Students from the Faculty of Life Sciences went on a field trip to Brussels together with students from Fontys International Business School in Venlo.
HSRW
Brussels Excursion 2016
As part of a field trip, students from the Faculty of Life Sciences at Rhein-Waal University of Applied Sciences travelled to Belgium. The field trip formed part of a course on the workings of international agricultural trade and the objectives, content and instruments of the European Union’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).
The visit to Brussels took place for the first time in conjunction with students from Fontys International Business School Venlo. This opened up many opportunities for the students: they made contacts, were able to exchange knowledge, learn from one another and experienced first-hand the benefits of cross-border cooperation in Europe.
During the excursion, the participants had the opportunity to discuss current issues in European politics with the German and Dutch Members of the European Parliament, Dr Renate Sommer and Jeroen Lenaers. These topics included the current political situation in Turkey and Russia, the potential and risks of trade agreements such as CETA and TTIP, and the future role of agriculture in the EU’s post-2020 budget planning.
In addition, the students took part in a political simulation game. In this simulation, they assumed the role of Members of the European Parliament and worked together to draft two fictitious legislative proposals.
To round off the field trip, the participants met with a representative of the Federal Association of the German Food Trade and staff from the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development.
