EB Statement in support of the Swedish Universities and the Association of Swedish Higher Education Institutions
12 May 2023
The Executive Board of the Coimbra Group would like to express its full support to the Swedish Universities and the Association of Swedish Higher Education Institutions[i] in their protest against the political decision to cut the period of office of university board members by half in order to increase the “security competence” of the boards. Along with the freedom of the judiciary, artistic freedom and freedom of the press, academic freedom is a cornerstone of our democratic society. In troubled times, it is more vital than ever that we stand side by side in defence of these freedoms. The Coimbra Group’s Executive Board would like to stress the importance of these values and the continued functioning of higher education and research institutions in accordance with the Magna Charta Universitatum and academic freedom.
The members of the Executive Board,
Prof. Ludovic Thilly, Executive Board Chair
Prof. Claudia Cavadas, Executive Board Vice-Chair
Prof. Luca Verzichelli, Treasurer
Prof. Beatrix Busse
Prof. Daniel Donoghue
Prof. Dorota Malec
Prof. Coco Norén
Prof. Lenka Rovná
Prof. Elmer Sterken
Prof. Efrem Yildiz Sadak
[i] https://suhf.se/app/uploads/2023/04/Till-regeringen-Utb-Land-Skrivelse-angaende-styrelserna-SUHF-SU-850-0024-23-REV.pdf