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27 januari 2012 | ESU Chairman Alan Päll agrees with Klaus Landfried on his vision that Europe needs to debate mobility funding on an EU-level. He believes, however, that "a simple monetary transfer is too nationalist."

In a Q&A session via social media, Päll reacted on anopinion piece Klaus Landfried recently contributed tothe debate on mobility funding in the EU: “I think it is hightime to discuss that. We know that current system on relying on EUfunding and then having a lot of free movers is not working.Governments have the right to choose their HE policy. But it wouldbe common sense not to build strains on systems and discriminationfor students.”

“I am not fully convinced of the proposals in detail, but thekey element is that we should set a deadline of reaching anagreement how to fund mobility in a way that is indeed fairer andmore sustainable for all of us. I agree we need commonly sharedsolutions, but simple monetary transfer does not necessarily makesense since that would mean that we could measure exactly whichcountry got the most out of educating someone. And that is toonationalist in my view.”

“Since we do hope that education will contribute to later livesand wellbeing and working life of graduates and we do want themalso to move around. That is why I am favour of a European MobilityTreaty that would centralise some funding or as an alternative,would enable credits to be swapped or traded between HE systems orinstitutions.”

ScienceGuide interviewed Allan Päll over recentdevelopments in higher education all over Europe. To read more onthe ESU stance on Halbe Zijlstra call to create a funding transfermechanism with Germany and the situation in the neonationalistHungary, click here. To read his opinion piece on highereducation financing, ‘Students: Cash cows or a nation’s asset?’,click here.