Association des Etats Généraux des Etudiants de l'Europe

The Association des Etats Généraux des Etudiants de l'Europe (AEGEE), also known as the European Students' Forum, is one of Europe's largest interdisciplinary student organisations. It takes its name from the first parliament established during the French Revolution, the Etats Généraux.

Description

The association was established in 1985 and now has around 15,000 members in 204 university cities across 40 countries in Europe. It promotes a unified Europe, cross-border co-operation, communication and integration in the academic environment. It is not linked to any political party and has no national structures, operating only on the local and European levels.

History

1985	The association begun at the first EGEE event: an assembly in Paris of students from Paris, Leiden, London, Madrid, Milan and Munich, organised by its founder, Franck Biancheri.
October 1986	Three EGEE working groups were formed: Sponsoring, Traineeships and Language Study; A conference on cross-border developments in Nijmegen; By the start of the academic year, EGEE-Europe has 26 branches and 6,000 members.
November 1986	In Heidelberg, a conference on relations between the Far East and Europe; in Toulouse, the first European Space Weekend.
December 1986	In Paris, a conference on the pharmaceutical industry in Europe; in Munich, a conference on the European Monetary System.
1987	AEGEE-Europe persuades François Mitterrand to support funding for the Erasmus programme, a student exchange program financed by the European Commission.
1988	The association changes name from EGEE to AEGEE.
1989	After the fall of the Berlin Wall, AGORA in Salerno opens up to eastern Europe. AEGEE one of the first European organisations to expand beyond the old Iron Curtain.
1990	A new AEGEE logo representing "Your Key to Europe".
May 1990	Les Anciens d'AEGEE-Europe is founded during the EGEE VI meeting in Paris.
1995	Head office of the organisation moves to Brussels. Ankara and all other Turkish cities join the network.
1996	More than 1000 students are actively involved in the conference series "Find Your Way..." explaining what students can do in the emerging civil society in Central and Eastern Europe .
1998	AEGEE organises its first visit to Cyprus; AEGEE-Magusa (Famagusta) joins the association in 2001.
April 1999	Foundation of the AEGEE-Academy at the AGORA Barcelona, prompted by preparations for the European School in Gießen.
2000	Education for Democracy, the new scholarship programme which enables students from war-shattered Kosovo to study at universities abroad. During the autumn, AEGEE-Beograd members at the front of the public assembly that learns of Milosevic's defeat.
2001-2002	AEGEE organises several major projects focusing on peace and stability in southeastern Europe and the Mediterranean region.
2002	Start of AEGEE Television.
2003	AEGEE's first study trip to the Caucasus. AEGEE-Europe organises the first international student conference in the buffer zone on Cyprus.

Activities

AEGEE organises a wide range of projects, most of which relate to one of four main fields of action: Active Citizenship, Higher Education, Peace & Stability, and Cultural Exchange.

Active citizenship

AEGEE is an independent non-party political organisation, working closely with governments, institutions and other NGOs to realise its goals for Europe. AEGEE aims to provide a political voice for its members at every level, organising conferences on a range of topics and using the results to lobby European institutions.

Higher education

AEGEE represents students who care about the European dimension of higher education. As well as encouraging student mobility, AEGEE supports language learning, promotes international cooperation in the academic world, and campaigns for the further development of European education programmes.

Peace and stability

By encouraging democratic ideals, tolerance and mutual understanding between young adults from communities in conflict, AEGEE contributes to conflict resolution in the Balkans, the Caucasus, on Cyprus, and in Greece and Turkey. AEGEE also organises conferences and seminars on international political issues.

Cultural exchange

Building respect and appreciation between people of different cultures is core to all of AEGEE's work. AEGEE sees this field of action as the core of European integration, believing that integration can never be a top-down process, but must be based on friendship among the peoples of Europe. AEGEE groups organise a substantial number of cultural exchange events every year.

External links

International nongovernmental organizations | Non-governmental organizations | Youth organizations

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