The ATHENA Jean Monnet Chair organised a study trip for 15 students from Dr Dimitris Bouris’s and Dr Olga Burlyuk’s Research Projects. The students enjoyed an exciting two-day programme in Brussels. On the first day, they visited the European Parliament, where they discussed the work of the European Parliamentary Research Service, the Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP), the European Global Strategy (EUGS) and the Strategic Compass.
The second day involved a visit to the European External Action Service (EEAS), where the students engaged in conversations about the EU’s role in Palestine, Israel, Syria and Lebanon with Kristofer Carlin (Political Advisor to the EUSR for the MEPP) and Aristi Gaztelumendi (Deputy Head of the MENA Division). In the afternoon, they visited the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations (DG NEAR) and discussed the Western Balkans with Michael Docherty (Head of the Rule of Law sector), Davide D. (Political Desk Officer for Bosnia) and Maja Smrkolj (Political Desk Officer for Serbia).
