Paris School of Business, 18 June 2026
On 18 June, EUPHE brought members and partners from across Europe’s private and independent higher education sector together at PSB Paris School of Business for the EUPHE European Congress 2026. This year’s theme, “EUPHE 2030: Collaborative Actions for Our Network,” set the tone for a day of practical discussion on mobility, accreditation, EU funding and the road ahead for our members.
About EUPHE
EUPHE, the European Union of Private Higher Education, is the umbrella body for national associations of private and independent higher education institutions across Europe. Our nine member associations come from Austria, France (two associations), Germany, Ireland, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia and Spain, together representing more than 700 institutions and 1.4 million students. Through this network, EUPHE gives private and independent higher education a shared voice in European policy on accreditation, quality assurance, mobility and EU funding.
How the Day Unfolded
The Congress ran as a working meeting rather than a conventional conference: opening addresses, three framing sessions, four roundtables, and a closing synthesis that pointed the network toward its next steps.
Antonio Alonso, President of EUPHE, opened proceedings alongside Joël Cuny, President of UGEI, our host association in France, and Olivier Aptel, CEO of PSB Paris School of Business. Olivier Ginez, France’s Director General of Higher Education, offered a video address on the French and European context.
The morning’s framing sessions covered mobility and attractiveness, accreditation and the European Degree, and Erasmus+ and EU funding. These were introduced by Marcelle Laliberté of ESTP, Prof. Dr. Audrey Mehn of ISM International School of Management, Radoslaw Stanczewski of SWPS, and Lucas Chevalier, former Head of Communication at Erasmus+.
Four roundtables followed:
- Erasmus+ and Experience Sharing, chaired by Lucas Chevalier, with Véronique Beaumont (ESMOD), Dr. Tanja Angleitner Sagadin (Alma Mater Europaea University), Jérôme Marcilloux (ITECH) and Prof. Dr. Ana Sampaio (Universidade da Maia).
- International Mobility and Attractiveness, chaired by Laurent Chebassier (aivancity), with Catarina Lopes (ISAG), Dr. Rosalyn Eder (Paracelsus Medical University), Augustin Calvo (RESAVER) and Benjamin Stevenin (HEADway Advisory).
- Accreditations and European Degrees, chaired by Jean-Michel Nicolle, CEO of EIGSI, with Patricia O’Sullivan, Executive Director of HECA in Ireland, Elizabeth Real (Universidade Portucalense), Radoslaw Stanczewski (SWPS) and Johann Jakob Winter (ASIIN).
- Erasmus+ and EU Funding, chaired by Dr. Tanja Angleitner Sagadin, with Celestine Rowland (CGI), Prof. Dr. Jorge Leite (Universidade Portucalense), Dr. Daniela Haarmann (Webster Vienna Private University) and Prof. Dr. Mariana Marques (ISG).
Sponsor spotlights from Fuxam, RESAVER and Eduniversal gave members a practical look at tools and rankings shaping the sector. Patrick Brenner, an EU development expert, closed the working sessions by introducing the EUPHE 2030 Working Groups, and Jean-Michel Nicolle, Honorary President of EUPHE, formally closed the Congress ahead of a networking reception.
What We Heard
A few themes came through clearly across the day.
Institutions can no longer think of themselves as teaching providers alone. Research, industry engagement, sustainability, digital transformation and lifelong learning are now part of the job.
Collaboration is winning out over competition. Joint programmes, shared funding applications and cross border partnerships were mentioned again and again as the practical route to staying competitive in Europe.
Erasmus+ remains the backbone of our network’s international activity, but members were encouraged to look further, toward Horizon Europe, Digital Europe and other EU instruments, to build more resilient funding streams.
On accreditation, the message was consistent: quality assurance has raised standards across Europe, but the systems are often duplicative and slow. Speakers called for regulation that trusts institutions with a strong track record rather than treating every provider the same.
The European Degree Label drew real interest as a route to better recognition and mobility, though several members noted that national rules still need to catch up before private providers can take full advantage of it. Ireland’s HECA offered a useful example here: a well regarded quality assurance system paired with ongoing questions about how proportionate the regulatory burden is for private providers, a pattern several other members recognised from their own countries.
The Paris Declaration
The Congress also provided the setting for the Paris Declaration, a shared statement that brings together some of the main priorities discussed during the day and sets out EUPHE’s direction for the coming years.
The Declaration reflects the network’s commitment to stronger collaboration between private and independent higher education institutions, more proportionate and internationally coherent quality assurance, improved access to European funding, and greater recognition of the role our members play in Europe’s higher education landscape.
The Paris Declaration is available here: Paris Declaration.
Looking Ahead
Three working groups will carry this work forward through 2028:
- Mobility and Internationalisation, focused on student, staff and researcher mobility, partnerships and joint programmes.
- Accreditation and Quality Assurance, focused on European accreditation pathways, joint degrees, the European Degree Label and harmonisation across member states.
- Access to European Funding, focused on building consortia and sharing intelligence across Erasmus+, Horizon Europe and Digital Europe.
Members signed up at the closing reception, and associations are encouraged to nominate representatives so the groups reflect the full range of national perspectives in our network.
Thank You
Thank you to PSB Paris School of Business and UGEI for hosting us, to every speaker and roundtable participant, and to our sponsors Fuxam, RESAVER and Eduniversal for their support. We look forward to carrying the priorities set out in Paris into the EUPHE 2030 Working Groups, and to seeing members again at future Congresses.
EUPHE European Congress 2026, Paris. euphe.eu/paris-2026
