That’s the bad news to emerge from the European Council summit when EU heads of state and government thrashed out Europe’s budget priorities for 2014-20.

The good news, according to some observers, is that it could have been a whole lot worse. NIC MITCHELL finds out what European higher education leaders think.

The deal, agreed in Brussels in the early hours of Friday 8 February, limits the maximum possible expenditure for European Union Member States in 2014-2020 to €959.99 billion and marks the first cut in EU spending in its 56 year history, with the overall expenditure (the credit card ceiling) reduced by 3.4% in real terms, compared to the current multi-annual financial framework (MFF) for 2007-2013.

Details of how the cuts will impact on specific programmes have yet to be defined, but it appears likely that the Horizon programme will get about 12% less than the €80 billion the European Commission originally asked for and Erasmus for All will get around 14% less than the €19 billion the Commission proposed.

’700,000 will miss out’

Dennis Abbott, the European Commission’s education spokesperson, estimates that around 700,000 people will miss out on an experience abroad under the Erasmus for All programme in 2014-20 compared with the Commission’s proposals.

700,000 will miss out on experiences abroad

Quoted by University World News, Abbott pointed out that despite the current economic climate ‘there are still many positives for education, research and innovation’ in the deal reached. He estimated that even with the reduced budget, Erasmus for All would still be able to meet the costs of up to four million Europeans for study, work, teaching and learning abroad in 2014-20, compared with 2.5 million in 2007-13.

‘Short-sighted’

Student representatives were less enthusiastic. Karina Ufert, Chairperson of the European Students’ Union (ESU), described the European Council’s decision as ‘short-sighted’.

“Whereas headings such as agriculture remain barely untouched, governments seem to want to cut the budget proposed for education… We regret this because we need to support the generation that is supposed to take care of our continent in the future.

“These budget cuts make it impossible to reach the targets for 2020, set by the EU heads themselves”, she said, adding that Europe’s young people would feel let down. “With large number of recent graduates unable to find work and unemployment levels as high as 50% in countries such as Spain, we need strong political commitment to invest in areas such as the development of education and training systems.”

Emanuel Alfranseder of the ESN is speaking at EUPRIO 2013 in Kent this JUne

“EU exchange programmes can form an important element in the fight against youth unemployment, by giving European youngsters a chance to improve their skills abroad, not only trough Erasmus but also through other exchange programmes such as the European Voluntary Service (EVS) or Leonardo da Vinci,” their statement added.

‘Cuts less than feared’

More optimistic noises, however, came from Europe’s big research universities, who appeared relieved that the cuts in research and innovation were less than feared.

Kurt Deketelaere, secretary general of the League of European Research Universities (LERU), an association of 21 leading European research-intensive universities, told University World News: “We will end up with €70.9 billion for Horizon 2020, and separate budgets for the big research infrastructures. Is that good or is that bad? Well, a lot of people would have signed for that over the past months because at certain moments we’ve had figures going around of 45/55/60 – so €70.9 billion is in fact not bad.”

In the UK the Russell Group, representing 24 leading research universities, said that while the final funding for Horizon 2020 was less than hoped for, “it will be key to Europe’s, and the UK’s, long-term prosperity.”

Parliament yet to vote

Meanwhile, the EUA helpfully pointed out that while the new MFF was due to come into force in January 2014 agreement with the European Parliament has yet to be reached.

The President of the European Parliament Martin Schulz underlined the importance of education and research in his reaction to the cuts, saying: “The European Parliament feels that making savings in these areas is misguided.”

The European Parliament can only vote to accept or reject the settlement reached by the EU heads of government (the European Council). It cannot amend the budget and many MEPs want a secret ballot to avoid being pressurised by their own governments.

Also see:

http://euroscientist.com/2013/02/the-psychology-of-horizon-2020-budget-cuts/

http://www.eua.be/News/13-02-11/European_Council_reaches_deal_on_the_multiannual_financial_framework_MFF.aspx

http://www.universityworldnews.com/article.php?story=20130214091531209

http://www.esu-online.org/news/article/6001/EU-heads-are-not-committed-to-reach-the-EU2020-targets/

Creating more visibility for EUPRIO. This is one of the most important ambitions for the association in the years to come.

To help this process, we introduced the idea last year of inviting our members in different countries to meet together to discuss the theme of the next conference. And it seems to be working, at least in The Netherlands.

For last month nearly 50 Dutch EUPRIO members met in Utrecht to discuss the issue of internal branding and the importance of activating of own internal audiences for branding purposes – the theme for our annual conference being held at the University of Kent in Canterbury, England, from June 27-30, 2013.

The Dutch meeting showed what a ‘hot’ issue activating internal audiences has become – and that it is not only a puzzle to do this effectively, but also sometimes threatening for the communication departments themselves.

For a strategy aiming at activating students, staff and alumni also implies bringing them into a position to do the job previously done by communication departments. This means that the role of communication professionals in the organisation has to change. And that this change has to take place while traditional work still needs to be done: an extra challenge!

New role

Will we have enough time to take up our new role? Does the organisation understand that transition doesn’t mean that communication professionals are no longer needed?

I don’t have the answers, but the afternoon in Utrecht made one thing very clear: the coming years are going to be really exciting and the theme we have chosen to focus in Canterbury is highly relevant.

Our Dutch EUPRIO meeting heard from two external consultants, Ronald Schepers and Huib Koeleman, who confronted the participants with their observations.

Recognisible brand claims

Schepers, who has experience of working on branding and communications projects at various higher education institutions in the Netherlands, got some stick for claiming that our current branding efforts concentrated too much on sending a message towards external audiences. “We forget that a strong brand has to be oriented at our own students and staff (and that we need to become a employer brand) as well”, he said. “Internal audiences need to recognise themselves in our messages, have a feeling that what we claim in our branding propositions is recognisible for them or challenges them to live up to the claim.”

That we forget to involve our own people, he claimed, is proved by the fact that only one Dutch university is in top 100 of the best companies in the Netherlands.

Is he right or wrong?

Perhaps, the answer is less important than realising what we think about branding is changing and that in world today there is no difference between external and internal communications. With all the actions we take, we have to be aware of this fact.

Activating internal audiences

Huib Koeleman, a well-known expert on internal communications in the Netherlands, stepped over to another interesting angle in the discussion. How to activate internal audiences knowing that there is not one recipe for this. Every organisation has its own characteristics.

To be effective in communication one has to understand how communication and decision-making works in the organisation. Managers and communicators have to adapt to this to be successful.

The audience didn’t feel his message was completely new, but accepted that we rarely approach internal communication projects with this awareness or make it part of our strategic planning.

Did our meeting in Utrecht lead to answers or spectacular new insights?

No, I don’t think so. But if you ask me was it worthwhile to exchange ideas and thoughts my answer is, without any hesitation, yes!

Agenda for Kent

Just by meeting and discussing the theme we are now all aware that this issue will dominate our agendas in the coming years, that we can learn from each other, and that an important step is taken to have interesting and good discussions to cope with this major challenge when we meet again at our annual conference in Kent this June.

We know that we can help each other in this period of dramatic change and that the choices of new roles and activities we undertake will be of great value for the organisations we represent in the increasingly competitive global higher education environment.

What about other countries in Europe? Is this issue also high on your agenda and are people aware of the big changes that lie ahead? I am curious know. So please, give me your thoughts, and tell us of experiences when we meet again in Canterbury in June.

Also see: http://euprio.eu/2013/01/28/euprio-2013-all-set-for-june-take-off-at-the-university-of-kent/

The annual conference provides EUPRIO members with a stimulating opportunity to discuss best practice, hear about new trends and do some serious networking.

This year it takes place from 27-30 June at the University of Kent’s lovely Canterbury campus, set in woodland with wonderful views overlooking the historic cathedral city, with delegates staying in en-suite bedrooms on campus.

It will be the first time in ten years that EUPRIO has held its annual conference in Great Britain, following the highly successful and warmly remembered Durham conference of 2003.

UK’s European University

EUPRIO’s UK Steering Committee member Christopher Coe said: “I am particularly pleased that our host will be the University of Kent. Not only is this institution situated in one of the most attractive parts of the country, but it brands itself as the UK’s European University, which makes it a fitting venue for a conference which will explore some of the challenges facing universities in Europe.”

The main keynote address will be given by Anthony McClaran, Chief Executive of the UK’s Quality Assurance Agency. The second keynote slot will feature a fascinating panel discussion involving university student representatives from across Europe on the student ‘experience’, chaired by a leading UK higher education journalist.

As always, the programme will feature the best in current higher education public relations thinking and practice through workshops and master classes. The theme this year will focus on how universities can encourage students, staff and alumni to become positive commentators on behalf of their institutions and higher education in general.

With higher education changing across Europe, traditional models of state funding are under threat and students in some parts of the continent now see themselves as customers. Social media presents an easy opportunity for students, staff and alumni to publish comment – which can be positive or negative – on their university for the world to read.

We are all publishers

EUPRIO’s President Denis Ancion said: “We live in an age where we are all publishers. Small issues can become global ones in very short periods.Communication is no longer sending out your message. It is all about a constant, transparent and open dialogue.

“But are communication professionals able to convince their management that transition is needed and that there is no longer any difference between internal and external communication? And are we, the communication professionals able to smoothly change our own departments to take up the new role which modern society is now asking for. To change ourselves could be the biggest challenge.”

Meet these challenges

The Kent conference will explore how European university communications professionals can meet these challenges. Key expert speakers from across Europe will be presenting their view on the best way forward, and the conference will focus on the three vital elements of the communications matrix: students; staff and alumni.

“Kent promises to be one of the most important EUPRIO conferences ever,” said Denis.

Martin Herrema, the UK’s deputy Steering Committee member based at the University of Kent, said the full conference programme and booking details – including a member conference registration fee that will be inclusive of accommodation – will be published at the end of February, when the booking website will also go live.

See more about our 2013 venue: http://www.kent.ac.uk/locations/canterbury/

For universities, it has meant adapting to change and a growing understanding that communicating what we do to the public at large has never been more important.

That’s why the theme of our perfectly-organised conference in Gothenburg was so relevant.

stronger together

‘The social contract between universities and society’ was planned as the theme two years ago when the recession was starting bite. It couldn’t have been more topical for 2012.

EUPRIO members know that we are all stronger when we learn from one another, a guiding principle behind forming our association over 25 years ago and celebrated in last year’s commemorative book, ‘euprio – a 25 year success story’, (front cover, pictured).

Today, despite the many problems we face, our association continues to grow and develop with national EUPRIO meetings in different countries and a still expanding EUPRIO family. Despite Europe’s many problems, crisis hasn’t got grip on our association thanks to our members who have invested their energy and effort in keeping EUPRIO on track.

blogs and news

Let’s move on and make 2013 an even better EUPRIO year! A year with new initiatives, a wonderful conference in Canterbury, England (June 27-29) and hopefully lots of blogs and news from you about what’s happening in higher education in different countries on our website.

University of Kent at Canterbury is the venue for EUPRIO’s 2013 conference

If you can help us improve the communications flow, don’t hesitate to contact Nic Mitchell, our master of digital communications. Ideas, options, projects: we’d be very pleased to hear from you. Let’s make 2013 a year to communicate!

And so I wish you, your family and friends the best of luck for the New Year. Together we can take EUPRIO ‘One step beyond’.