Abbreviation | ESN |
---|---|
Formation | 16 October 1989 |
Type | INGO |
Legal status | AISBL |
Purpose | Educational |
Headquarters | Brussels, Belgium |
Location |
|
Coordinates | 50°50′54″N4°22′18″E / 50.848256°N 4.371761°E |
Region served | Europe (38 countries) West Asia (5 countries) Central Asia (2 countries) |
Membership | Student organisations |
Official language | English [1] |
President | Ana Rita Dias |
Main organ | General Assembly (GA) |
Affiliations | YFJ (full membership) [2] LLLP (full membership) [3] Contents
|
Staff | 6 International Board members, 11 employees, 6 trainees |
Volunteers | 500+ local sections, about 15,000 volunteers (June 2024) |
Website | esn.org |
The Erasmus Student Network (ESN) is a Europe-wide student organisation. It is the largest student organisation in Europe, focusing on student mobility and internationalisation of higher education. [9]
The organisation supports and develops student exchanges, both inside the Erasmus+ programme and outside of it. The local ESN sections offer help, guidance and information to both exchange students and students doing a full degree abroad – by informing them, but also providing them with different trips or events. National and international level support the local level by providing necessary tools, as well as communicating with national Erasmus+ organisations or the European Commission in general.
The goal of the organisation is to support and develop student exchange on the local, national and international levels. It is composed of around 15,000 members distributed across 519 local sections in 45 countries in higher education Institutions, including universities, polytechnics, and university colleges.
In 1987, the European Community approved a plan to create a mobility scheme for higher education. Part of it was the Erasmus programme – an exchange programme for students to provide students with the opportunity to spend part of their studies abroad.
In 1989, the Erasmus Bureau invited 32 former Erasmus Students for an evaluation meeting in Ghent, Belgium. This meeting was the starting point for the Erasmus Student Network. The lack of peer-to-peer support was singled out as a major issue and the driving force behind the creation of the Erasmus Student Network, named for the Dutch Renaissance humanist Erasmus of Rotterdam. [10]
By 1994, ESN had 60 sections in 14 countries. In 2004, it consisted of 170 sections in and outside Europe, reaching as far as Scandinavia, the Caucasus and Morocco. In 2005, ESN established its headquarters in Brussels and legally registered as a Belgian non-profit organisation.
As of June 2024, ESN consists of 519 local associations ("sections") in 45 countries. [11]
The organisation supports students from the Erasmus programme and other bilateral agreements. It cooperates with national agencies in order to help international students – it does not, however, send people on exchanges itself.
ESN works on three levels – local, national and international. Although it is composed near-exclusively of European student associations, no rule currently prevents associations outside of Europe from applying for membership.
Originally, no conditions existed regarding the geographic limits of ESN. In 2007, membership was restricted to the borders defined by the Council of Europe with the addition of Mediterranean countries. In 2015, this rule was modified to follow the borders of the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) instead, before being relaxed in 2020 to UN member states and UN observer states, which is the current rule in place.
ESN on the local level consists of "sections" that work with international students. They organise activities like introduction programmes, get-togethers and cultural events and represent the exchange students and their needs towards academic institutions and local authorities. Every year, representatives of the local sections meet at the Erasmus Generation Meeting (EGM).
The national level represents the needs of international students towards governments and national authorities. Local sections in the same countries form a National Assembly (NA) and, each year, they elect a National Board which represents the local sections on the international level.
Below is a list of all ESN National Organisations, past and present. [11] [12]
* | Country with a single local section, which is spelled out if its name differs. Lacks the authority to admit new local sections. |
** | Candidate section |
† | Section does not exist anymore |
Country | Name | Admission | Local sections | Regional Platform | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Albania | ESN Albania (ESN Tirana) * | 2019 [13] | 1 | SEEP | |
Armenia | ESN Armenia (ESN Yerevan) * | 2022 [14] | 1 | SEEP | |
Austria | ESN Austria | 1992 | 14 | CEP | |
Azerbaijan | ESN Azerbaijan (ESN ADA Baku) * | 2007-2012, 2016 [15] [16] | 1 | SEEP | Expelled in 2012 due to not being able to fulfill their duties. Rejoined in 2016. |
Belarus | ESN Belarus † | 2016-2022 [15] [17] | - | CEP (formerly) | Expelled in 2022.[ specify ] |
Belgium | ESN Belgium | 1989 | 18 | WEP | Founding section of ESN. |
Bosnia and Herzegovina | ESN Bosnia and Herzegovina | 2006 | 2 | SEEP | |
Bulgaria | ESN Bulgaria | 2008 | 12 | SEEP | |
Croatia | ESN Croatia | 2011 | 7 | CEP | |
Cyprus | ESN Cyprus (ESN Nicosia) * | 2004-2008, 2010 | 1 | SEEP | Expelled in 2008 due to not being able to fulfill their duties. Rejoined in 2010. |
Czech Republic | ESN Czech Republic | 2002 | 19 | CEP | |
Denmark | ESN Denmark | 1990 | 6 | NEP | |
Estonia | ESN Estonia | 2001 | 5 | NEP | |
Finland | ESN Finland | 1993 | 15 | NEP | |
France | ESN France | 1998 | 33 | SWEP | |
Georgia | ESN Georgia (ESN Tbilisi ISU) * | 2011 | 1 | SEEP | |
Germany | ESN Germany | 1990 | 46 | WEP | |
Greece | ESN Greece | 1991 | 20 | SEEP | |
Hungary | ESN Hungary | 1999 | 13 | CEP | |
Iceland | ESN Iceland ** | 2007-2022 | - | NEP (formerly) | Expelled in 2022 due to not being able to fulfill their duties. Currently a candidate section to rejoin the network. [18] |
Ireland | ESN Ireland | 2000 | 10 | WEP | |
Italy | ESN Italy | 1991 | 53 | SWEP | |
Jordan | ESN Jordan (ESN Irbid) * | 2023 [18] | 1 | SEEP | |
Kazakhstan | ESN Kazakhstan (ESN Almaty) * | 2023 [19] | 1 | SEEP | |
Latvia | ESN Latvia | 2003 | 3 | NEP | |
Liechtenstein | ESN Liechtenstein (ESN University of Liechtenstein) * | 2016 [15] [16] | 1 | WEP | |
Lithuania | ESN Lithuania | 2003 | 10 | NEP | |
Luxembourg | ESN Luxembourg * | 2013 | 1 | WEP | |
Malta | ESN Malta * | 2012 | 1 | SWEP | |
Moldova | ESN Moldova (ESN Chisinau) * | 2020 [20] | 1 | SEEP | |
Montenegro | ESN Montenegro (ESN Podgorica) * | 2023 [19] | 1 | SEEP | |
Morocco | ESN Morocco † | 2004-2008 | - | SWEP (formerly) | First non-European section. Expelled in 2008 due to not being able to fulfill their duties, unrelated to the newly-enacted rule to limit the borders of ESN, which did not affect it, being a Mediterranean country. |
Netherlands | ESN the Netherlands | 1989 | 16 | WEP | A lowercase "the" is included as part the section name. |
North Macedonia | ESN North Macedonia (ESN Skopje) * | 2007-2019, 2023 [19] | 1 | SEEP | Expelled in 2019.[ specify ] It was changed from "ESN Macedonia" after the 2018 resolution of the dispute over the country's name. Rejoined in 2023. |
Norway | ESN Norway | 1993 | 7 | NEP | |
Poland | ESN Poland | 2000 | 28 | CEP | |
Portugal | ESN Portugal | 1992 | 13 | SWEP | |
Romania | ESN Romania | 2004 | 14 | SEEP | |
Russia | ESN Russia (ESN SPbSU) * | 2002-2004, 2014 [21] | 1 | NEP | Expelled in 2004 due to not being able to fulfill their duties. Rejoined in 2014. |
Serbia | ESN Serbia | 2006 | 3 | SEEP | |
Slovakia | ESN Slovakia | 2004 | 10 | CEP | |
Slovenia | ESN Slovenia | 1999 | 4 | CEP | |
Spain | ESN Spain | 1998 | 38 | SWEP | |
Sweden | ESN Sweden | 1994 | 12 | NEP | |
Switzerland | ESN Switzerland | 1994 | 14 | WEP | |
Turkey | ESN Türkiye | 2005 | 39 | SEEP | Known as "ESN Turkey" until 2023. |
Ukraine | ESN Ukraine | 2002-2011, 2019 [22] [23] | 2 | CEP | Expelled in 2011 due to not being able to fulfill their duties. Rejoined in 2019. |
United Kingdom | ESN United Kingdom | 1997 | 14 | WEP | |
Country | Name | Admission | Local sections | Regional Platform | Notes |
The International Board is the executive body of ESN International and consists of six Board Members (President, Vice President for Governance, Vice President for Development, Treasurer, Communication Manager and Web Project Administrator). Since 2005, the members of the International Board are full-time volunteers living and working in Brussels. The International Board is supported by the Secretariat composed of employed staff and trainees.
Between its foundation in 1989 and 2020, ESN held Annual General Meetings (AGM), alternating in major cities throughout Europe. Since 2021, this has been replaced by Erasmus Generation Meetings (EGM) - largest student-led conference in Europe. Other activities include annual training events of the organisation's five Regional Platforms, General Assembly Meetings (GA), Community Meetings, National Boards' Training, Social Impact and Youth Engagement training, International Erasmus Games, and others. [12]
The International Erasmus Games are a multi-sport event held annually for members of the Erasmus Student Network since 2015. [24] [25] Initiated by a coordinated effort of ESN Poland and ESN Italy, the games bring together hundreds of participants from multiple countries worldwide. [25] The first International Erasmus Games were hosted in Kraków, Poland in 2015. [25]
In 1997, the ESN Nordic Network Meeting (NNM) was established and took place for the first time in Arhus, Denmark. Starting from 2008, it would become known as the Northern European Platform (NEP). The Southern European Platform (SEP) became the second regional platform in the network in 2001, followed by the Central European Platform (CEP) in 2004. In 2007, SEP was separated into the South-Eastern European Platform (SEEP) and the South-Western European Platform (SWEP), while the westernmost countries in CEP split into the Western European Platform (WEP), creating the distribution that exists today. [12]
The current Regional Platforms and their member sections are the following:
Youth For Understanding (YFU) is an international educational exchange organization. A network of over 45 independent national organizations worldwide, YFU representatives work together to advance learning across cultures.
The AEGEE, or Association des États Généraux des Étudiants de l'Europe, known as European Students' Forum in English, is one of the largest transnational, interdisciplinary student organisation in Europe.
The Erasmus Programme is a European Union (EU) student exchange programme established in 1987. Erasmus+, or Erasmus Plus, is the new programme combining all the EU's current schemes for education, training, youth and sport, the most recent programme covering the years 2021–27.
In the European Union education is at the responsibility of its Member States and their Ministries of education that they have; in such, the European Union institutions play only a supporting and overseeing role. According to Art. 165 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, the Community
shall contribute to the development of quality education by encouraging cooperation between Member States, through actions such as promoting the mobility of citizens, designing joint study programmes, establishing networks, exchanging information or teaching languages of the European Union. The Treaty also contains a commitment to promote life-long learning for all citizens of the Union.
Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University is the international business school of the Erasmus University Rotterdam located in Rotterdam, Netherlands. RSM offers undergraduate and postgraduate programmes taught mostly in English, including MBA, executive education, and PhD programmes.
Europa Nostra is a pan-European Federation for Cultural Heritage, representing citizens' organisations that work on safeguarding Europe's cultural and natural heritage. It is the voice of this movement to relevant international bodies, in particular the European Union, the Council of Europe and UNESCO. It has consultative status with UNESCO and is recognised as an NGO partner.
The Hague University of Applied Sciences is a university of applied sciences with its campuses located in The Hague, Delft and Zoetermeer. The main campus in The Hague is located behind The Hague Hollands Spoor railway station by the Laakhaven Canal.
The University Students' Council, also known in abbreviation as KSU, is a Maltese national students' union. It is the oldest extant student organization in Europe. The KSU was established by Arturo Mercieca (1878-1969), later Chief Justice Sir Arturo Mercieca (1924-1940), in 1901 as the Comitato Permanente Universitario, also previously known as University Permanent Committee. The students union is involved in students' national and international politics.
Youth for Exchange and Understanding (YEU) is an international nongovernmental nonprofit youth organisation established in 1986. It is a member of the European Youth Forum in Brussels. YEU is recognized by the Council of Europe and the Directorate of Youth and Sports of the European Commission. YEU has its Head Office in Brussels, Belgium and a second office in Faro, Portugal, from where it coordinates a network with more than 27 member organisations from Europe and North Africa. YEU is a non-profit International Youth Non Governmental Organization (IYNGO) independent of all political affiliation.
The International Forestry Students’ Association (IFSA) is an international network of students in forestry-related sciences. It is a globally organized and locally operated student organisation connecting forest and related science students to peers, forest-related organisations, and policy platforms. The IFSA has 130 member associations in over 50 countries. IFSA is a non-political, non-profit, and non-religious organisation that is entirely run by students.
The European Democratic Education Community (EUDEC) is a European non-profit organisation that promotes democratic education as a sensible educational model for all democratic states. EUDEC aims to further democratic education in Europe. Founded in February 2008 as a project of the United Kingdom-based Phoenix Education Trust, the organisation has been an independently registered non-profit NGO in Germany since 2009.
Czech Technical University in Prague (CTU) is one of the largest universities in the Czech Republic with 8 faculties, and is one of the oldest institutes of technology in Central Europe. It is also the oldest non-military technical university in Europe.
ESN vid Åbo Akademi r.f. is the official ESN section of the Erasmus Student Network at Åbo Akademi University, the only Swedish-speaking multidisciplinary university in Finland. Even if ESN stands for Erasmus Student Network, referring to the European Erasmus programme, the section doesn't limit its program to only European students but focuses on all international minded students in Åbo, Finland.
EUF - Campus Europae is a European network which aims at the promotion of high quality student mobility and contributing to educating a generation of European graduates with an innate understanding of Europe’s unity in diversity. The project is under the patronage of the Government of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and its secretariat is in Oetrange.
The European Journalism Training Association (EJTA) is a formal network of authorized European journalism training institutes. The network has about 80 members from approximately 30 different European countries to date. The non-profit organisation was founded in Brussels in 1990.
The Faculty of Organisation Studies in Novo Mesto is an independent (private) faculty, in Novo Mesto, Slovenia. The Faculty of Organisation Studies in Novo Mesto holds ISO standards ISO 9001 and ISO/IEC 27001. In 2015, the Faculty was recognised by the Information Commissioner of the Republic of Slovenia for its efforts in the field of personal data protection.
The European Society for Paediatric Research (ESPR) is a professional association of neonatal and paediatric researchers comprising different sub-specialties. Together with its sister organisations, the American Pediatric Society (APS) and the Society for Pediatric Research (SPR), it publishes the peer-reviewed scientific journal Pediatric Research. The ESPR was founded in 1958.
Erasmus Student Network Yerevan is a local branch of the Armenian national branch of the Erasmus Student Network (ESN). ESN Yerevan was founded as a non-profit student organization and is headquartered in Yerevan.
Erasmus Student Network Armenia is the Armenian national branch of the Erasmus Student Network (ESN). ESN Armenia was founded as a non-profit student organization and is headquartered in Yerevan.
The International Erasmus Games is a multi-sport event held annually for members of the Erasmus Student Network, a student organisation for students on exchange in Europe. Held annually in different European cities home to Erasmus Student Network local sections and organised by volunteers, the games bring together hundreds of participants from multiple countries worldwide.