Students from across Europe converged on the European Parliament yesterday to debate education policies with some of those responsible for making them.  Around 60 students from both the European Students' Union and partner organisation AEGEE gathered together with members of the Parliament's Culture and Education Committee to discuss key issues affecting the learning opportunities of young people in Europe.  Key topics for the debate were the latest developments in the Bologna Process, the EU's Strategic Framework for Cooperation on Education and Training and the Parliament's role in education policy in its forthcoming mandate. 

Hosted by Katerina Batzeli MEP, Chair of the Committee, and with committee Vice-Chairs Helga Trupel and Pal Schmitt in attendance, the meeting renewed the desire on both sides for a greater dialogue between students and parliamentarians on education policies after the elections and promoted an invaluable information exchange on both sides.

As part of the debate, ESU took the opportunity to outline its new Education Manifesto for the European Parliament elections, which sets five key priorities for action:

• Budgetary increases for mobility and the Lifelong Learning Programme;

• In partnership with the Commission to create incentives that will enable Europe to deliver balanced 20% incoming and outgoing mobility for students across the EHEA by 2020;

• Support for schemes that deliver real equity in terms of a higher education system for all, not the few;

• Support for a Students’ Rights Charter;

• Increasing the student voice within the European Parliament.