Berni Hasenknopf: "The next elections will determine whether research and education can continue to develop at the European level.”

Can you tell me about your role at Sorbonne University?
Bernold Hasenknopf : I'm an advisor for European engagement on the Sorbonne University presidential team. I report to Guillaume Fiquet, Vice-President for International Relations, Territorial and Socio-Economic Partnerships. I also collaborate with Nathalie Drach-Temam and all the vice-presidents on European issues. 
My work includes active participation in the LERU1 and EUA2 university networks, as well as coordination with our representative office at the Maison Irène et Frédéric Joliot Curie  in Brussels. I'm also involved in the 4EU+ Alliance as president of the Academic Council, and I develop European partnerships outside the 4EU+ Alliance, too.

Why is the European Parliament important for Sorbonne University? How do its decisions influence university and academic life?
B.H.: The European Parliament has established a framework conducive to research by recognizing the fundamental importance of higher education institutions in stimulating innovation and research. It emphasizes the crucial role of students as future drivers of innovation. 
Furthermore, it emphasizes that the terms "research" and "innovation" encompass a wide range of fields, including the social sciences and humanities, and are not limited solely to technological innovation. 
The European Parliament also addresses the need to create favorable conditions for research, committing itself to tackling gender inequalities and calling on member states to facilitate scientific collaboration, as well as promoting the dissemination of innovation in less-developed regions. Finally, it defends academic freedom as a fundamental principle.
These requirements are in line with the needs of Sorbonne University to fulfill its societal role as a leading research and education institution. I am also delighted to see that the European Parliament is calling for increased financial support for university alliances, and for a flexible framework for their development. These measures are essential for our 4EU+ Alliance strategy: to create a research-and training-intensive European university. 

The European elections on June 9 are crucial in determining the composition of the future Parliament. What is at stake for Sorbonne University?
B.H.: The positions adopted by Parliament, as mentioned above, were supported by a majority of elected representatives. These positions were in line with Sorbonne University’s objectives and actions. 
What is at stake in the forthcoming elections is the continuity of this policy of building the European Research Area (ERA) and the European Higher Education Area (EHEA). In the absence of a strong voice at the European level to defend the ERA and EHEA, our needs risk being relegated to the background, with a consequent reduction in funding and initiatives for research and mobility.

The European Parliament plays a vital role in the allocation of research budgets, notably through programs such as Horizon Europe. How do these budget decisions affect research and innovation projects at Sorbonne University?
B.H.: In order to stimulate the European Union's research ecosystem, the Parliament has called for a significant increase in research budgets, with a particular focus on the strategic sectors of health, digital and space.
Parliament votes on the EU's annual budget, which also includes the budget for the Horizon Europe research program. Each year, intense negotiations take place between the European Parliament, the Council of the EU and the European Commission, during which the Parliament defends research funding against possible budget cuts. 
For example, it has increased the Horizon Europe budget for 2023 by 663 million euros, including 194 million euros for pillar 1 (ERC, MSCA, research infrastructures, etc.), which is particularly important for our university. In fact, among French higher education establishments, Sorbonne University benefits most from European funding to advance its research projects.

The issue of academic freedom has been raised on several occasions. What is the European Parliament doing to guarantee and protect this freedom? What are the implications for Sorbonne University?
B.H.: Academic freedom is a fundamental value of higher education and science today. Yet in recent years, various concerns have emerged about the current state of this academic freedom within the EU. The case of the relocation of the Central European University to Hungary was widely perceived as a significant infringement, sanctioned by the European Court of Justice.
In 2022, the European Parliament took the initiative to defend academic freedom and the independence of academic institutions by launching an Observatory on Academic Freedom. Its first report, published in February 2024, highlights France's overall positioning among the top 10-20% of countries in terms of respect for academic freedom. However, it is weaker when it comes to the organizational and financial autonomy of universities, and several cases of violation of academic freedom have been documented. So there is room for improvement.
It is imperative that the European Parliament continues its efforts to raise public awareness of the importance of academic freedom, a crucial foundation for our academic activities. Political pressure on the academic world must be countered to guarantee the proper functioning of universities.

The Erasmus+ program is widely supported by the European Parliament and offers international mobility opportunities for many students. How does Sorbonne University benefit from this program, and what improvements or developments does it hope to see in the future?
B.H.: In its resolution of January 2024, the European Parliament expressed its support for the Erasmus+ program, which offers many students the opportunity of international mobility. Its analysis of current operations and suggestions for future improvements aim to simplify the program and broaden its deployment to encourage diversity.
Sorbonne University supports this vision of making the Erasmus+ program a "citizen's program,” in line with our strategy to offer European education to all our students, including professionals participating in lifelong learning, within the 4EU+ Alliance.
Within this framework, it is important that the certifications obtained on completion of educational courses be recognized throughout Europe. Sorbonne University supports the European Parliament's request to define common criteria for micro-certifications, thus attesting to the skills acquired and guaranteeing their total portability.

What are Sorbonne University's expectations of the future European Parliament in terms of policies and support for research, teaching and innovation?
B.H.: Sorbonne University expects the future European Parliament to maintain and strengthen its commitment to research and education, in the interests of Europe's citizens. The next parliamentarians are called upon to support a Horizon Europe budget that matches Europe's ambitions, with an investment of 200 billion euros in civil programs and administrative simplification. 
Our missions of research, innovation, training and service to society are intimately linked and form part of a coherent continuum. It is up to the future European Parliament to negotiate a shared competence in higher education between the EU and the Member States, to authorize Europe to finance training programs. This will enable us to propose integrated research and training projects at Alliance 4EU+ level, as well as specialized training directly linked to research excellence projects.
The activities and decisions of the European Parliament during its last term of office were favorable to Sorbonne University’s strategy. We will be paying close attention to the forthcoming elections, which will determine whether research and teaching can continue to develop at European level.