Belgium: Resolution against potential attacks on mobility, access to Higher Education and equality between European citizens
A press release from the Minister in charge of Higher Education of the Wallonia-Brussels Federation (French Community of Belgium) states that the Wallonia-Brussels Federation and France have established a working group concerning the enrolment of French students in higher education institutions in French-speaking Belgium.
The statement indicates that 20,000 French student (representing 10% of all students in French-speaking Belgium) choose to study in Belgium because France enforces a strict selection policy in higher education due to a shortage of available places, which forces many French students to seek opportunities in other French-speaking countries.
Furthermore, the Minister instrumentalizes the presence of these students by arguing that their presence imposes an excessive financial burden on the Wallonia-Brussels Federation, especially given the significantly smaller number of Belgian students pursuing studies in France.
The stated purpose of this working group is to find a solution to this “problem” that allegedly “costs” the French-speaking Belgian community too much. However, this argument is fallacious, serving primarily to justify the Ministry’s refusal to reinvest in higher education. It also opens the door to potential measures targeting French students currently residing in Belgium, such as a possible increase in tuition fees, the introduction of entrance exams, or the implementation of quotas.
This constitutes a serious attack on mobility, access to higher education, and equality among European citizens.
FEF and ESU strongly opposes the instrumentalization of the internationalization of higher education as a pretext for refusing to reinvest in the sector. We stand firmly against all discriminatory and elitist approaches to access to higher education and any potential violations of European treaties, including the Bologna Process, such as the imposition of differential treatment on students from the European Higher Education Area or restrictions on student mobility.