Is the European Union a state, a federation or something in-between? Who is responsible for EU decisions on the migration crisis, international trade agreements, or the energy union? Fourteen students of Politics and European Studies with professor Jean Crombois traveled to Brussels to find out the answers to these questions during their fall break.
Is the European Union a state, a federation or something in-between? Who is responsible for EU decisions on the migration crisis, international trade agreements, or the energy union? Fourteen students of Politics and European Studies with professor Jean Crombois traveled to Brussels to find out the answers to these questions during their fall break.
From the European Council, European Commission and European External Action Service, the students learned the need for unity among EU member states as they face the migration crisis, terrorist attacks, and populism. Professional lobbyists from the Association of European Chambers of Commerce and Industry and the American Chamber of Commerce to the EU met with the students to discuss current issues. Their visit to the U.S. Mission to the EU yielded further insights.
AUBG Business Administration and European Studies major Iulita Osichenko was impressed by the dedication of employees who believe in European integration. “We rushed from one meeting to another,” she said, which gave her insight into everyday life in Brussels. Adel Zabbarov, who majors in JMC and EUR, was inspired to work as a media professional and have access to EU institutions in the future.
Trip organizer Crombois said that the trip helps students to establish their first professional contacts through meetings with EU officials and a networking event with AUBG alumni in Brussels. “It was […] pleasant to see how warmly [the alumni] talk of AUBG,” Osichenko said, “how they value their experience there, and how the AUBG spirit bonds people together even years later.” The Brussels’s trip is organized annually as part of Crombois’ EU Lobbying class and is supported by the European Commission’s Jean Monnet modules to promote EU studies. “This means that [the trips] never cost the university a penny,” Crombois said. “I am proud to say that we are the only ones in Bulgaria having such modules right now.”
