On December, 12-13 in Vienna took place an event “Universities for Enlightenment” to discuss issues concerning the role of universities in contemporary societies. As a result of the meeting, the chairmen of the Rectors’ Conferences of ten Central European countries signed a declaration indicating the threats to the basic values on which the functioning of a democratic society is based, and the university’s responsibility for shaping these values among students and the whole society such us human rights and fundamental freedoms. The leaders of the rector’s conferences stand in for solidarity for academic freedom and university autonomy in dialogue with the European Higher Education Area and public discourse.

The Vienna meeting was attended by: prof. Jan Szmidt, Conference of Rectors of Academic Schools in Poland, Rector of Warsaw University of Technology, Mg. Eva Bilimlinger, Austrian Conference of Rectors, prof. Snježana Prijić Samaržija, Croatian Conference of Rectors, Assoc. prof. Jan Hancil, Czech Conference of Rectors, prof. Dr. Peter-Andrĕ Alt, German Conference of Rectors, prof. Fabio Rugge, Italian Conference of Rectors, prof. Dr. Nenad Zrinić, Serbian Rectors’ Conference, prof. dr Marek Šmid, Slovak Rectors’ Conference, prof. dr Zdravko Kacič, Slovenian Rectors’ Conference, prof. dr Michael O. Hengartner, Swiss Conference of Rectors.

The declaration “Universities for Enlightenment” can be found here.