It was at the 16th IFUW (now GWI) Conference in Karlsruhe, Germany, that the seed of UWE was first planted. A small group of European participants began exploring what the continent's rapid integration meant for their own associations. Through a series of meetings over the following years, a clearer vision emerged. In 1975, Jans Gremmée articulated a compelling case: to advance the interests of women in Europe, European associations and federations needed to unite their efforts at a regional level.
From Vision to Organisation
The next step came at the 19th IFUW (now GWI) Conference in Stirling, Scotland, in 1977, where a group of European delegates committed to turning that vision into reality — the founding of a new INGO that could hold Consultative Status on behalf of university women across Europe. In 1978, Gisela Kessel of German Association of University Women- DAB and Jans Gremmée of the Dutch association of University Women-VVAO formally launched the proposal.
UWE is Founded
After several preparatory meetings, University Women of Europe (UWE) officially came into being on 28–29 November 1981, at a founding meeting in Luxembourg. Fourteen European National Federations and Associations were present at the birth of the organisation. Switzerland was chosen as the seat of UWE, and in 1982 the first Executive Committee was elected Jans Gremmée as UWE's first President.
