From the 27th to the 29th of May 2026, members of the Circle U. Student Union (CUSU) met in Belgrade for their latest Physical Seminar, hosted by the University of Belgrade. Over three days, seven student representatives from across the alliance worked together to strengthen CUSU's internal structures and reflect on how to best represent students at the European university alliance level as well as produce external output. As the Circle U. General Assembly fell on the days before the CUSU Physical Seminar, part of the seminar was spent relaying the discussions that had taken place and integrating the conclusions of the GA into future workflow of CUSU for the next period.
A key theme running through the Physical Seminar was how CUSU can participate in Circle U.'s Work Packages (WPs) more effectively. Representatives discussed the challenge of representing students meaningfully without always being present at WP meetings and resolved to change that. Going forward, CUSU will aim to strengthen its role by focusing on resources and participation in the work package for management and coordination and the Management Board. The goal is to make CUSU's engagement more targeted and more consistent.
Strengthening Internal Collaboration
One of the most concrete outcomes of Belgrade was the design of a clear CUSU workflow. The representatives worked on a more precise internal distribution of tasks and responsibilities to make CUSU's processes easier for new members to step into. This is especially relevant to ensure continuity because of the frequent turnover of representatives.
Discussion and Preparation of Papers
The seminar also saw the completion of CUSU's Freedom of Expression paper. With the paper finalised, attention turned to how CUSU disseminates its political stances more broadly. Position papers are valuable as thorough, comparative political documents, but shorter formats such as posts, infographics, and short videos were identified as essential complements to reach more students.
A significant portion of the seminar was devoted to a contribution for future collaboration with Work Package 5, focusing on themes of Democracy, Sustainability, Innovation & Entrepreneurship, as well as Equality, Diversity & Inclusion viewed through a student lens. CUSU brainstormed what meaningful societal engagement within the Work Package could look like in each area and began proposing Key Performance Indicators to measure the impact of it. Next steps involve an internal discussion and refinement of the proposed ideas with the leaders of the work package for societal engagement.
Beyond the Work Sessions
For CUSU, Physical Seminars are more than working sessions; they are also the moments when the alliance student representatives have the chance to meet and exchange their perspectives and realities as students of European universities. There was a guided city tour organised by the welcoming hosts from the University of Belgrade, allowing us to explore the beautiful metropolis where the Sava and Danube meet, as well as wonderful Serbian dinners in lively settings and moments of cultural exchange.
