Final Day Reflections

Today WE focus on the overall reflections of the trip as we make haste back to Aberystwyth. There is no doubt thatwe have learnt many things on the European Union and its internal organs. We have also learnt about how different European institutions protect the human rights.

The trip started with our visit to Luxembourg, a country with very few people but much wealth. Particular highlights in cluded the palace of the Grand Duke and, especially, THE European Court of Justice and the European Investment Bank. On a European level, Luxembourg plays an important role as the judicial centre of the EU.

The undoubted highlight of the trip was Wednesday 8^th June when we visited the European Parliament and the European Court of Human Rights. In the European Parliament we were given a detailed powerpoint presentation by a Maltese visitor’s officer. The presentation concerned the basic functions of the parliament, and also addressed political issues arising from its operations, such as the so-called democratic deficit.  Following on to this we met three Welsh MEPs, including Dr Kay Swinbourne herself (a native of Aberystwyth), Gill Evans (an Aberystwyth graduate) and Nick Vaughan. They have answered our questions regarding day to day work, their roles in the parliament, constituency work and the transparency in their work.  Following on from this, we were fortunate enough to be able to sit on a plenary session of the Parliament during a vote on a parliamentary report.

The afternoon (apart from making an-update on our blog at lunch-time) saw a visit to the European Court of Human Rights where we were given a presentation and a questions and answers session by         by a lawyer at the Council of Europe, learning about the work, decisions and appointments of judges directly in the main court room where some were fortunate enough to sit in judges’ chairs.

Following this, we have returned back to the European Parliament, where we were greeted by Dr Swinbourne and a group of other MEPs, assistants and advisers, few of whom were former Aberystwyth graduates all of whom were not only happy to tell us about their memories about the University, but also about their career paths, but also about their areas of interest, for example, the Common Foreign and Security Policy.

On Thursday and Friday, during our return from Strasbourg we were able to reflect upon all our experience as we passed beautiful green scenery of France. The ancient French city of Reims provided the inspiration for this: its beautiful cathedral where Clovis, the first king of the Franks was baptised, and where foundation stones were laid for the empire of Charlemagne -   empire of whom many European idealists still dream about as true European.

But the modern Europe is different: after centuries of conflict, ideological divisions and current economic problems, European states are still willing to overcome old problems and work together to create a more dynamic and confident Europe for the future. That the Lisbon Treaty further strengthened the European Council shows that states themselves are at the heart of this new drive to keep Europe together, and ensure its survival as an area of freedom and peace.

But perhaps most importantly, many of us came to appreciate the importance of the Schengen area – the European free-travel zone that that breaks down old barriers and brings together people, even yesterday’s enemies. Perhaps this is what Europe is truly about. As Jean Monet famously said: We are not building a coalition of states, we are uniting people’.                                              

Day 4 - Reims

After a wonderful continental breakfast this morning we had first-hand experience of  the French  cuisine. This consisted of baguettes, pancakes, brioche, cheese etc. Unfortunately, Janine was departing home back to Germany so we all said our farewells wishing her well. Afterwards, we headed West through the wonderful countryside to the famous champagne capital of the world, Reims! Whilst keeping ourselves occupied with numerous films on the coach, we arrived at Reims with an allocation of 2 hours to explore this admirable city. The wonderful architecture and historic buildings captured our fascinations which included an 800 year old 12^th century cathedral and an impressive art gallery. 

What did we learn about France? Well, France was not exactly just a nation of French people, but natives of Europe.  There was no doubt that migration was evident in France. This supports the fact that one of the EU core principles with regards to the free movement of labour was satisfied. Overall, France displayed a mosaic of people from a combination of European nations.

There was also a wide array of food to select from. What could we possibly choose? Today’s speciality on our taste buds was crepes! Why? It was an opportunity. We exploited the fact that we were in France, so we had to have a real French crepe and admire the specialisation before returning to the UK. We enjoyed the traditional French pancakes with whatever we fancied ranging from sugar to cheese.

As highlighted by the EU parliamentary officials that we met at the reception at Parliament yesterday, EU integration is fully operationalised through the French example. With regards to what the MEPS stated, despite the monthly commute to Strasbourg, the importance of France in Europe is acknowledged. This brief experience made us realise the meaning of the EU French culture. It supported the EU’s strong message – Unity and diversity. We noticed that diversity was not just people, but with food, culture and much more. Overall, despite the close proximity of France and the UK, cultures and traditions were entirely different to the UK. This was truly a French experience!

Finally, with the CES being a cross-departmental and multi-disciplinary centre, we had the opportunity to constantly interact with students of different nations and departments. This trip has certainly enabled us to share experiences, exchange expertise and enhance our learning further.        

Natalie Lee, Kristy Yeung, Matt Hutchinson, Will Carmmac    

In the afternoon we had the opportunity to visit the European Courts of Human Rights. The court was founded in the 1950’s and has now grown to cover all 27 member states and their protectorates. We participated in an in depth debate about their everyday work remit with one of the Registry Officials called Evguenyi Boen (from Bulgaria). Mr Boen went on to talk about the procedures in selecting the priorities of different cases.

After this very interesting and inspiring debate we realised the complexities and uniqueness of each individual case, with each student commenting on how much they had learned from this invaluable experience.

Later that evening we attended a reception at the European Parliament hosted by Dr Kay Swineburne M.E.P., which was attended by a multitude of other M.E.P.’s and support staff. Giving both students and lecturers the opportunity to get a first hands grasp of all the hard work involved behind the scenes at the European Parliament, as it happened to be Kay’s birthday we surprised her  with a rendition of Happy Birthday to her delight.

Afterwards many of us headed to downtown Strasbourg to round of a busy but most engaging day.                                                                         

Day 3 - The European Parliament - with Welsh MEPs

Day 3 - The European Parliament

After an enjoyable breakfast the group was driven to the European Parliament building in Strasbourg. All were suitably impressed with the architecture, a beautiful combination of glass, steel, wood and slate. We agreed that it is the perfect embodiment of the lofty vision and ideals of the EU’s founding fathers.  After a thorough security search and amid rumours of a sighting of the European Parliament’s President in the lobby, we were greeted by a Parliamentary official  from  Malta called Ryan, who gave a thoroughly informative presentation on the Parliament’s past and present. He took as his starting point the low turnout levels at EP elections and went on to discuss the need to inform citizens of what goes on in the EP and about the difficulties involved. He went on to give an account of the institutional context  in which the EP operates, referring to the institutional triangle of the Parliament, Council and Commission. Explaining that the EP is a co-legislative body in the vast majority of policy areas, Ryan proceeded to offer a historical account of how the EP gradually accumulated powers over the course of its life, gradually emerging from a talking and drinking shop to a powerful legislator. The group then heard that MEPs form party groups and sit in these transnational groups in Parliament, rather than sit with their national colleagues, and about the need for politicians to compromise to achieve the parliamentary majorities needed to pass legislation. The non-legislative work of MEPs was also discussed. They regularly hold meetings with members of parliament in many non-EU states. 

We were subsequently joined by three Welsh MEPs, Kay Swinburne from the Conservatives, Derek Vaughan from Labour, and Jill Evans from Plaid Cymru. Together they offered an insight into the life of an MEP, especially regarding their work on Parliamentary committees, where most of the important work is done. They also discussed many of the issues currently facing the EP, as well as the EU more broadly, before answering questions from students.

We were then led into the hemicycle, where we were greeted with the words ‘I never thought the EU could get any worse... then I read this report’, uttered in an English accent by (we think) a Conservative MEP. This introduction was followed by a plenary voting session, during which tens divisions were held in quick fire succession on several pieces of legislation. Different voting procedures were used included roll-call votes, where all votes are recorded, show of hands votes, and electronic voting. These procedures appeared very technical and were difficult to follow in places, but enjoyable nonetheless.  Another notable aspect was the translation facilities, which were outstanding. All in all visiting the Parliament and meeting the MEPs was a thoroughly valuable experience, one that we will all treasure for years to come.

Day 2 - Luxembourg

Day two began with a lovely breakfast in hotel Altia. After the long
journey to Lille our brave soldiers made it to bed rather early the night
before. Unfortunately, that did not prevent most of them from oversleeping
the morning after. We stand to be chastised by our strict sergeant Athina…
 At 9 a.m. we slowly gathered in front of the hotel and soon we were on
our way to Luxembourg. As the bus was making it out of the car park we
realised that we were about to leave two men behind. No men are left
behind, under Athina’s command!
The trip to Luxembourg took three and a half gruelling hours.  Just like
the day before, the crew was in sleeping mode for most of the time. Having
passed through Belgium we found ourselves in the ‘Eden’s garden’ of
Luxembourg. We had a full hour to explore its endless beauties. The first
thing that grabbed our attention was the stunning view of the Adolphe
Bridge. It has become an unofficial national symbol, representing
Luxembourg’s independence, thus turning into one of Luxembourg City’s main
tourist attractions. The bridge is spanning across the striking Valle de
Petrusse gardens. Having made the most out it in terms of
look-where-I’ve-been-pictures we headed for the town centre. The Cathedral
of Luxembourg was our next target. Several (hundred) pictures later we
made it to the lovely streets at the heart of Luxembourg. A gypsy
orchestra welcomed us there. It provided for an even more enthralling
atmosphere during our visit to the legal capital of Europe. If that’s what
the European rule of law does for the prosperity of people, then we should
all turn into devout Europeans. We made to Strasbourg just in time for the
rain to challenge our determination to go out. The brave Soldiers that we
are, we shall not be deterred.

Preslava, Ivana & Nikolai

Day 2 - Luxembourg - European Commission Representation office