MIRD Annual Student Visit to Brussels and EU Institutions
On 13 and 14 October 70 first-year students of the MSc in International Relations and Diplomacy had the opportunity to visit several European Union institutions in Brussels.
This trip was offered as a component of their EU and UN course, a comprehensive overview of international institutions and is part of their curriculum. Excitingly, the trip allowed the students to see — and engage with — the institutions they were learning about in real life.
Day 1:
Visit to the European Parliament, where the group learned about the institution’s history and insight on behind the scenes happenings. They even had the chance to step into the parliament meeting room, seeing first-hand where historical decisions were made. In the evening, the programme hosted an exclusive Alumni and Speaker event featuring Q&A with 10+ Alumni now based in Brussels as well as a distinguished speaker from the Centre for European Policy Studies.
Day 2:
Visit to the European External Action Service (EEAS) and the European Council. The EEAS visit featured presentations about energy diplomacy and sanctions, helping understand the EU’s motivations in these policy areas. A fruitful discussion about job opportunities at the EEAS followed. Finally, at the European Council, students learned more about the European Union’s structure, intergovernmental decision-making and relations with the United Nations in practice.
Exciting and educational opportunity
All in all, the trip was an exciting and educational opportunity that transported discussions from the classroom to tangible, real life scenarios. The trip facilitated interesting discussions and debates, but more importantly, it also provided an opportunity for students to take a break from academics and build a sense of camaraderie in their group.
A big thank you to everyone involved in the trip, especially Professor Madeleine Hosli, Ragnhild Drange, Ioana Murgoci, Naya Pessoa, the speakers and alumni who engaged with the programme first year cohort.
We are excited for the next Brussels trip.
