Symbolic moment for Europe

Nieuws | de redactie

18 november 2015 | An agreement has been reached regarding new EU rules of entry and residence for non-EU student. They will have the right to stay at least 9 months after finishing their studies and the right to move within the EU during their stay, as well as the right to work at least 15 hours a week.

ESU-chairman Ferando Galan calls this “quite symbolic”, as this agreement was reached during the International Students’ Day, which was focused on the freedom to study and the freedom of movement. “We are happy that on exactly that date an agreement was finally reached to make our education systems more accessible to non-EU students.”

Glass half full

The glass is half full fort he ESU-president. As he interprets final agreement as representing “half of what we would have loved to see, as the proposals from the European Parliament were way more advanced in rights for non-EU students. We are looking forward to the final text of the agreement in order to see how far the directive is going or if it is just a merge of the two previous ones with small additions.”

The agreement must now be approved by the Civil Liberties Committee and endorsed by the Parliament as a whole and the Council of Ministers. After the entry into force, member states will have 2 years to implement it. “We encourage them to do it as soon as possible.”