Highlight of the Week!

A day trip to Strasbourg and the European Parliament!

This trip marked the point of my study abroad where I realized how special and unique this experience is. Getting to visit the Parliament of the EU made government and decision making feel more in reach than it ever has before.

Besides the Parliament, Strasbourg stands alone as an amazing city with so much rich history. Being right on the border and tossed between German and French control for centuries, the impact of this is truly evident through the architecture. This street was my favorite with a classic German design to the left, more French in the middle, and some modern architecture all the way to the right.

And the Cathedral in all of its glory, I'd even call it on par with the one in Freiburg!

And here we go! Democracy in action. We first got to hear from a MEP(member of the European Parliament) who was also a part of the German Green party, and playing a big role in leading the shift to renewable energies. It is most shocking to see how environmentally-minded individuals and groups actually play a role in decision making and legislation. I can see why Germany is a leading country in renewable energies with passionate leaders like her. Another fun fact about the German green party is how much they care about gender representation. There is more women than men in the green party and in regards to their rankings, it is required to alternate between genders.

We also got to sit in at a Parliamentary Chamber and listen in on a debate of whether Romania and Bulgaria should be allowed to join the Schengen Area. In my opinion, it did not feel like much of a debate as most speakers were strongly in favor of them joining. The Schengen Area, in brief, includes mostly EU countries and allows for free movement across borders without passports. Romania and Bulgaria were initially blocked in 2011 by the European Council on the grounds of crime and limited anti-corruption measures. This demonstrated how extensive checks and balances are between the various EU institutions and how long of a process it can be for legislation to change. My favorite part about listening in at the Parliamentary Chamber was seeing the translators and all the different languages represented, which I find to be equally important to decision making itself.

What is most difficult for me to understand about how the EU works is how the interests of so many countries and their citizens can be represented. In the short time of being there, a wide range of topics from energy and the green movement to overall EU structure and integration processes were discussed. The Parliament gave insights into the capacities of the EU and created clear distinctions to how citizen interests are represented in the U.S.. This was really such a cool and special experience and I'm glad I got to share!

Thanks for reading!!

Off to Brussels and Paris now!