Following the invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation, the European University Association (EUA), which represents more than 850 universities and national rectors’ conferences in 48 European countries, stands in solidarity with the university students and staff of Ukraine as well as with the entire population of the country. EUA condemns this aggression in the strongest possible terms, is fully committed to peaceful co-operation, mutual understanding and tolerance across borders, and despite the current situation continues to hope for reflection, restraint and a swift end to the crisis.
In order to support Ukraine, EUA:
- Calls on its members and academic communities more generally to do whatever they can to denounce and press for an end to the war, and to provide assistance through whatever means possible to support university communities and all those affected by this conflict.
- Commits to engaging continually with its Ukrainian member universities to establish their needs for support; will provide whatever assistance it can to Ukrainian universities, to those members of the Russian academic community who oppose the aggression against Ukraine, and to the wider European higher education sector in its support efforts, by monitoring and disseminating specific support schemes and key information and through other appropriate activities.
- Will convene its member National Rectors Conferences to identify how best to work collectively to support Ukrainian members, in partnership with relevant organisations such as Scholars at Risk and the Magna Charta Observatory.
- Will, for the time being, cease contact and collaboration with any central government agency of the Russian Federation or any other country that actively supports the Russian invasion of Ukraine; calls on its members to consider doing likewise.
- Recommends to leaders of EUA member universities and National Rectors Conferences to verify and ensure that they only engage in new collaborations with organisations from Russia where these are clearly based on shared European values.
- Recognises that many education and research partnerships are based on academic peer-to peer relationships, and notes that many Russian academics, at great personal peril, have publicly criticised this invasion; advises member universities to ensure on a case-by-case basis that the continuation of existing collaborations is appropriate at this time, using national and European-level policy guidance where relevant to assess this.
- Will reiterate to the leaders of Russian members of EUA, and those of other countries in support of Russia’s actions, the core European values of EUA and of the Magna Charta Universitatum.