AUBG Students Get a Taste of Real World in Brussels

Day 1: The Council of Ministers, the Wilfried Martens Center for European Studies, Carnegie Europe

The week began with a visit to the Council of the Ministers, where the students had a meeting with a legal expert who offered an overview of how the European Union works and spoke about some of the EU’s pressing issues. Brexit, climate change, migration, EU enlargement, digital security – these were the topics that surfaced during each meeting over the week. The diverse group of AUBGers coming from Bulgaria, Albania, Georgia, Moldova, Latvia, Hong Kong and Germany allowed for insightful discussions and thought-provoking questions on each issue.

“I am very impressed with the quality of education at the American University in Bulgaria,” said Niklas Novaky, Research Officer and expert on EU Foreign and Security Policy at the Wilfried Martens Center for European Studies. Together with his colleague Dimitar Lilkov, also Research Officer at the center, he had a roundtable discussion with the students that focused on EU energy and environmental policy.

Asked what professional skills they look for at Martens Center, the two professionals agreed that both expertise and the right attitude are essential. “You have to be versatile and quick, catch up fast and engage with a well-informed audience,” Lilkov said. “You must also have a good attitude and the desire to make an impact,” Novaky said.

Following the meeting at Martens Center, the students headed to Carnegie Europe, a think tank that focuses on foreign policy analysis. Francesco Siccardi, Senior Program Manager at Carnegie Europe, gave a short introduction of the think tank’s work and spoke about Scottish-American business magnate and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, who is the person behind Carnegie Hall in New York, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and the Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh, among others. Visiting researcher at Carnegie Europe Raluca Cseranatoni, whose work focuses on European security and defense with a specific interest in disruptive technologies, then spoke about the role and the ethical implications of using drones and artificial intelligence in warfare.

Day 2: Euractiv.com, BusinessEurope, AmCham-EU

The second day of the trip to Brussels allowed students to look at EU policy issues from varied perspectives. They first visited Euractiv.com, an independent pan-European media network that focuses on reporting EU-related topics. The students were welcomed by Bulgarian-born and Brussels-based Georgi Gotev, who works as Senior Editor at the media. The journalist spoke about the organization’s day-to-day activities and the launch of euractiv.bg, a website in Bulgarian that does investigative journalism and focuses on topics such as media freedom, the rule of law and foreign investment in the Eastern European country.

The students also met with Eleonora Catella, a Senior Adviser at Business Europe Nov. 5. Catella talked about the role of the organization in supporting European business and ensuring that Europe remains globally competitive. Following a discussion on the interests of the European companies, the students went on to visit AmCham-EU -- an organization that represents the interests of U.S. companies that operate in the EU such as Google, Facebook, Goodyear -- for a discussion on the economic dimensions of US-EU relations.  

Day 3: The European External Action Service (EEAS), the U.S. Mission to the EU, the European Policy Center, the Alumni Gathering

Day 3 of the Brussels trip was mostly dedicated to discussions on EU diplomacy with a focus on the EU’s Eastern partnerships. The day began with talks on EU-Russia relations and the Eastern partnerships with Georgia and Moldova at the European External Action Service. It ended with a meeting with Paul Ivan, Senior Policy Analyst at the European Policy Center, who discussed EU’s South Caucasus relations. The students also met with representatives of the U.S. Mission to the EU, where they learned more about the U.S. diplomatic relations with the EU and grant opportunities offered to EU students and scholars in the U.S. under the  Fulbright-Schuman  program.

The night ended with an AUBG alumni gathering in the center of Brussels, where the students met with AUBG Interim President David Evans, AUBG Development Director Irena Macheva and AUBG alumni who currently work in Brussels and the region and hold leading positions at some of the EU institutions, interest groups and NGOs.

Day 4: Greens/EFA Group, EEAS, Service for Foreign Policy Instruments

The last day of the trip began with a though-provoking meeting with Raphael Fisera, Political Advisor on EU’s External Policy, working for the Greens/EFA  Group at the European Parliament. He spoke about the needs to strengthen the human rights dimension in EU foreign policy. The final meeting was back in EEAS, where the students discussed foreign policy instruments and most specifically EU sanctions implemented against third countries.

 “I believe that the study trip to Brussels is an invaluable experience, not only for European Studies and Political Science students but also for students who major in Business Administration, Economics and Journalism,” said AUBG student Simona Tarpova, who majors in Political Science and International Relations and European Studies and is the former President of the Student Government at AUBG. “The agenda of the trip offers a variety of professional viewpoints on important contemporary topics such as Energy Security, Climate Change, Economic Diplomacy and Eastern Partnerships. In addition, the project gives students the opportunity to participate in constructive discussions, to develop their critical thinking and expand their knowledge on the policies and structure of the European Union.”

Many AUBG alumni have worked and interned at the organizations that the students visited, and its representatives expressed keen interest in welcoming new AUBG interns and employees.