Academic freedom
Academic Freedom in Europe: safeguarding democracy, science and innovation
Academic freedom and democracy are not parallel values — they are interdependent. Where democracy weakens, academic freedom erodes. And where academic freedom is constrained, democracy itself is undermined. This is the central question that brought together policymakers, researchers and institutional leaders at the House of European History on March 4th, for the annual STOA high-level ...
Interview with Prof. Svend-Erik Skaaning on democracy and academic freedom
Political science professor Svend-Erik Skaaning (Aarhus University, Denmark) will be the academic keynote speaker at the high-level conference “Academic Freedom in Support of Democracy” organised by the European Parliament’s Panel for the Future of Science and Technology (STOA) in the European House of History in Brussels on Wednesday 4 March 2026. What trends do you ...
STOA’s annual lecture: Academic Freedom in the US
In the past year, tensions between the US administration and many major American universities – apparently revolving around « Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) » policies and the handling of student and faculty protests - have reached a critical point. From legislative restrictions on teaching and frozen grants to political pressure on university governance, academic ...
Podcast: ‘Academic Freedom in the EU: defending a pillar of democracy’
Academic freedom is a fundamental EU value that’s under threat. That’s why the European Parliament’s panel for the Future of Science and Technology (STOA) is taking action. In 2022, STOA launched the Forum for Academic Freedom. Its annual high-level conference this year brought together academia, decision makers and experts, to explore how academic freedom can ...
Prof. Anne Husebekk: ‘There is increased pressure on academic freedom’
Interview on academic freedom with Prof. Anne Husebekk, former vice-president for Freedom and Responsibility in Science at the International Science Council. In the run-up to the high-level conference “Perspectives on academic freedom in Europe and beyond”, organised by the European Parliament’s Panel for the Future of Science and Technology (STOA) on 5 February 2025, we ...
Interview with Prof. Ferenc Hammer on academic freedom and supporting silenced scholars
Associate Professor Ferenc Hammer (Media and Communications Department at ELTE University in Budapest, Hungary) is concerned about silenced and repressed scholars in dozens of countries: “At-risk scholars try to live under the radar, but that’s how they become invisible. This doesn’t equate to academic freedom.” He launched an organisation to help them. Your research work ...
Academic freedom conference: the state of a fundamental European value
Academic freedom is a universal right which is essential not only for the quality of education, teaching and research, but for democracy itself. While many governments around the world recognise and protect academic freedom, it is under attack in some places. This was discussed during the high-level annual Academic Freedom conference on 29 November 2023 organised ...
Academic Freedom’s Crucial Role in Society
The European Parliament’s Forum for Academic Freedom has launched a video series featuring interviews on the protection of intellectual freedom. In the first three interviews, experts share their insights on the importance of safeguarding this essential principle. Whether they have personally faced limitations on their research or are actively working to uphold scholarly independence, they ...