Third-semester students on the Bachelor’s degree programmes in Agribusiness and Sustainable Agriculture visited the European Commission and the European Parliament in Brussels.
There, they met with Commission experts, Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) and a representative from an association to exchange views. The two-day excursion took place as part of the ‘International Markets, Trade and Agricultural Policy’ module, with the aim of exploring in greater depth the topics covered in the lectures on the Common Agricultural Policy.
The programme began with a meeting with the two European Commission experts, Benjamin Vallin and Benjamin Van Doorslaer. In the specialist presentations entitled ‘Trade Agenda’ and ‘Environmental Challenges of the new Common Agricultural Policy – CAP’, the students learnt more about the economic aspects and environmental challenges of European agricultural policy. At the European Parliament, the students met MEPs Maria Heubuch (The Greens/EFA) and Sven Schulze (CDU), who provided an insight into their roles, duties and areas of responsibility. Afterwards, the students were able to discuss with the MEPs questions regarding current developments in the EU, ongoing legislative processes and the political challenges in the coming years.
During a role-play exercise on the European legislative process at the Parlamentarium, the excursion participants took on the roles of MEPs. In the simulation, they interacted virtually with various groups involved in the process – including lobbyists, interest groups and MEPs. Finally, a discussion session took place with Amelie de Grahl, Head of the Brussels Office of the German Dairy Industry Association (MIV).
