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ENGAGE.EU at the European Student Assembly in Strasbourg

From 20-22 April 2026, three ENGAGE.EU students traveled to Strasbourg to take part in the 5th edition of the European Student Assembly, one of the most dynamic student engagement events at European level.

What is the ESA?

Lisa Pauli (UMA), Joel Schröder (TiU), Jacotte Faure (ENGAGE.EU), and Maria Okolska (UNWE).

The European Student Assembly (ESA) is a flagship initiative of the #EUCVoices project. It brings together more than 240 students from 54 European University Alliances at the European Parliament. It offers a unique space where students debate, co-create policy proposals, and vote on concrete recommendations addressed to EU institutions. 

What did our students do there?
Over three days, three ENGAGE.EU students from Tilburg University, University of Mannheim, and UNWE actively contributed to the development of policy proposals across eight thematic panels, covering topics ranging from digital literacy and the circular economy to generational solidarity and EU strategic autonomy. They also took part in the final votes on the adoption of these proposals.

What did students have to say?
“ESA was an engaging and rewarding experience where we worked on policy recommendations for the European Union. I worked on the budget panel with amazing people from across Europe. The conference was the big finale, full of debates, discussions, in‑depth analysis, text revisions, voting, networking and socializing, and the adopted proposals we produced will have a real impact on the lives of European citizens.” Joel Schröder, Tilburg University

“I loved the process. The weeks and months before the three days of Strasbourg were super productive but the whole process and the reached milestone were visible as soon as we arrived at the parliament, the experience was amazing and I’m very grateful for such an opportunity. My very first political experience with a lot of tangible outlook for the European future, I would recommend that to any student to take this opportunity.” Lisa Pauli, University of Mannheim

Overall, the ESA proved to be an excellent opportunity for ENGAGE.EU students to actively contribute to European governance and bring forward their perspectives on key policy issues.