The French Minister of National Education , Higher Education and Research , Najat Vallaud-Belkacem, and the Italian Minister of Education , Higher Education and Research, Stefania Giannini participated Friday, 6 May in Florence, at the conference on the State of the Union, dedicated this year to the place of women in Europe and worldwide.
The conference was organized as every year by the European University Institute (EUI)in Florence. Their board is chaired by France since March 2016, for one year. On that occasion, the Ministers recalled the importance they attach to the missions of EUI and development of its relations with national higher education and research systems. They emphasized the important role that higher education and research have to play in overcoming the crises in Europe and allow the continuation of the European construction.
In this perspective, Najat Vallaud-Belkacem and Stefania Giannini reiterated their commitment to the implementation of the European Student card. The European Student card based on the recognition of student identity, regardless of registration facility in compliance with the procedures specific to each country. It aims to promote cooperation between institutions and allows reciprocity of rights openings and services that benefit students.
The European Student Card project is the result of a cooperation between European student services organizations especially the French-italian cooperation (Foundation Endisu / Cnous). It is structured by the signing in January 2016 of a “Memorandum of Understanding” involving Italy, France, Germany and Ireland.
In this context, France and Italy launched a technical platform for sharing data and services that will be operational in September 2016 to launch the project’s first experiments in several territories: Educatt network (Milan, Piacienza , Brescia and Rome 40 000 students), ESU Padova (65 000 students), the Royal Surgeon College in Ireland (3 500 students), Besançon (22,358 students) , Strasbourg (55 500 students) and the European cross-border campus Eucor (115 000 students).
France and Italy reaffirm their commitment to developing the European Student card by supporting this project within the institutions of the European Union within the framework of the program “Erasmus +”. The generalization of the European Student Card is one of the priorities that will be supported by France and Italy for the next ministerial conference of the European Higher Education Area held in Paris in 2018.