Study Trip to Brussels, Luxembourg and Strasbourg for the EUGOV and Global Studies Programmes

Our students of the Master in Advanced European and International Studies - Applied European Policy and Governance Studies (EUGOV) and the Master in Advanced European and International Studies - European Integration and Global Studies (Global) spent a week together visiting various institutions in Europe's three capitals: Brussels, Luxembourg and Strasbourg.

The students began the week with two intense days in Brussels, first at the European External Action Service (EEAS), where they received a presentation on the work of the institution and how they are fighting misinformation. Next, they went across the road to the European Commission, where two speakers discussed two highly topical policy areas: climate action and energy. The following day at the European Council, students gained an insight into various policies, including migration and defence. They completed their stay in Brussels with a presentation on careers in the EU from an EPSO representative.

The next leg of the trip took the students to snowy Luxembourg, where they learnt about the role of the Court of Justice of the European Union and how multilingualism plays a major part in life at the court. They also got to grips with the work of the European Investment Bank during the afternoon.

Finally, the students spent two days discovering the institutions in Strasbourg. First up was a visit to the European Parliament, where highlights included attending the plenary session with a debate on the protection of bees and a meeting with a CIFE alumna working as a parliamentary assistant. In the afternoon, they met another CIFE alumna who presented the European Court of Human Rights. The trip came to an end on Friday with a visit to the Council of Europe, where they learnt about the fight against human trafficking in Europe.

As well as the visits, students had the opportunity to network with many CIFE alumni based in Brussels during a dinner on the Grand Place.

The students of the EUGOV programme also had a few extra days at the start of the trip to delve deeper into subjects such as lobbying and met some former students working at the EU institutions.