Resolution on Ensuring Safety Standards in Student Dormitories Across Europe

In January 2025, a devastating fire broke out at the Ivan Cankar Student Dormitory in Ljubljana, Slovenia. The blaze occurred during the early morning hours, while most students were asleep. It resulted in the evacuation of 363 residents and left several injured, some of them seriously. Among them were students who sustained critical burns and broken bones, having jumped from windows to escape the smoke and flames. Investigations later revealed alarming deficiencies in the building’s safety infrastructure: it lacked fire alarms, emergency lighting, and accessible escape routes.

This tragic event is not an isolated case but a stark illustration of systemic issues in student housing across Europe. Many dormitories in the European Higher Education Area are decades old and were built under outdated construction codes. Safety upgrades, when they happen, are too often driven only by crisis. In some European regions, dormitories are vulnerable not only to fire hazards but also to seismic events, gas leaks, faulty electrical wiring, and structural instability. Such threats are compounded by limited oversight, underfunded maintenance systems, and opaque safety inspections.

Student housing must be more than just affordable — it must be safe. Thousands of students across Europe rely on public or institution-managed dormitories as their primary or only place of residence. For many, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds, in some cases international students, or those estranged from family support, dormitories are not only homes but lifelines. Ensuring a safe living environment is not simply a matter of infrastructure. It is a matter of student rights, equity, and human dignity.

The European Students’ Union affirms that urgent, coordinated action is needed to ensure that student accommodation across Europe adheres to modern safety standards. What happened in Slovenia must be a wake-up call for the whole continent. The safety of students must not depend on the age of the building they live in, the region they study in, or the institutional budget of their university.

Therefore, the European Students’ Union:

• Calls upon all national governments to adopt and enforce comprehensive safety regulations in student housing that address fire safety, seismic resilience, electrical safety, and structural integrity.
• Urges higher education institutions, ministries, and housing providers to carry out regular multi-risk safety assessments of all student accommodations, regardless of the year of construction.
• Demands the mandatory installation of fire detection systems, clearly marked and accessible emergency exits, and smoke ventilation systems in all student residences.
• Encourages the implementation of yearly emergency drills and mandatory safety information sessions for students during onboarding periods.
• Calls for the creation or expansion of EU and national funding mechanisms to support the renovation of outdated student housing, prioritizing safety-related upgrades.
• Emphasizes that no student should live in housing that endangers their health or life, and that safe housing is a non-negotiable element of the right to education.