Imagine you live in an EU country, yet far far away from the heart of the continent – say, on remote Canary islands. How can you foster the sense of belonging to Europe and to Brussels, where decision directly concerning your life are made every day? AEGEE-Las Palmas knows the answer. Natalia Klimenko spoke to Isabel Romay, the vice-President of AEGEE-Las Palmas, to find out more.

Natalia: Isabel, on the 6th of March, you organised an outstanding event – you took participants from AEGEE-Las Palmas for a study trip to Brussels! How would you describe this trip in three words?

Isabel: Purest AEGEE-event!

What has helped you with the organisation? Has the booklet “All Roads lead to Brussels” issued by European Citizenship Working Group provided some useful information?

I wasn’t aware of this booklet during the preparation [she laughs, ed], good title by the way! Actually this goes back to my internship at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, two years ago, in 2016. It was one of the best experience in my life and I met a lot of interesting people. So, last summer, during a Team Building, our lovely president, Silvia Herrera, asked me: “Wouldn’t it be awesome if we could arrange a visit to the Parliament for our members?”. She didn’t have to say it twice, so I contacted Beatriz Becerra, an MEP of ALDE who I had the pleasure to meet not only during my intern, but also here in Gran Canaria during the Day of Europe three years ago during a local event from AEGEE Las Palmas.

How many organisers and participants did you have? Were any non-AEGEEans on board as well?

We were a group of 30 people, 28 members from AEGEE Las Palmas, the president of AEGEE-Pisa and one participant from AEGEE-Chisinau. It was important for us that is event was limited to AEGEEan. The month before the visit, suddenly we started having lots of new members [she laughs, ed], which was awesome because most of them are now active and really motivated.

What were the main challenges you faced before and during the trip? How did you solve them?

It would have been literally impossible for me to coordinate it by myself: I had to defend the final paper of my master and I had my final exam three days before the visit in Madrid. I am very grateful to my dear friend, Daniel Cervera. He coordinated the group from the beginning, the flights, the hostel, and helped me with all the documents we had to sent before the visit. After the visit, you also have to justify all the expenses, which is not easy with a group of 30 people, but our awesome treasurer, Raúl Hernández, did his little magic with the Excel [she laughs, ed].

What institutions did you visit? Did you have a chance to meet any EU decision-makers?

We visited the European Parliament in Brussels with Beatriz Becerra, MEP from ALDE, one of the political group representing the Parliament. I hope next time we can also visit the Parliament in Strasbourg during the plenary session!

What did participants like most about this trip?

Hard to tell, they should answer this themselves [she laughs, ed]. I hope they liked everything! The guided visit, the presentation of the book we were invited to after the visit, the city and of course the Belgian beer [she laughs, ed].

As far as we know, you managed to get your expenses fully covered by the EU – this is a big achievement, congratulations! How long did it take you to prepare the application for the grant and what tips could you give those who will apply for EU funding?

Thank you! We are so glad we did it. Well, the trip was not fully covered, but of course it was a huge help. Actually, the political groups have a specific amount of funds to encourage group visits by covering part of the expenses, allowing citizens to get closer to one of the most important European institutions of our democracy. All you have to do is establish contact with an MEP’s and have a little luck!

What is the purpose of such trips to Brussels, in your opinion? Can they make one feel more European?

AEGEE is always trying to promote active citizenship and democracy, but how can we do that, when especially we here in the Canaries, feel so far away from Europe and our representatives? And then, how should one do that when most of us don’t even really know how the EU-institutions work? How do our representatives make important decisions that concern us and our everyday life? The aim of this trip was to show that it is actually possible and not difficult to feel like a real European citizen, interacting with MEPs about or concerns and their work. This is a must-do event. I hope we can organise it next year again.

European Citizenship Working Group seeks to foster “Europeanness” across the young people from the whole continent, including non-EU citizens. One means to promote awareness of what Europe does is to visit EU institutions and museums in Brussels, EU’s de-facto capital city. In December, ECWG offered the network the amazing booklet “All Roads Lead to Brussels” where your antenna can find useful tips for a study trip to Brussels. We hope there will be more and more trips like the one AEGEE-Las Palmas organized! You can always reach us at ecwg@aegee.org with questions and ideas.

Written by Natalia Klimenko, AEGEE-Moskva on behalf of European Citizenship Working Group 2017/18

“Freedom is such a high value that you only feel it, once you don’t have it…”

Does the state determine my freedom? How are people in Europe affected by state limitation? Isn’t freedom self-evident in a (European) democracy? Can Europeans take freedom for granted? Can a state deny me my fundamental rights? What happens when laws do exist on paper, but you cannot rely on them in practice? How does democracy react to such a challenge? What can a single person do? What is my duty as a citizen?

These questions bounce around my head since when I’ve followed a vivid discussion on the “Challenges to the Rule of Law in Europe”. It was organised by European Movement International (EMI), which is a network of European organisations and aims at involving the civil society in discussions on political questions. AEGEE-Europe is one of its 80 member organisations and you can read their position on the Rule of Law in Europe. The event hosted Péter Niedermüller (Hungarian Member of European Parliament), Urmas Reinsalu (Estonian Minister of Justice), Philippe Dam (Human Rights Watch) and Kai Härmand (Ministry of Justice of Estonia) at the European Parliament in Brussels (read the event report here).

Why so many Estonians?

Every six month a different member state takes over the presidency of the Council of the EU (Council of Ministers). The country can use its presidential role to bring certain prioritised topics to the political agenda. From July to December 2017 it’s Estonia’s turn!

The rule of law is a fundamental principle of every democracy and safeguards the freedom of its citizens. It ensures that laws are placed above individual opinions or the government and people, for example minorities or the opposition, can call on their lawful rights. Lately this common European understanding has been defied by member states of the EU. The “naming & shaming” of these countries from an outside perspective (as it has been happening) is no effective tool to achieve political changes nor does it help the offended ones. Kai Härmand compared it to a little child who would only continue to disrespect the rules more eagerly. Instead, people need to take a stand against these offenses.

“If you are lazy in protecting freedom you have to pay the price for it”, Urmas Reinsalu said. “The rule of law is not only the responsibility of the state, but also of its citizens.” Have we been too lazy? People went to the streets to raise their voices and speak up against restrictions in their choices of education. But what if these voices are not heard, because “the rule of law is a question of political will”, as Philippe Dam put it? Elected governments might be against the contribution of society and its organisations, e.g. NGOs, to their decision making.

Which role do I play as a European citizen in this critical situation? It must be a quite important one. Civil society is made up by individuals, who gather in groups of shared interests. They are the watchdog of their elected representatives. They need to make sure those politicians do not question such basic democratic concepts as the rule of law. By getting loud, by acting confidently and promoting solidarity for each other. By gaining freedom through fulfilling a citizen’s duty.

To guarantee the Rule of Law in Europe we need citizens that speak up and governments that listen! After all: “The values of who we are, who we want to be as humans, make up Europe”.

Are you interested in the topic of European Citizenship? – Send an e-mail to ecwg@aegee.org

Written by Jasmin Kaiser, AEGEE-Passau

It was a hot, sunny mid-July day, when I received an unexpected e-mail from AEGEE-Europe. In fact, during the last year, as an Erasmus student, I’ve taken part in several surveys concerning the Lifestyle in Mobility project. That day, I saw myself rewarded for the effort, with a prize I never ever even hoped to receive. They were indeed awarding me with an Interrail Global Pass. No need to say this, but I gladly took this opportunity. [Article sponsored by Interrail, ed.]

My first instinct was finding a mate, with whom to travel. I’ve always travelled along with friends so far, and I wasn’t so eager to consider other options. Unsuccessful, I decided to gather all my courage and depart on my own. It would have been such a waste not to take this marvelous prize. By the way, travelling alone can be tough, so I decided to set my route in order to pay a visit to my friends in France, Belgium and Germany, and to test my luck, again, by looking for good company along the way. Thanks to the Erasmus project I had the chance to become friends with many students all over Europe, and it turned out to be useful in this kind of occasion. Due to my university and work commitments, I decided to start my adventure in October. Yes, I know, October can be pretty cold in middle/northern Europe. But as they say, “There’s no such thing as bad weather, only unsuitable clothing”.

Once my backpack was done with all my equipment, I was ready to reach Milan. The city is close to the Italian northern border. That, along with the presence of a friend of mine willing to have me to be his guest, made it a perfect base for my departure on the next day. My first stop was in Strasbourg: a long journey passing through Switzerland, where I had to switch trains in Basel. The Swiss public service is very efficient, and my train was comfortable enough to rest on the way. This last feature is literally fundamental during an Interrail trip. Travelling between different countries takes time, and the nature of the Interrail itself requires you to be always mentally and physically ready. Some change might occur in the timetable due to a delay or yu might have to walk for some miles to reach your hostel from the train station. Generally speaking, you always need to be ready to adapt to the situation, this is why it is so important to have the chance to rest and recharge your batteries during train time.

In Strasbourg I was welcomed by a grey sky, covered by menacing clouds. Good news was that at least, once I left Italy, I always found dry weather, which makes it easier to cope with the increasing cold. My friend Emma was there to pick me up. She’s was my host and guide for two days in “the French land”. The city is a delightful mash up between French and German architecture. It is placed in Alsace, a region that has been contended by the two countries for several centuries. I enjoyed wandering through the alleys, walking along the colourful riverside and taste the local food, especially the saucisson. Yes, I must admit the food was particular and enjoyable. Strasbourg is a university city, full of life and active young people. We took part in a pub crawl at night, and I reunited with my Erasmus friends Claire, Lucille and Sarah.

Interrail is a frenetic adventure, and just a few hours later I was about to depart for Brussels. They say “it’s all about the journey, not the destination”, and with Interrail it is definitely true. I love travelling by train: the inner side of the country you are visiting shows itself, allowing you to have a better idea of the landscape and real life outside cities. Even more important is that it grants you the possibility to visit places you’d otherwise never consider to journey to. A clear example would be: on the way to Brussels, I paid a stop in Luxembourg. Now, with all due respect, how likely are you to plan your next holidays in Luxembourg? Not much. Luxembourg is a pretty small nation, and it takes just a few hours to visit Luxembourg’s main city. Home of European institutions, the city is also home of an ancient fortress dug in stone, the Bock Casemates. I was happy I took some time to discover this unexpectedly wonderful place. Interrail has the advantage to make you discover places not usually on the list of main touristic attractions, but that are definitely worth a visit.

A few hours later I safely arrived in Brussels, the Belgian capital and home of, as well as Strasbourg and Luxembourg, the main European institutions. The basic structure of my travel plan was to arrive in a main city late in the evening, reach a previously booked hostel room, decide what to visit on the next day and then get some well-deserved rest. A meticulous daily preparation was fundamental for me. When I started this adventure I decided to visit as many places as possible, in a limited time. Assuming this, it is easy to guess that I was often rushing in order to see every present attraction and monument. In this context, a good organisation turned out to be essential. At the same time, it is also important to enjoy life, relax and make exceptions to the plan. And, I must say, for Belgian beer I really had to divert from my plan.

My next main stop was in Amsterdam. It took me a couple of days to get there, because on the way I spent some time visiting Antwerp, Rotterdam and Utrecht. Three cities for three different kind of allure. An old busy port city, a super modern harbour and an ancient inner town crossed by canals and well-guarded by the famous Dom Tower. Besides, still drawing from this segment of the route, a special mention goes to Zaanse Schans, a little community of forty houses and few windmills. The place survives in old fashion way, fueled by artisan activities and tourism. It is possible to enter the windmills, attend the preparation of the local cheese, Gouda, and taste a freshly ground hot chocolate sitting on the riverside. A small, lovely, corner of old Holland where I left a piece of my heart.

I loved the Netherlands, and after an intense visit of the country I was ready to face the longest test of this journey: a 12 hours race to Copenhagen. Not an exciting prospect, but if I learned something in this period is that no trip is too long when you have your books and your music. Despite my excellent timetable, I lost the connection in Hamburg and started panicking. It was a moment of chaos because in Germany signs and announcements are only in German and I managed to solve the problem only with the help of the information desk. Copenhagen was still far away and at the moment it was hard to set a new route. Fortunately they were so kind to allow me to catch a direct train that wasn’t provided by my pass (and I didn’t have to spend a sent more). They omitted to say that this particular train was going to follow a different track, heading toward Fehmarn to board on a ferry directed to Denmark. Just for a moment I thought we were going to head down in a tunnel I never heard about. Didn’t I mention it at the beginning? Be ready to adapt!

The city of Copenhagen was unbelievable. Worth a visit, efficient under every aspect, and with a Nordic charm. During my staying in a hostel I had the opportunity to interact with local and foreign people, sharing stories about our journeys and learning tips about underground party places.

During the visit of a city, I never waste the occasion to get to the local market. I consider it a good display of traditions and an opportunity to talk with local people.

Eventually, I stepped into the last part of my journey on the way home. A brief visit to Sweden and then down toward Germany. Once crossed the Øresund bridge and after climbing the fortress of Helsingborg, I reached Malmö. Malmö is a port city, with not much to offer to a visitor. To avoid the struggle of passing by Denmark again by train, I decided to take a ferry at night towards Lübeck. Guiltily, I didn’t consider that the port was 6 miles away from the train station, not the walk you would gladly make. Not at night, not with a 15 kilos backpack. Just another day at the office. Interrail teaches you that Google Maps can really be your best friend.

Once arrived in Germany, not without struggling, getting home to Italy was a matter of a few days. But yet I had the opportunity to visit Lübeck, Dresden and Leipzig, three astonishing cities. Passing by Switzerland once again, hands down my favourite landscapes, after about two weeks I was again in Milan, tired but extremely happy. It’s been an adventure that tested and changed me in ways I didn’t expect. An intense experience that I’d strongly recommend to anyone who wants to see Europe.

Written by David Govi

Somewhere in Brussels, near the European Commission, you can find a house that looks just like most other houses in the city from the outside, but contains a lot of rooms, people and ideas on the inside. What house am I talking about? The AEGEE house, which the new Comité Directeur has been calling their home since the 1st of August, when we moved in to start our work. “What is that work about?”, you may wonder, and probably other members wonder too. Read on to find out!

In a (cheesy, but true) nutshell: the Comité Directeur works for you, the members of AEGEE-Europe. The exact ways we use to do so depend on our function and tasks, but we all share the aim of making sure that we do what is best for AEGEE-Europe [ endofcheesiness, an.]. As the Secretary General, quite some of my tasks are rather administrative, including staff management, but I also work on the preparation of our beloved statutory events, the European Planning Meeting (EPM) and Agorae, in cooperation with the Chair Team.

With the next EPM upcoming in Leiden, a lot of my days (and sometimes nights) are spent with the Strategic Plan and Action Agenda, which I am starting to consider as new close friends looking at how much I know about them by now. While Anna [Gumbau, Communication Director, an.] works on the content part of the EPM together with the Content Managers, I am responsible for the part of the event when we will draft the Action Agenda for 2016 – 2017, which means I have been drafting the program together with the Chair Team, translated the Focus Areas into hashtags – stay tuned for the EPM booklet – and sent and received many, many e-mails. Luckily, I will get to work with my friends after the EPM too, because I am the responsible for the Action Agenda Coordination Committee (ACT) too.

Another body I am responsible for is The AEGEEan, for which my tasks aren’t limited to writing this article, but I am also checking the articles in the Comité Directeur section, make sure there are enough contributions and follow the work of the online magazine in general. At the end of the year, I will also be working with another reporting team; the Key to Europe to create our annual year report of 2015 – 2016.

Last but not least, besides the internal bodies of AEGEE, I am responsible for one of our external projects, which is the Lifestyle in Mobility project – a research project on the effects of studying abroad on your lifestyle. And let’s not forget about the tasks that show up on a random basis, like the sudden need to call a company because you are the only one with knowledge of Dutch, the feedback sessions for our new Intranet, translations from German to English or the other way around or spontaneous archives digging for members.

The working days are long, sometimes going on until the next morning, and the to do list never seems to end, but this is easily compensated by the people I meet, places I discover and things I learn. After all, who needs sleep if you can AEGEE? As Secretary General, sometimes all you need is an office full of people ready to work, some loud reggaeton music and lots of e-mails from and to members. To be continued …

Written by Svenja van der Tol, Secretary General 2015 – 2016 

PS: Besides all these tasks, sometimes you also just have to be a pirate.

Lots of young people often wonder what they can do after they have completed university in their own countries. Although many of them decide to spend up to six months in a foreign country with the Erasmus programme, others prefer to improve their future career by attending a Master’s Programme or taking a traineeship. The real problem is that sometimes these students do not know where they can realise this option. This need, meaning to realise this, has prompted the origin of the EU Studies Fair 2016 in Brussels. On the 5th and 6th of February, more than 300 students and graduates have participated in this event that took place in the Belgium capital.

Organised by the American political journalism organisation, Politico, many universities were present at this international event, such as Reading, Oxford, Cambridge, and Milano Bocconi. Most of these Universities’ courses dealt with Law, Business, Economics, Public Policy and International Relations. Eventually, you could spot and enjoy a Master about Human Rights and Criminal Law at the University of Belfast. Another attendee of  a one-year-postgraduate-course of Law, organised by the same Irish University, represented a valid alternative of becoming a lawyer in the United Kingdom. This, without substaining and passing an examination as it is the case in, for instance, Italy. Everyone can also attend this course part time, over the course of two years.

People, furthermore, also had the chance to get some help in building or checking their CVs by experts. This was by far the most visited booth at the fair. The students in queue said that they thought this was either the first thing they wanted to do at the fair, or that they thought it was the most important booth present.

Lastly, one of the major areas of study that was represented was European Studies. According to some of the organisers, European Studies is nowadays more important to engage in than ever before. The European Union is at a critical point in its development, being constantly threatened by events like the Greek debt crisis, the EU’s rapid expansion towards former Soviet territories, and the possibility for the United Kingdom to leave the EU.

One of the key qualities of European Studies, one of the organisers says, is that it is ever evolving; people become more and more involved in the political process. Simultaneously, there is a greater demand for political and economical analysts from both inside and outside of the EU to get a grasp on the aforementioned factors that could be a threat to the EU.

Universities from Europe as well as universities from all over the world have therefore come to the EU Studies Fair 2016 to convince potential students to join their programme in this, ever more students demanding, academic field. A few examples are Georgetown (US), John’s Hopkins (Italy and the US) and the University of Canterbury at Christchurch (New Zealand).

The EU Studies Fair is a two-day, annual activity and the AEGEEan would highly recommend that you check out this EU-microcosm yourselves.

Written by Matteo Lai, AEGEE-Cagliari & Willem Laurentzen, AEGEE-Nijmegen

Group sessions about different aspects of working in the board of AEGEE-Europe, information about different initiatives that have to be followed up, visits to the European Parliament and other partners and stakeholders and a teambuilding weekend: after an extensive Knowledge Transfer period, taking place from the 14th until the 31st of July and the official start of their term on the 1st of August, the 52nd Comité Directeur (CD) is ready to rock! The AEGEEan interviewed Aleksandra, Antonija, Holger, Ioana, Ivan, Mayri and Paul about their first impressions of Brussels and the CD house, the Knowledge Transfer and their plans for the upcoming year.

A lot was discussed during the two weeks of Knowledge Transfer, so the question that arises is what the most interesting or funny thing that the new CD members have learned is. For the new Projects and Communications Director, Mayri Tiido, this was “a lot of Slovak wisdom thanks to Ivan [Bielik]” while Ivan himself, Human Resources Director, thought the most interesting aspect “was to observe other board members in non-AEGEE-related activities”. Both President Paul Smits and Vice-President/External Relations Director Aleksandra Kluczka agree that it was interesting to get to know the other team members. As Paul explains: “all the AEGEE knowledge was expected – the details were new, but not too surprising. However, with people it is always a new discovery how they feel, think and live.”

Antonija Parat, Secretary General, found it very interesting to see “how AEGEE is perceived here in Brussels, and to learn more about the different organisations and partners we work with”, while Network Director Holger Schmitt had a very interesting experience being interviewed by two journalists about the role of AEGEE as a student organisation and recording AEGEE’s standpoint on education in short clips. “It was the first time of feeling in charge to represent AEGEE and formulate our goals and visions.” He also remarks another responsibility the new Comité Directeur had to take up, namely the fixing of the floors in the dining and meeting room. As Interim Financial Director Ioana Duca summarizes: “Everything was interesting – it’s amazing to learn so many things from the “oldies”!”

Even before their term officially started, the new Comité Directeur already started taking up some of the tasks they are officially fulfilling now. Mayri has been in charge of the social media platforms, while Ivan is keeping himself busy with – of course – Human Resources, internal education and design. Holger has already got in contact with the Network Commission, but also with external partners and stakeholders he will be in charge of. Antonija and Ioana focused on the expected tasks, respectively administrational tasks and finances. Ola has took up the communication with some of the external partners and started to prepare the AEGEE anniversary, while Paul isn’t only busy with his presidential tasks but has also become the “IT-god”, which means that he is arranging that people can actually use their phones and computers in the house.  “Luckily Ivan will take care of the main website and Holger is managing Podio for us.”

Even though their term has already begun, the team members had some tasks they looked forward to taking up. For Ivan this is the position paper on education, while Aleksandra and Antonija are eager to start developing the Activity Plan “and hopefully achieving the goals we set for ourselves”. Holger is looking forward to “finally be entirely in charge of our beloved Network. As Network Director I adopted 13,000 members and 200 locals for whom I feel a lot of responsibility!”. Last but not least, Paul is ready to work on the ongoing communications, but next to that he also wants “to start working on our own ideas after almost three weeks of brainwashing”. Last but not least, Mayri is looking forward to moving into the room, while Ioana says that “it’s not only the tasks, but the beginning of a new life!”

Of course, we were also curious what the team members think of their new house and hometown. “I really like Brussels”, Mayri says, “as it feels like it has a lot to offer in terms of events, people, shops and culture”. Holger adds to this: “I just love to be in a three- or sometimes even four-lingual (Dutch, French, English, German) city and to understand almost everything, although I have to work on my Dutch!”. Paul wasn’t that impressed at first, but luckily it became better after the city tour by Miguel. “I am really curious how my life will be in the upcoming year outside working hours, and I hope to find lots of nice things to do!” As Aleksandra summarizes: “I think that it’s a good place to live – there are a lot of opportunities for development and participation, but also culture and leisure time. At the same time it is quite a small city compared to many capitals, which makes it cosy.”

The Comité Directeur House has also happily been accepted. As Holger tells us: “I really love our CD house and I already feel responsible for keeping it in shape and presentable to our guests. Like some people in the institutions, I also like to call our house the ‘AEGEE Embassy’ where we can present our work and projects to externals. Indeed, we are living very close together, but the house also offers enough space to find your own place to work and relax while you can quickly switch and socialize with your team members or guests in the house if you want to”. All of the members already have a favorite room too. For Ivan this one is the archives, while Mayri prefers the office and Ioana and Aleksandra like to spend their time in the garden. Paul recommends the attic, because “you can watch the stars from there, but it’s dusty and has a bad climate too.” Holger really likes the meeting room “because it is very light, has a nice working atmosphere where you can focus on your own tasks and it is also the room for discussions, meeting and developing new ideas and concepts in the team which I like very much”. For unknown reasons Antonija enjoys sitting on the stairs. “I already have my preferred place on the stairs, and my team members are teasing me for this habit.”

Asked who the mommy of the house will be, all girls agree that this must be Ioana. “She is already the mommy of the house”, Aleksandra tells us. As for cooking, the team will try to cook together as much as possible to ensure some quality time with the team. As mommy Ioana explains: “We’’ll cook all together as a family!” According to Aleksandra, Ioana is also the “most creative cook”. Antonija on the other side puts herself in the “don’t-know-how-to-cook-category, but I’m learning.”

Written by Svenja van der Tol, AEGEE-Nijmegen

For most young people, internships are the first step towards the labour market during or right after their degree. It is counted to be around four and a half million interns in the EU per year, from which -and this is the most striking part- 59% are unpaid, 40% have no contract (meaning, short social protection and no clarity of the tasks to be carried) and 30% have no learning content, whereas internships are acknowledged to be a crucial learning experience instead.

Youth organisations such as the European Youth Forum (YFJ in their acronym) have been advocating for long on youth rights and on quality internships. Some influential publications on the topic have been released so far, such as the booklet Quality jobs for young people and, more recently, the European Quality Charter on Internships and Apprenticeships, a charter with the basic guidelines for internships that are of quality and valuable for young people. Moreover, with the help of several partner organisations, the YFJ organised the first Europe Interns’ Day, taking place on July 18th in Brussels and which gathered over 200 people, according to the official figures by the YFJ.

Protesting under sunny Brussels for quality internships

Hence, the day started with interns and members from the European Youth Forum’s member organisations took over Place Luxembourg (the square right next to the European Parliament, also known as ‘Plux’ by the euro-bubble inhabitants) to protest against unpaid and unfair internships as a “modern way of slavery and exploitation”.

Under the (mostly unexpected) Brussels’ sun, the protesters could hear the voices of representatives of several youth organisations, such as InternsGoPro, Generation Europe and also AEGEE, which was represented by our Projects Director, Miguel Gallardo Albajar. We could also hear the words from the leaders of Génération Précaire, a French youth organisation that successfully pushed for changes in the law for internships and apprenticeships in France.

The discussion moved forward to the European Parliament, with a panel discussion that was firstly welcomed by Léa Hannaoui-Saulais, member of AEGEE-Lille and the Eastern Partnership Project who also presides EPSA, the European Parliament Stagiaires Association, which aims to empower the interns at the EP. “I have done five internships; four of them have been unpaid. I had done this because I was sure that would be useful for further professional experience”, she aknowledged, and she pointed that unpaid internships are indeed undervalued in tasks and salary and increases the risk of labour abuse. “We should start believing in ourselves”, she said, “but also companies must play their part”.

 Commissioner Vassiliou: “interns are not to meant make coffees”

One of the highlights of the day was the address of the Commissioner on Education and Youth, Androulla Vassiliou. She was clear on the role internships play on an individual’s learning process: “internships are a learning experience, but not in an abstract way. Interns are not volunteers”, she said. “And, foremost, interns are not there to make coffees”.

She recognised internships as “more than just a supplement to formal education” and that a quality assurance is needed in order to make a good transition towards the job market. Commissioner Vassiliou also stressed the role of internships in order to gain “soft and interpersonal skills”.

In the question round, the Commissioner was asked about her term in office, which will soon come to an end, and the legacy that she has left to her successor. “My legacy will be built on the transition to the labour market”, she stated. “I did my best in order to bridge the gap between education and employment and between skills mismatch”. Her successor, Vassiliou said, “will build their work on that”.

The launching of the European Label of Quality Internships

The importance of taking fair internships with a strong learning content was stressed throughout the event, but is there any method that can be used to evaluate the quality of internships? Well, one of the aims of the event was actually the launch of the European Label of Quality Internships by the organisation InternsGoPro. With this rating method, InternsGoPro enable interns to rate their company’s practices according to a specific criteria, and also gives visibility to the best employers that ensure that their internships bring an added value to their interns.

The label rates which are the best employers by the following seven criteria: Learning content, Remuneration, Supervision & Mentorship, Contract & Clarity of Tasks, Networking, Working Atmosphere and Career development. Each criterion corresponds to a certain number of points which determine whether an internship offer is eligible for a Label. Furthermore, there are three types of labels according to the  punctuation: Gold, Diamond and Platinum.

Therefore, not only interns themselves can benefit from checking which are the best places to take up an apprenticeship, but also employers and companies are interested. Acording to Régis Pradal, co-founder of InternsGoPro, this is a label that “can give high visibility and reputation”, through employer branding, e-recruitment of new talents and consulting.

Through bottom-up initiatives like this, the partner organisations believe that a light will be shed on the conditions under which many interns are, “a modern way of work exploitation” as it was mentioned in Place Luxembourg’s protests. If you wish to take a look at InternsGoPro’s project and even rate your own internship, you can check their website.

Written by Anna Gumbau, AEGEE-Barcelona

Pictures by the European Youth Forum and Project 668

It is a true Brussels day. It’s raining and the sky has the colour of concrete. After following the instructions of Miguel Gallardo, I arrive to find that the house is almost empty. At least, I am welcomed by the only person I don’t expect – Manos Valasis.

Really? Manos in the house? Obviously, this house was the best decision for moving the AEGEE servers (which probably each of us use but tend to forget) to… After some time spent with rearranging a room full of boxes and desks, all the other inhabitants of the house arrive– all hurrying, bringing more and more of their belongings.  Since, if their suitcases could be stored in one of the rooms on the second floor (there is a third spacious floor as well), the endless boxes with archives of AEGEE would need a lot more.

Thinking that I was only going to be the official photographer, I was surprised to realize that I was ‘upgraded’ to a box and wardrobe mover.

Driving around in a rented van, the CD has chosen the cheapest but also the most tiring way of moving – doing it alone. And when I mean alone – that’s the truth. Not a lot of people were present to help Luis, Beata, Miguel, Pavel, Anna, Lucille and Kathrin. However, the people present did a lot of great work! And in order to ensure the functionality of the archives, Edouard Mougin has found his way to Brussels together with Carol Bello. And here I come – on my day off – to move endless boxes and bags, including the many forgotten or just left things in the common room. But it’s worth it ! The happiness of seeing the old house completely empty together with the big, clean and nice rooms of the new house which is literally in less than a 10 min’s walking distance from the European Commission. That’s the moment when you realise what a good decision it has been. When asking each of the CD members if they would miss the old house the only answer is ‘Don’t think so. But…maybe later we will see’.

With a rented van, driven by Miguel, the CD was moving without any help.seeing the old house completely empty together with the big, clean nice rooms of the new house

  Let’s wish them lots of productivity, great achievements and emotions under the new roof and also, obedient AEGEE guests.

Written by Liliya Buyukliyska, AEGEE-Sofia

P.S. If you are curious and want to see more pictures – come to our Facebook page.

The AEGEEan is starting a new section – News from the Past! Now on regular basis we will introduce you to interesting articles from previous annual reports (“Key to Europe“). First article in this series goes back to 2002!

Original article

Communication: from strategy to implementation
Branding AEGEE in Brussels (April 1997- May 1999)

Background and Challenge

For AEGEE-Europe, Brussels was a relatively new field, as the Head Office had been located in Delft until 1996. Setting up an office and managing to develop the right contacts had taken quite some time and it was necessary to prioritize the “outward face of AEGEE.”

At that time, I was a member of the elected European board called Comité Directeur. There were many strong points which I was able to use in my communication, such as the solid network that AEGEE represented, the fact that AEGEE covers all topics (interdisciplinary), it does not have a national level (as the future of the EU could have been seen in that moment) and the history AEGEE had in the development of Erasmus. From this it was clear that AEGEE should have a strong voice in the European market in Brussels in the field of education and it was my job to make all this known.

My first task was to map out the different target groups within Brussels, such as the media (especially European media), the European Institutions (European Commission, European Parliament, Committee of the Regions, Permanent representations) and the NGOs (ESIB, ESN, European Youth Forum). I started with updating the current contact, such as with DGXXII, with whom a very good connection already existed. From this I created a new database, which was kept up-to-date on a daily basis.

Further more, I needed to know how the Network wanted to be represented. In order to “brand” AEGEE, I needed to know exactly what I was trying to “brand” and for this I needed the feedback from the Network. The result was a questionnaire, to which many locals responded. The main conclusion was rather surprising to me: most locals had problems with presenting their results externally, mainly because they did not feel that they were a part of a big association.

The next step was sending out press releases to journalists about the activities of AEGEE. I also arranged press conferences in the office of AEGEE-Europe to get media attention. A very important point in this was the permanent contact I had with the “Anciens of AEGEE” in Brussels. Most of them were working in European Affairs and were able to help AEGEE in developing its contacts. Lobbying with journalists for European media, such as the European Voice, Agence Europe, Uniting Europe, Europolitique, BBC and La Libre Belgique, was crucial for the media coverage of AEGEE’s activities. We presented the results of projects such as Europe and Euro and set up new projects, such as Socrates Action Day, and the first conference in the European Parliament (March ’99).

The feedback of the Network to these projects was very important in order to create the correct angle for communication. The new projects were based on the “voices from the Network” and the conference in the European Parliament was set up especially to give the locals who participated the feeling that they were part of a big network. However, more internal communication on the history of AEGEE was equally important.

Results

In those two years I developed “the brand of AEGEE” in the European market of Brussels. And it paid off. The visibility of AEGEE in the European media increased enormously. In 1998 for example there was an article almost every week on AEGEE and its activities. Secondly, a large respect for AEGEE and its activities exists in the European Institutions and the NGOs. This was felt especially when a speaker was invited for a conference and many important figures were happy to come. But the financial support for AEGEE increased as well. The public institutions (European Commission) were open to give support to the activities of AEGEE. But for me the most important result was the change of mentality inside the Network of AEGEE. Member felt again that they were part of a big network; they were proud of the activities of AEGEE and felt appreciated in what they did.

Written by Dan Luca, AEGEE-Cluj-Napoca

Originally published in Key To Europe 2002-2003

On 30 May AEGEE-Groningen visited Brussels. This is something we do every year, so that the new members that we recruit can meet the Comité Directeur (CD), and become informed about the European level. Not only through AEGEE, but also through the European Parliament.

There were even some people from AEGEE-Nijmegen, AEGEE-Bruxelles and the Comité Directeur joining us. Each year, we visit the European Parliament, and it is always a big success. Last year they told us something about the European system, we got to ask questions to the assistant of a current Member of the European Parliament (MEP) and we got a tour around the plenary room.

This year we actually got a couple of minutes with a Dutch MEP, Judith Merkies,  and she told us her vision and goals. We could send in some questions beforehand, and we asked her, among other things, what her ideal Europe would look like, what it is like to be an MEP and what she thought of several recent topics. She could not answer all our questions, because she had to head out to Nijmegen, but we got the gist of it.

Afterwards, an European Parliament Official joined us to tell us more about basic tasks of the Parliament. We still don’t know what her task was though, but what she told us was interesting. She gave us some statistics and some important names of people in the European Parliament. Also she told us more about the way the European Parliament works.

Next, the assistant of Judith told us a little something about the hard life of an assistant. When the Q&A part of the visit was over, we got to see the plenary room.

The visit ended in the cafeteria, where we got to eat a fully paid lunch, which was one of the highlights for most people.

So for all of you who do not know anything about the European Parliament, the European Commission or their tasks, here is a little speed course:

First of all, the European Commission consists of 27 commissioners. There is one commissioner for each member state. The biggest task of the European Commission is to submit proposals for new laws. The European Parliament has more members though. The 748 members of the parliament are based on the number of people living in that specific country. For instance, Germany is a very big country, with a lot of inhabitants, so they have more MEPs than smaller countries. This gives them more voting rights.

But just because a country has a lot of MEPs, that does not mean they automatically create a majority. A lot of the time MEPs from the same country, do not vote the same. Just like in a country, they belong to different political groups and have different opinions, even within a country.

The European Parliament is responsible for creating new laws, but because there needs to be a majority, this can take a very long time. Before a law is ready to be voted on, it gets adjusted a lot of times, so that most of the MEPs agree with the outcome and vote in favour.

There is a treaty stating that the 12 plenary meetings have to be in Strasbourg. So every month all the MEPs travel to this city to have a meeting. They stay there for a week, they discuss various topics and vote on them.

Because people are chosen for the European Parliament by capacities and not language skills, everything has to be in the native language of the MEP. Therefore, there are a lot of translators involved in these plenary sessions.

There are a lot more interesting things to say about the European Parliament and Commission, but considering this is the speed course, I think this is enough for now. Of course Google also knows a lot!

Written by Sanne Hillemans, AEGEE-Groningen