A short visit to Strasbourg, France

Since this program is all about the European Union, we pretty much go to every EU institution there is. Saying this, the program thought it was necessary to take us to the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France, which is only a convenient hour bus ride away from Freiburg, Germany. Arriving in the city, I was stunned to see how beautiful it is. The Ill River that runs along it had gorgeous swans resting on it, the Cathedral had an astonishing view from the top of the Old Town, and the shops could not have been cuter. There were tons of delicious bakeries and French Restaurants.

After the two hours we had to explore the city (which was a perfect amount of time since I knew I was going to be back with my parents in a month), we got on the bus to visit the European Parliament. Inside the EP, we got to listen to Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) and have the graceful presence of the infamous Lady Ashton, the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy as well as the Vice President of the European Commission, discuss the issue of “State of Play of Peace Process of the Middle East.” Although not all MEPs were present, we got to hear from a few different perspectives of various party members. Some MEPs were advocating for peace in the Israel World, and others fearing involvement and wanting to shift focus to more important positive improvements at hand such as transportation, the environment, technology, etc. After listening in on their meeting, we got a little overview of the EP of what it does. To give you some little facts about it, the EP forms the legislative body along with the European Council and the European Commission, and the people, who make it the most democratic institution of the EU, directly vote the MEPs. Once our briefing was over, we left the building and headed back home to Freiburg. It was quite a short stay, but an overall positive one.