"A stronger vision for the contributions of Social Sciences, Arts and Humanities for Europe’s future"

In an opinion piece for News Tank on 09/12/2025, Jan Palmowski, Secretary-General of The Guild of European Research-Intensive Universities, reflects on the integration of Social Sciences, Arts and Humanities (SSAH) in the future European budget.

"What is driving the European Commission’s vision for the next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF)? Borrowing from Bill Clinton’s 1992 campaign, one might respond that 'it’s the economy, stupid', as 'competitiveness' has dominated the agenda of the second von der Leyen Commission.

"And yet, Ursula von der Leyen’s political guidelines for her second mandate spell out very clearly the need to strengthen societal cohesion. Executive Vice-President Roxana Mînzatu put it succinctly at the recent Education and Skills Summit, where she emphasised that a competitive Europe can only succeed with citizens who have the competences to engage in a complex world, including citizenship skills.

Universities are key foundations for strengthening Europe’s democracies and generating the research and education to ensure citizens can embrace a competitive…