Comillas participates in the EUPeace event "Strengthening European Values" in Brussels

On 25 March 2025, a delegation from Comillas participated in the event "Strengthening European Values" organised by the EUPeace alliance in Brussels. Elena Aguirre, Assistant to the Vice-Rector for Strategy, Internationalisation and Academic Organisation; Teresa Morales, coordinator of EUPeace at Comillas; Marta Molina, doctoral student in International Relations; and Álvaro García, from the Communication and Institutional Relations Service attended the event.

This meeting, part of the 3work package on social impact led by Comillas, took place under the Bridge Dialogue format. EUPeace, represented by eight of its member universities, including high-ranking institutional officials, had the opportunity to exchange ideas with policy makers, other universities and university alliances, as well as with the European educational community in Brussels.

Academic freedom as a pillar of democracy

Throughout the day, the importance of academic freedom as a cornerstone of European values was highlighted. The event included speeches by Petr Osvald (Pilsen Region), Dr. Evelyn Korn (Chair of the EUPeace Governing Board) and RNDr. Miroslav Lávička, Ph.D. (Rector of the University of West Bohemia in Pilsen). This was followed by a presentation by Hélène Pauliat entitled "Universities, promoters of European democratic values".

At the round table, representatives of EUPeace, the European Commission, the Council of Europe, the European Students' Union and the European University Association discussed current challenges to academic freedom, highlighting that students are often the first to be affected by its restrictions, as evidenced by recent cases in Europe. In this regard, the need to develop specific structural support programmes for students was underlined.

Furthermore, the importance for universities to reflect European values not only in their institutional statements, but also in their policies, curricula and daily academic life was stressed. In this context, interdisciplinarity was highlighted as a key tool for the promotion of academic freedom and democracy. EUPeace promotes this approach through the European Track, an initiative that offers students opportunities for intercultural and interdisciplinary collaboration, providing them with essential knowledge on inclusion, peace and justice.

Another key message of the event was the need to ensure access to education as a global priority, as it fosters critical thinking, an essential element in any free and democratic society.

The press release with more details is available on the EUPeace website: Academic Freedom: The Cornerstone of European Values.