NEWS
RUN-EU Students Influence Europe’s Future at the 2025 European Student Assembly
1 July 2025
Six RUN-EU students proudly represented the Alliance at the 4th European Student Assembly (ESA), held from 26 to 28 May 2025 at the European Parliament in Strasbourg.
This edition brought together 230 students from 190 universities and 53 European University Alliances, representing 50 nationalities. Selected from over 2,300 applicants, participants spent three days engaging in high-level debate, collaboration, and policy drafting.
Working across eight thematic panels, they developed and voted on 76 policy recommendations, with 74 adopted, a testament to their dedication and democratic spirit.
Márton Parádi
NHL Stenden University of Applied Sciences
“ESA25 brought me closer to the very thing I study: the European Union. It was amazing to connect with students from different backgrounds and work together on policy recommendations. The voting session was the highlight – seeing our proposals accepted in the European Parliament chamber was unforgettable.”
Tatiana Vetešková
Häme University of Applied Sciences
“Sitting in the chamber and casting my vote gave me chills. Our panel’s theme, ‘United in Diversity’, was truly lived through this experience. ESA is more than an educational event – it shows that our voices as students matter. I leave with a deeper awareness of the privilege and responsibility of EU citizenship.”
ESA is part of the EUC Voices project, co-funded by the European Commission through Erasmus+. It empowers students across Europe to participate meaningfully in shaping the Union’s future by turning student voices into thoughtful, actionable policy proposals. ESA25 was not just a simulation or symbolic gesture. It was a living example of what the European Union can become through youth-led dialogue and cross-border cooperation.
This year also marked a special milestone: NHL Stenden, on behalf of the RUN-EU Alliance, co-organised ESA25 for the first time. The RUN-EU Alliance congratulates all six of our students: Javier Rodriguez Barroso (Technological University of the Shannon), Vânia Marques (Polytechnic University of Leiria), Paola Saavedra (Polytechnic University of Cávado and Ave), Tatiana Vetešková (Häme University of Applied Sciences), Márton Parádi (NHL Stenden University of Applied Sciences), and Nubia Palomino Herrera (University of Burgos), for their excellent work and contributions.
All photos by @fusingphoenix