Can you believe it!? We are already about half way through the semester. And though I hesitate to say it because I don’t want to jinx it, I think spring might be here. It’s been warmer (I have been wearing one jacket instead of two), and the sun has been shining more than usual. Fingers crossed this weather is here to stay!

Ok, so since my last post 11 days ago (!!!) I have been to Brussels and Amsterdam. Brussels was great — it’s a beautiful city where it usually rains but it so kindly held back the clouds while we were there. Because I traveled to Belgium with my European Politics course, we got visit the EU Government Institutions and meet with cabinet members, Parliament employees, the foreign correspondent for Denmark’s main news source TV2,  and see much more. Getting to hear from speakers at the European Commission, European Parliament and during an interview with a Permanent Representative to The Netherlands, the relationship between the EU Institutions became more clear and I learned that EU politics is not much simpler than that in the the United States and many of the current issues reported in the news are similar to those discussed/faced by the Legislative and Executive Branches.

Let’s see if I can get the make up of the institutions right. Imagine a triangle with the corners being the European Commission, the European Parliament and the Member States/Council of Ministers.
European Commission: There are 28 commissioners, one from each member state. The current president of the Commission is Jean-Claude Junker of Luxembourg. The High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice President (there are four VPs) is Frederica Mogherini, former Minister of Foreign Affairs for Italy. Other cabinets headed by commissioners are Climate Action and Policy, Trade, Health and Food Safety, Transport, etc. All proposals and initiatives for legislation must come from the Commission.
European Parliament: The closest analogy to the EP would be the U.S. House of Representatives. There are 751 members of European Parliament.
Member States/Council of Ministers: Also known as the Council of the European Union or the Council. These are the national governments for each of the 28 member states in the European Union. While they exist to promote and protect the interests of their individual states, they also must consider the interests of the EU as a whole and work with the Commission and Parliament to further their agendas. There is a six-month rotating presidency. Currently Latvia holds the presidential seat.
Let’s not forget about the European Council, not to be confused with the Council of Ministers. The European Council consists of the heads of states (prime ministers, presidents, chancellors) of the 28 member states. According to their website, the European Council “defines the EU’s overall political direction and priorities.” The head of the European Council is Donald Tusk from Poland. His title is “President of the European Union” despite the fact that the EU is not a federation of states (it’s not called the United States of Europe).

In addition to the academic portion of our study tour to Brussels, we had yummy class meals. Of course we covered the four things you’re supposed to get in Belgium — waffles, fries, beer and chocolate. We enjoyed a tour and tasting at La Trappe, a trappist beer brewery. It can claim the trappist classification because the beer was brewed (or brewing was supervised) by monks, the proceeds benefit the monastery and all excess goes to some sort of charity/social good, and a third quality that I cannot remember. What makes it especially special is that after the first round of fermentation, trappist beers are left to ferment a second time. We were told to ask for beer bottles that are a year past their experation date the next time we go to a bar. La Trappe is known for it’s Quadrupel, a 10% alcohol content beer that is a beautiful, bold amber color. Beyond that, I’m still learning how to classify and order beer that I like.

After Brussels, we spent half a day in The Hague to visit the ICTY, the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. This UN court tries and indicts war criminals from the Yugoslav wars that resulted in the dissolution of the territory and establishment of Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro and Macedonia. We heard from a captivating speaker, one of the prosecutors at the ICTY, but the biggest take-away I was left with was/is her last message about internships and jobs — in order to get a job in your life, you need to have work experience. This begs the question of how do you get that first job? If you couldn’t tell/didn’t know, it’s summer internship application season…

From The Hague, we took a bus to Amsterdam. The class spent about six hours in the city before departing back to CPH. I stayed the weekend with a classmate and some other friends. We went to the Van Gogh Museum, took pictures with the iconic “I amsterdam” sign, and walked through the Red Light District (I actually got a formal tour of the Red Light District led by a former prostitute organized by DIS. Fascinating stuff I will share over the phone if you are interested.) We did a lot of walking through the canals, took a canal tour, and soaked in the sun while wearing sunglasses (until now, a rarity in Copenhagen). I’ll have to go back to Amsterdam for the Rijksmuseum, the tulips and the Anne Frank House.

Overall, a successful travel week. I’m exhausted and SO happy to be back in Copenhagen, even in my icky room at Bispebjerg. Pictures are on their way. Multiple pieces of technology overwhelm me (as I sit here with a computer, iPad and phone on the table). And it’s a busier week in my classes — three essays and one exam. So I better get to work! But here’s a picture to hold you over:

At European Parliament. Formally dressed in our professional business attire. Danish politicians often wear jeans and definitely do not wear a tie.