EPP 1st year students travel to Brussels and Paris to experience European politics from the inside
From May 18 to 24, the students of the 1st Degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE) made their annual curricular trip to Brussels and Paris. Organized within the framework of the subject Capstone Seminars I, they were accompanied by professors Julia Urabayen and Alejandro N. García, from the department of Political Science and Sociology of the School of Philosophy and Letters, and by Cristina Terroba, internship and employment manager of the School.
This international academic experience goal to bring students closer to some of the main European institutions, to foster their understanding of the political and diplomatic functioning of the EU, and to complement their theoretical training with meetings with professionals in the political and diplomatic field.
Their first stop in the Belgian capital was the headquarters of the European Commission, where they were received by Marta Moya, Head of Unit for Interinstitutional Relations of the General Administration of Health and Food Safety (DG SANTE). In her session, Moya gave them an overview of the new mandate of the Commission and the European Parliament, and spoke to them about the relations between the different institutions of the Union. That day they also visited the European External Action Service (EEAS), the EU's diplomatic corps, where they learned about its functions and current policy priorities.
On Tuesday 20th, the students began their workshop with a visit to the European Parliament, which included a session in the hemicycle, the epicenter of the European legislative discussion , and they visited the Permanent Representation of Spain to the European Union (REPER). In the afternoon, at the Brussels Press Club, they attended several training sessions with professionals from a wide range of sectors. Christian D. Villanueva, director of the magazine "Ejércitos", introduced them to the field of Defense and the Armed Forces. They also had a meeting with Paula Sanchez, from the Permanent Representation of Spain to NATO. Our alumni Jairo Ciscar and Joseba Unzaga shared with them their professional testimonies.
On Wednesday, upon their arrival in the French capital, our professor Julia Urabayen, director of the department of Political Science and Sociology, guided them on a philosophical tour through the streets of Paris and its most emblematic places. They also had the opportunity to visit the Unesco headquarters, where Alfredo Sancho, Education advisor of this institution, gave them a class. At the French National Assembly, the heart of the country's parliamentary system, they were able to witness first-hand a vote in progress.
On Friday 23rd, our students attended a lecture at Sciences Po, one of the most prestigious political science schools in the world. Arancha González Laya, dean of the Paris School of International Affairs and former Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation of the Government of Spain, shared with the students her vision on global governance, current diplomatic challenges and the training needed to face them. In the afternoon, to bid farewell to the city of light, they visited the Paris City Hall (Hôtel de Ville), where they learned about the workings of the capital's municipal administration.
