Academic freedom is eroding in the European Union, warn two studies presented to the European Parliament’s Committee on Culture (CULT) on Monday 27 March.
“Even though overall the situation is positive, still there is an erosion going on of academic freedom”, summarised Peter Maassen of the University of Oslo. In essence, according to the study, while this freedom is structurally undermined only in Hungary, there are “possible infringements or violations” in all Member States.
For him, there are six threats to academic freedom: - a political interference in determining what is scientific and what is not (e.g. by removing ‘academic paths, such as gender studies’); - governmental interference threatening institutional autonomy; - forms of commercial management of establishments; - academic intolerance; - civil society interference exacerbated by social networks; - private sector interference (through privatisation of research and an increase in SLAPPs).
It is therefore essential, Mr Maassen argued, to agree on a common and modernised definition of academic freedom, its limits and the responsibilities it entails. He also called on the EU to raise awareness on the issue and to develop a platform to facilitate reporting of violations.
To read the study: https://aeur.eu/f/62h
A call shared by his colleague Gergely Kováts, from Corvinus University in Budapest. In fact, his study argues for the creation of an independent monitoring procedure for academic freedom in the EU, assuming that a joint definition of the notion exists.
To consult his study: https://aeur.eu/f/62j
In this respect, a representative of the European Commission recalled that a definition of academic freedom had been adopted in 2022 in the framework of the ‘Bologna Process’, with data available starting in 2024. In parallel, the EU institution intends to “develop guidelines at national and institutional level” for the promotion of core academic values as part of the EU strategy for universities. (Original version in French by Hélène Seynaeve)