committee mandates a member of the Secretariat to be Head of Secretariat, with the following attributions:

• to lead the Secretariat and thus the staff; 
• to assist the Executive Committee in the day-to-day financial affairs of the organisation;
• to present the views of ESU to third parties. 
• to act as legal representative of ESU together with the presidency. 

5.3.2. Competencies of the Secretariat 

The secretariat shall: 

• assist the Executive Committee in the execution of decisions taken by the Board Meeting or Executive Committee. 

All members of the Secretariat only have speaking rights in the Board Meeting. 

6. Judiciary Actions 

The Executive Committee is fully responsible for judiciary actions and represents the organisation in all legal and judiciary procedures. 

7. Standing Orders 

All matters not dealt with by the mandatory provisions of Belgian laws or these statutes of ESU are regulated by the Standing Orders and Financial Standing Orders. The current standing orders were approved during the 83rd ESU Board Meeting. The EC is mandated to change the Statutes in regard to the BM in which the last version of the Standing Orders were approved, without a vote of the BM. 

8. Amending the Statutes 

The Board Meeting may amend the Statutes by three-quarters majority of the votes cast, provided that notice of the proposed amendments have been submitted in writing to the ESU Office not less than fourty days in advance, and the ESU Office has notified all members of ESU of such amendments not less than thirty days in advance of the Board Meeting. The amended articles should be discussed in the light of the chapter of the article. 

9. Dissolution of the Organisation 

The Board Meeting can decide on the dissolution of the organisation with a three quarters majority of the votes present at two consecutive Board Meetings. In this case the Board Meeting that dissolves shall decide to which organisation or organisations of similar aims it shall hand over all of its assets, by a three quarters majority.

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The European Students’ Union (ESU) was founded on these exact principles and they have always remained an integral part of our work. 

The strategy outlines our priorities within the broader area perpetuating human rights. It is important to understand that all the priorities should be viewed as equal. With this strategy, we hope to consolidate our current work that has been centred around the Students’ Rights Charter. Much of this work has been realised through solidarity statements and partnerships with European institutions such as the Council of Europe and the European Union. Some priorities are directly action-orientated, while others are more closely related to our way of conducting work. 

ESU’s ethics 

The principles of human rights should be embedded in all of ESU’s work by adopting a  human rights centred approach. Human and students’ rights are two sides of the same coin that cannot be separated. As such, it is important that ESU not only promotes the Students’ Rights Charter, but that the work is also continuously being linked with that of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other landmark documents. 

ESU should be aware of its unique platform as a European organisation with strong National Unions of Students (NUSes) that have local knowledge about problems and solutions. A direct consequence is that ESU should not involve itself in domestic issues without consulting and seeking approval from  the NUS (or NUSes) of that country. 

In its public appearances, ESU should also consider the possible interpretations of its actions. This includes, but is not limited to, whom we cooperate with, whom we appear together with, as well as our partners and sponsors. A guideline is that ESU representatives should not appear together with high-level representatives of countries that are currently perpetrating aggressive and oppressive actions in an open conflict or have been within the past 6 months, are known to violate Human Rights systematically and gravely, or have violated Human Rights systematically and gravely within the past year. This shall also apply for representatives and public figures known to support such conflicts and/or violations. Exceptions can only be made in cases where the Executive Committee (EC) deems it in accordance with the overall ideals and aims of the organisation and the representative has a direct connection to education-related issues. Any such decision must be made in majority by the EC and be properly documented. The EC answers to the Board for any such exceptions, and must present sufficient reasons for any exception at the next possible Board Meeting and inform the board clearly about the motivation at the moment of the decision. All participants must be provided with sufficient information to make an informed decision if they wish to attend such meetings or appear in the media with these representatives. 

Some of ESU’s NUSes are operating in countries with grave human rights violations, discrimination of minority groups and/or conflicts taking place on a daily basis. While it is important that these NUSes are included in ESU on equal terms and not judged based on their respective government’s actions, ESU should take the following precautions when deciding whether to host statutory events in these countries. As a defining rule, every ESU event should live up to the freedom of speech and expression. This means that ESU should never be in a situation where any NUS or speaker feels restrained or being held from attending an ESU event due to their beliefs or opinions not being acceptable and safe to express. It is ESU’s responsibility that all participants at events can act and speak freely within the limits of the Code of Conduct and that the values stated within ESU’s Anti-Discrimination statement are upheld. Furthermore, if there are genuine concerns for the safety of participants after the decision to host the event was taken, the EC should investigate the issue and decide if the statutory event should or should not take place in this country. The board should be informed of all the details.  

The Board should be presented with a summary of the latest available UN Universal Periodic Review and on present and relevant information related to human and students rights within the proposing host country, compiled by the Human Rights & Solidarity Coordinator before deciding on any Board Meeting hosts, so as to create an informed decision-process. The summary should outline the country’s human rights, covering aspects such as equality, legal frameworks, progress, violations, compliance with international human rights law and standards representation, and minority rights. All unions applying to host statutory events, must present comprehensive information about the autonomy of the event and the security of the delegates, including but not limited to, how they will ensure safe access of marginalised groups and groups targeted in local conflict.

NUSes responsibilities 

All NUSes that are members of ESU are also expected to uphold the ideals of human rights and students’ rights in their work. In this regard, direct attacks targeted towards students’ rights should be answered by the NUS, though ESU should offer its capacities. Attacks on students’ rights as stipulated by the Students’ Rights Charter and attacks on academic freedom are of grave concern to ESU, and something that the NUSes are expected to pay specific attention to within their countries.   

It is important to stress that the membership criteria of ESU should be fulfilled by the NUS at all times. ESU, being an umbrella organisation, is only as good as its members, and because of this, we cannot accept that members do not commit to the basic membership criteria. Should an NUS be deemed not to fulfil the membership criteria anymore, the Board should react to it, so as to protect ESU’s reputation and work. 

Based on the principle of mutual respect between ESU and its member unions, the NUSes are expected to treat ESU’s work in the area in an adequate and respectful manner. In particular we want to emphasise the use of ESU statements on human rights, which should never be amended or published within another context without prior approval from ESU. It is important to note that these statements are often a result of sensitive and respectful discussions, in order to reach a strong statement that all NUSes can attest to. Misusing ESU’s statements creates mistrust to ESU and harms our solidarity work. 

Human rights capacity building 

ESU should structure its human rights capacity building within four pillars: information, awareness, support, and partnership. While the fundamentals of ESU’s work lays with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other landmark documents, ESU will put the emphasis on human rights issues related to higher education, since that is our area of expertise. 

ESU should be able to inform its members and other relevant stakeholders about human rights and student issues. More specifically, this could often be done through building training capacities that can be requested by the NUSes. The Human Rights and Solidarity Coordinator should not only carry out this capacity, but it should also be present within the Trainers Pool. The aim of the information and training should be to empower other students to raise awareness about and react to human rights violations. 

Secondly, ESU should stay updated on human rights violations, and help to raise awareness of these, in a way that fosters positive progress and protects the involved persons or organisations from further attacks.

Thirdly, ESU should continue to support those students and organisations that are in need. It should be a priority for ESU to strengthen its work within this area, so as to create stronger support tools than solidarity statements only. It is important that ESU also possesses the capabilities to support in more direct ways through advocacy and training.

Lastly, ESU should continue to forge partnerships within the human rights area. While ESU holds a unique position being a student representative with strong support for human rights, we do still rely on support from other and larger organisations in order to achieve our goals. , but more partners should be added to the list. However, it is important that the partnerships are entered with specific objectives agreed upon beforehand, so as to make the success of the partnership easier to measure.

Human rights advocacy 

It is important that ESU continues its strong advocacy for students’ rights and human rights. The landscape of human rights is complex, but a few key-stakeholders are nevertheless identifiable. The Council of Europe, created to promote and enforce the European Convention on Human Rights, should continue to be one of ESU’s closest partners in advocating the advancement of human rights within Europe and its bordering area. ESU should engage actively with UNHCR Europe and its EARIN network to promote the rights of displaced and refugee students, and students seeking asylum, and students in refugee-like situations. In addition, ESU should promote the existing Students at Risk programs, and encourage the establishment of other programs for protection of student activists.

Currently, the European Union is also increasing its work with development and presence within human rights. In a realisation of this, ESU should strengthen its advocacy towards the EU Special Representative for Human Rights. The European External Action Service (EEAS) should also be informed about student rights in relevant contexts. It should be viewed as of paramount importance that the EU globally recognises the importance and protection of students’ rights, as a means to promote social progress. 

Two other important policy areas that can be defined are attacks on academic freedom and education in general. ESU’s strong partnership with the Scholars at Risk Network (SAR) creates a unique platform to speak out against attacks on academic freedom. However, more of ESU’s work within this area should be directed toward pushing issues within the member countries, where more subtle attacks are also taking place without ever being reported. In implementing this, ESU should look towards promoting SAR’s existing Monitoring Tool, which will also help strengthen the data available for advocacy. 

An increase in armed conflicts around the world sadly sees more attacks on education and its institutions. ESU believes education is one of the primary drivers to achieve active citizenship and democracy, and that it also provides the means to reconciliation/peaceful conflict resolution and building the path toward democracy. ESU should engage itself more in promoting “The Global Guidelines to Protect Education from Attack”, formerly known as the Lucens Guidelines, so that education and ultimately democratisation will be able to continue with the least possible impact. 

Discrimination in education on the basis of personal characteristics such as political conviction, religion, race, ethnic or cultural origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, socio-economic standing, health (physical and mental), language or any disability remains a significant challenge in higher education. ESU recognizes the importance of combating it as it undermines the principles of equity and diversity essential for a thriving academic community. ESU should engage in promoting the Convention against Discrimination in Education (CADE), a UNESCO convention that serves as a framework for eliminating discrimination in education, so that education can be accessible and equitable.

ESU’s advocacy work should be based on its adopted policies, the Human Rights Strategy and the Students’ Rights Charter, so as to ensure that the NUSes are ultimately in control of what is being advocated.

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Tip: If you download the .pdf file and open it with a pdf reader (e.g. Adobe Acrobat) you can navigate through the Standing Orders via the clickable Table of Contents!

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Membership Strategy

Introduction

European Students’ Union is an umbrella organisation for student representatives in Europe. The members of ESU are National Unions of Students (NUS) in Europe. Through its members, ESU represents almost 20 million students in Europe. Its possible expansion strongly corresponds with Europe’s institutional, geographical and cultural borders. A common denominator is that all NUS strive for better systems of higher education across Europe. 

ESU’s strength is defined by its members. Only organisations which are stable, independent and represent students at national levels should be members of ESU. Because ESU members are very different from each other and do not have unified structures, it is crucial to individually evaluate their current work, the actual level of representation of students in the country, the scope of independence and procedures of electing their representatives. 

ESU, as a diverse and democratic organisation, should have a clear overview of the organisational situation and structures of its members; at the same time organisations coming from different European states have diverse conditions and origins. Because of the organisational expansion, there is a need to have useful tools for following members’ activities, which can be used to assist them to meet, and ensure their constant fulfilment of the membership criteria. 

The Membership strategy outlines the main political priorities within the broader meaning of membership issues, mainly tackling the understanding of membership criteria, standards for study visits, reassessment procedures, and support to NUS.

Membership criteria

ESU membership criteria are a critical issue for ESU membership policies, as these criteria guarantee that all the members, despite their organizational and structural differences, share a common core of beliefs and values and adhere to the same fundamental principles of student organizations and representation. In order for an NUS to meet the membership criteria, it has to ensure that:

• It is controlled and run by students. Students should have decisive power and control over the organisation. This does not preclude students on academic leave or recent graduates from taking part in the organisation, but the major power distribution should lay with currently enrolled students and other groups if they are represented by the organization. 
• It holds democratic elections and runs on a democratic basis. Transparent, frequent, cyclical and non-corrupted democratic elections should be an essential part of every NUS. Student voters should have access to all the information necessary to run or to cast their votes in a meaningful manner. Democratic decision-making on day-to-day issues must be assured. 
• It is representative. NUS is built on solid ground with legitimacy coming from students, NUS should represent a large number of students and at the same time have at least an ambition to influence national higher education policies. In its advocacy work and projects, the organisation equally takes into account the needs and interests of different students and student groups which it represents. 
• It is autonomous and independent in decision-making. NUSes must be financially and politically independent in decision making from any political parties, governments, and financial donors, whilst still being able to have relations to those actors. In their advocacy work, NUS’s must be sufficiently independent of external factors, decision-making bodies do not depend on external authorization when participating in this process.
• Its objectives are in accordance with ESU objectives and values, stated in the Statutes. The organization’s formal documents and its work and operations demonstrate that the organization’s main objectives correspond with core ESU objectives – representing students’ needs and interests and fighting for a more quality system of higher education as well as heightened accessibility and the broader availability of higher education for all members of the society. 

ESU as a diverse organisation understands and accepts NUSes  representing specific higher education systems within their country’s frameworks, and bears in mind the country’s specifications whilst assessing a NUS

Study visit

The purpose of study visits is to determine whether a NUS fulfils the ESU membership criteria and, consequently, to provide the Board with a recommendation about NUS membership. In order to do this, the study visit team should use all opportunities at their disposal to check how the member in question operates. The burden of study visit preparations must be borne by a candidate member or a reassessed NUS. However, we must also be aware that some candidate NUSes are not able to cover all the costs of the visit. As it follows from the Standing Orders, all study visit team members must be aware that some costs might have to be covered by their respective organizations.

The study visit must be carried out in accordance with the highest professional and ethical standards, respecting the confidentiality of information received. It is crucial that the study visit team is created in line with the principles of regional and gender balance. The members elected to do the study visit must nominate their representatives no later than 30 days after the BM they’ve been elected. Before this deadline, unions should communicate as early as possible their proposed nomination, so that to have time to holistically assess the gender balance within the study visit team and propose alternative nominations, if necessary. Should a nominated representative be no longer able to participate in the study visit, it has to communicate it to the Membership Coordinator at the earliest convenience, and its nominating NUS must propose an alternative nomination by 10 days after the communication of the inability by its former nomination. The new nominee should not alter the gender balance of the study visit team.

During the study visit, the study visit team must be familiar with, and constantly comply with, the ESU Statutes and Standing Orders, which are the documents according to which the whole procedure is conducted. The study visit team must evaluate the organisation being assessed in accordance with ESU membership criteria as stated in the Statutes and developed in the Membership Strategy.

The study visit team has the right to request any documents related to the operation of the assessed NUS. All the necessary documents must be requested at least 60 days before the date of the study visit, and they must be delivered at least 30 days before the study visit. Further documents can be requested after these deadlines by the study visit team, but the NUS cannot be compelled to comply. Should the study visit team need additional clarifications after the visit, documents can be requested no later than 10 days after the visit, but the NUS cannot be compelled to comply. 

The study visit team must study the delivered documents, and prepare notes about available information before the visit itself. Provided documents must be available to the Board while respecting an assessed NUS’ request to keep a document or documents confidential.

In order to determine all the necessary information about a NUS, holding meetings with the following stakeholders must be considered:

• NUS presidency and executive committee, NUS board members or equivalent bodies
• Relevant organisations in the country related to student issues
• Partner organisations of the assessed NUS
• Representatives of various local students’ unions or individual members, that they find relevant, but preferably not only those recommended by the assessed NUS
• Students who are not members of the NUS, and representatives of other student organisations, if they exist in the country
• State education institutions, such as the ministry responsible for higher education, stakeholders involved in education, quality assurance agency, research institutions
• Representatives of other relevant organisations working in the area of higher education
• Independent NGOs engaged in higher education
• International institutions working for education, such as the local UNESCO or Council of Europe department, foreign embassies.

It is important that the information gathered in these meetings is evaluated holistically in the study visit report.

The schedule for the study visit is to be proposed by the candidate NUS at least 30 days before the study visit, and it should be agreed upon between the study visit team and the candidate NUS at least 14 days before the visit. The study visit team has the right to request meetings with specific involved parties if they deem it necessary for the assessment of the candidate member organisation. It is the competence of the Membership Coordination, within the limits of its capacity, to organise the meetings no later than 10 days after the visit with those stakeholders the study visit team deem necessary to meet but the NUS was not able to organise.

The study visit report must be done as an unbiased report, which will be easily comparable with other study visit reports, and it should consist of at least the following elements:

• Overview of the current political situation in the country, in relation to the higher education system, which has to include the overall structure and financing of the higher education system and any recent major changes in the national higher education area
• Summary from all the meetings held during the visit
• Reports on each of the membership criteria, according to the organizational capacities framework
• Constructive feedback to the assessed NUS identifying areas to develop.
• Any additional information that might be worthwhile for a more objective assessment of NUS membership;
• Conclusion and recommendation to the Board, including one on assessed NUS’s membership status 

In case of dissenting opinions amongst the study visit team, each team member has the right to write a statement that has to be included in the study visit report.

The Study visit report, together with the potential candidate NUS comments, are delivered to the ESU Board.

Handbook for Study Visits

A handbook for conducting study visits should be followed by study visit teams and used by the Board to oversee the minimum standards for the study visit procedures. The aim of this document is to secure comparable and reliable study visits reports guidelines, a mutual understanding of membership criteria and furthermore standards for study visit procedures, in order to assess whether an organisation meets the necessary conditions for joining the European Students’ Union as a full member.

Reassessment

Due to the need to continuously strive for a strong and solid organisation, unions must ensure they embrace the core values of ESU and continue to uphold and preserve these values whilst in membership. Continuous reassessments of unions provide ESU with a good platform to learn from each other, and for discussing democratic values and sustainability within student unions.

As ESU encourages NUSes to be active organisations and working within ESU is not their only responsibility, the assessment of their membership cannot be based only on their presence during official ESU events, but compliance of their activity at the national level with the membership criteria should also be verified.

Reassessment is based on a seven-year self-evaluation of every ESU member, with the board having oversight over the fulfilment of membership criteria and overall acting according to ESU values. The reassessment process is based on transparency and open access for full members of ESU to all information given by NUSes.

Every NUS is obliged to deliver a written self-evaluation report, consisting of:

• Native + Original and English version of up-to-date NUS Statutes and Standing Orders 

An official English translation might be costly for some unions, so the translation can be done without an official translation agency. These documents should provide information on NUS structure (incl. membership), working patterns, and legitimacy.

• Self-evaluation on each membership criterion 

NUS will provide self-assessment on each membership criteria defined in the ESU Statutes, following the methods used in Study visits.

• Activity report

The Activity Report should consist of highlights of the NUS activities for the past 5 years. It should also include an overview of the main present and future activities.

• Financial Statement

The Financial Statement to be delivered for the reassessment procedure differs from the one delivered for the TDI. It has to elaborate only on main sources of income, main expenses and contains a self-evaluation of NUS financial sustainability.

The Executive Committee will select the order in which the NUSes should be reassessed with regard to regional balance. NUSes also have the opportunity to proactively request being reassessed. The most recently accepted NUSes will be reassessed the last, the same as all newly accepted NUSes. Selected NUSes should be formally informed about being selected for the reassessment process, no later than 120 days before the respective BM, in order to ensure that the self-evaluation report is sent to the ESU Presidency 30 days prior to the respective BM, which will assure its accessibility to the Board. The Board will discuss the report with the respective NUS during the Board Meeting and then vote on the document. The report is adopted by a simple majority.

1. If the report is accepted, the reassessment procedure is over, and the obligation of delivering a report starts again within the timeframe.
2. If the report is not delivered, the respective NUS is granted the possibility to deliver the report to the following Board meeting in order to be voted upon again.
3. If the report is not accepted the respective NUS is granted the opportunity to improve the organisation and deliver a new report at the second Board meeting after the report was rejected.
4. If the second report is accepted, the reassessment procedure is over and the obligation of delivering a report starts again within the timeframe.
5. If the second report is not accepted or not delivered, a study visit will take place under the current provisions stated in the ESU Standing Orders. The Study visit team delivers their own report and the Board votes on this report with a simple majority. In consequence, the board will vote about the revoking of membership of the respective union with a ¾ majority as foreseen by the Standing Orders.

Associate membership

Associate members are an important link in the chain of making students policies in terms of consultation and cooperation in the field of higher education. The importance of deepening the collaboration with associate members, which can be done through policy-making processes within ESU´s structures, is evident. The knowledge which can be gained from the associate members, as well as cultural and representative diversity, are of strategic importance to ESU. It is in ESU’s vital interest to be representative for all European student movements, granted that the core values and principles are shared. Associates can attend ESU events, especially those events where they can contribute with their expertise. This cooperation and engagement will bring ESU more different viewpoints on certain issues and will give the organisation an even stronger value and standpoint in the context of representativeness.

Both Associates and ESU should reinforce each other’s messages on topics of common interest by promoting and supporting policy papers and statements. The flow of information and communication from both parties should be improved in order to ensure more efficient and effective reaching of mutual goals. ESU should specifically involve its associate members in the formulation of its policies when they deal with the field of expertise and action of ESU’s associate members.

The coordinator for membership issues should hold constant communication with all Associates via appropriate means of communication. For purposes of improving the acknowledging of possibilities of collaboration with ESU, they should be introduced to the task division among the hacks team.

With current changes in the higher education landscape on a European level discussions on student representation in newly designed structures are arising. ESU has the responsibility to monitor these changes carefully and deliberate on them with its members to ensure meaningful and democratic representation for as many students as possible. ESU should try to participate in the discourse and lobby for all student representation structures to be democratic and independent. New structures within ESU should be developed, allowing transnational student councils to become more involved in the everyday life of ESU.

Capacity building

An important part of ESU’s mission is to support NUSes in developing their capacities, and in gaining skills for stronger and more skilled student movement representation. The Trainers’ Pool should be a tool for developing full, candidate and associate members, in order to develop their capacities to strengthen ESU as a result. Capacity-building seminars should regularly take place during ESU events, alongside the projected agenda. ESU will also look for ways of supporting NUSes, which do not require physical meetings, in order to cut the costs of such support, and making it accessible for all NUSes, such as online platforms for delivering trainings to ESU members.

In the upcoming years, ESU should invest in strengthening the Pool of Trainers, promote and use it within ESU events and provide training for member organisations upon request. ESU should find a way for sustainable funding of Pool of Trainers through projects, ESU’s budget and contributions of members themself.

The Pool of Trainers activities should focus on delivering aspects of ESU’s core activities, two in particular: 

• Bringing together training and informing national student representatives on policy developments in higher education at the European level.
• Organising seminars, training, campaigns and conferences relevant to students

Furthermore, to ensure institutional memory of membership, ESU should build an online depository of policies connected with higher education and student union’s reactions, activities and projects in these areas, best practices and student representation framework. The ESU Executive Committee is responsible for the implementation of this depository. Successful implementation should enable the new student representatives and less experienced student unions to easily and quickly access the wealth of experience concerning policies that exist at the European level and also give comparable qualitative information about student representation frameworks across Europe. 

In case NUSes do not fulfil the membership criteria, thus have not been granted full membership in ESU,  but have expressed their desire to become full members, the European Students’ Union will engage in capacity building in accordance with the current organizational capabilities, in order to contribute to the development of strong and efficient student movement in all of Europe. An advisory partner NUS can be appointed to the said union, as stated in the Standing Orders. 

Annexes

1. Organisational Capacities Framework
2. ESU Membership Questionnaire
3. Handbook for a Study Visit

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