EUA welcomes this general pledge for a strong and united Europe, but is convinced that Europe can only meet these ambitions and tackle major societal challenges, such as climate change and migration, through a considerable boost of research and education. In the context of changing labour markets, it is furthermore not possible to envisage a free trading Europe of strong industries without thinking about how Europeans are trained to harness globalisation. Universities play an important role in this regard and this is why a continued dialogue between institutions as well as policy-makers and the society at large is needed to tackle those challenges together. More...