On 28 November, the Panel for the Future of Science and Technology (STOA) held the event “How to provide enforceable protection for academic freedom at EU level?” at the European Parliament in Brussels.

President of the European Parliament Roberta Mestola, STOA Chair Christian Ehler and Minister of Education, Culture and Science of the Netherlands Robbert Dijkgraaf were present amongst other high-profile speakers at the event, the key theme of which was academic freedom, as well as its role and importance for the European Union. The initial sessions were panel discussions, attended by a wide range of representatives from academic and academia-related backgrounds. Participating panellists aimed to establish a robust definition for academic freedom from a theoretical, academic and legal standpoint, which could help in positioning it in a European framework.

Following the panels, a European Parliament Forum for Academic Freedom (#EP4AcademicFreedom) was announced. The forum is a STOA initiative, aiming to monitor and report on the state of play of EU Academic Freedom. Members of the forum plan to deliver a yearly monitoring report. The foundations and framework of such monitoring was established at the event.