If You Can Make It Here, You Can Make It Anywhere: A Reflection on the European Politics & Society Brussels Field Trip
On the 25th and 26th of November, the first years from the European Politics and Society Master visited Brussels to learn about working in the European Union (EU) institutions and explore the city. This article will discuss the program and provide a reflection on the trip in general.
Disclaimer: this is my personal view on the Brussels field trip, and should not be assumed to reflect the opinions of my colleagues. Furthermore, the names of the EU officials we spoke with during the trip will remain unknown to the reader, as the discussions we had were under Chatham House rules.
Juliëtte Herman
The Brussels field trip kicked-off with a tour called “The Dark Side of the EU”. Appropriately, it was as expected a grey and rainy morning in Brussels, accelerating the tone of the tour. We explored the art and scale of the lobbying business in European policy-making by walking past several lobbying firms. This provided us with new perspectives on the workings behind the scenes, especially regarding the size and scope of the lobbying business in EU politics. After getting properly soaked in rain, we went for lunch at the European Commission’s visitor center, Charlemagne. In the meantime, our clothes could dry, and we could prepare ourselves for the next part of our day while enjoying a true EU-meal in the cafeteria. While the students had coffee and a glass of water, the teachers enjoyed a glass of red wine.
After lunch, we moved to a large visitor hall, where several European Commission officials discussed their day-to-day work with us. The first session began with an overview of the topics of Communication and Internal Affairs, followed by a discussion on the workings of the Directorate-General (DG) for Budget. Next, we discussed the functioning of the EU Enlargement process, focusing on the necessary steps candidate countries have to take to move towards EU accession. EU enlargement is a topic that interests me, and since we discuss it regularly in our classes at Charles University, learning about it from EU officials is especially valuable. Directly after, we listened to a briefing by representatives from the DG Energy. We discussed, for example, issues related to the Green Deal and energy transition. Finally, we listened to a presentation by a BlueBook Trainee on her activities and tasks within the Commission. Furthermore, she discussed the selection procedure and highlighted important tips to take into consideration when applying. I believe some EPS students are interested in the BlueBook Traineeship and therefore it was useful to gain first-hand insights. However, as we all know, it is a highly competitive program, so there are definitely no guarantees.
After this long but interesting day, we headed to the Permanent Representation of the Czech Republic to the EU, where several EPS alumni were waiting for us. They prepared presentations on their work in Brussels, giving us a sneak peek at what life could potentially look like after EPS. The alumni who were present are currently working in various sectors in Brussels. They informed us about the BlueBook Traineeship, the Schuman Traineeship, finding a job in the institutions, as well as opportunities in the private sector and careers in research. They each shared their academic and professional paths that eventually led them to working in Brussels. Importantly, they highlighted both the successes and struggles they encountered, which are unavoidably part of the process. In my opinion, the bottomline was that there are different ways to secure a position in Brussels and that there are many possibilities to consider. However, it remains a competitive environment, even after completing a traineeship within one of the institutions. We wrapped up this first part of our Brussels trip in a bar together with the alumni, further discussing future plans and possibilities, while enjoying Belgian beers.
The next morning, we gathered in front of the European External Action Service (EEAS). Unfortunately, not all students managed to make it after thoroughly exploring Brussels the night before. Fortunately, they can read this reflection to see what they have missed. The session at the EEAS was twofold. The first session covered the external dimension of EU Migration Policy, an important topic in contemporary European politics. However, not all of our more critical questions were completely answered. The responses remained close to official EU communications, which is understandable, but also unfortunate. The second presentation focused on the EU Security and Defense Policy and the Strategic Compass, providing the current state of play on the work of the EEAS in European defense cooperation and the challenges the EU is facing in contemporary geopolitics.
After wandering around Brussels and having lunch, we moved to the Permanent Representation of the Republic of Poland to the EU. Here, preparations for the Polish Presidency of the Council are currently among the most prominent topics on the agenda. We engaged in a panel discussion on the structure of the Permanent Representation and, naturally, on the Presidency preparations. Our Polish students made sure to score a business card before we headed to our final stop: the Permanent Representation of the Czech Republic to the EU. Here we discussed the topic of public diplomacy during the Czech Presidency of the Council and the recruitment of member states’ nationals to EU institutions. This session at the Permanent Representation marked the end of our trip.
All in all, I would say the 2024 Brussels field trip was a success. I had several conversations with my colleagues about possible future careers afterwards, which I believe was one of the trip's main objectives. Some of us enjoyed Brussels for another day or two, before returning to the reality of being students stressing about deadlines and readings again.
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