The European election programme of organisations representing higher education students in Finland, National Union of University Students in Finland (SYL) and National Union of Students in Finnish Universities of Applied Sciences – SAMOK, has been published. The joint programme helps us build a better future for European higher education and young generations. We call for ambition, leadership and student-centred decisions in education policy. The EU should not only increase the funding and improve the accessibility of education and mobility, but also provide students with equal opportunities to participate in the decision-making concerning them.

‘As a student movement, we require that the EU assume leadership in broader global issues, such as climate change, mental health crisis and immigration. In the end, it all boils down to how the important strategic issue of skills is turned into an asset for the EU’, the SYL President Lotta Leinonen comments on the programme.

In this difficult world situation, the EU has been under pressure to have a more significant global impact and be closer to the citizens at local level. The EU has particularly sought to increase its role within the European Education Area by investing in, for example, the European Universities initiative.

‘The challenges of the new era have contributed to education policy becoming an increasingly strategic policy area for the European Union. Will the changes in the EU affect everyone equally? Moreover, how can we secure the degree of democracy of the new initiatives and students’ opportunities to influence the rapid development?’ the SAMOK President Joonas Soukkio emphasises.

The European elections will be held in all member states during the time period 6.–9.6.2024. In Finland, the election day is Sunday 9 June. Higher education students’ European election campaign will be launched on 22 January.

Read the higher education students’ European election programme here.

Further information:

Lotta Leinonen
President, SYL
+358 44 906 5004
[email protected]

Joonas Soukkio
President, SAMOK
+358 50 389 1000
[email protected]

The National Union of University Students in Finland is a student organisation which represents approximately 140,000 university students in Finland. All student unions in Finnish universities are members of SYL.

The National Union of Students in Finnish Universities of Applied Sciences – SAMOK is a national student organisation representing 168,000 students in universities of applied sciences. It consists of 23 student unions of universities of applied sciences.