Brussels and Paris 2022
On Sunday, the 26th of June, 19 7th graders started their day in Brussels with a big breakfast buffet in the lovely Meininger City Center Hostel. Afterwards we took the subway to the Parlamentarium, where we participated in an interactive parliament simulation. We got divided into four fractions and were given two different topics to discuss. The first one was about chip implants for adults and the second one about a European water pipeline. We then had to question people about their thoughts and make amendments. We then got together as a parliament to discuss each other’s opinions and make alliances, after a brief deliberation we found common ground by compromising and passed both laws through votes. After the roleplay we had a self-guided Tour in the Parlamentarium and learned all about European history. In the afternoon, we had a city tour, where we got information about sites like the Grand Place, Manneken Pis, comics, chocolate and much more of the historical city of Brussels. (Sude, 7e)
On Monday, the 27th of June 2022, we visited the European Commission, where we learned that the Commission takes care of the political executive, acts as a college and promotes the general interests of the Union. This peace project is the most important thing. The four tasks of the EU Commission are the right of initiative, policy and budget management, planning for seven years and the international dimension.
After that, we visited the EU Council, which consists of 27 Heads of State and Government of all member states, the President of the European Council and the President of the European Commission. The EU Council sets policy objectives and priorities. The decision shall be taken by qualified majority and unanimity. This was an informative day for all of us on how EU politics works. (Ines, 7d)
On Tuesday we visited the European Parliament and had the opportunity to talk to two Austrian MEPs. In a conference room, Mr. Albrecht John presented general information on the EU Parliament and its work. After a brief wait we were greeted by Othmar Karas (EPP) the vice-president of the European Parliament. We were able to ask him questions about his work and he told us all about elections within the European Parliament. After Mr. Karas, Thomas Waitz, a current MEP of the Greens, talked to us about the duties of a MEP. Thanks to him and his team this trip was possible for us. We finished the meeting with a group photo and were guided into the European Parliament´s official meeting room in Brussels. After lunch with some of the best Belgian fries, we went to see the Atomium, Brussels´ landmark, originally constructed for the 1958 Brussels World´s Fair. (Franziska, 7e)
On Wednesday our class took a day-trip to Paris. We made our way to the city by train early in the morning after having breakfast at our hotel. The train ride, which reached over 300 km/h, lasted for approximately 1,5 hours and got us to the capital city of France fairly quickly.
After attaining our day tickets, we made our way to Notre Dame and took some group pictures. Our next stop was the Eiffel Tower. Some of us visited the Louvre to see the iconic Mona Lisa, others made their way around the city to find hidden gems such as tight aesthetic alley ways with amazing views of the Eiffel Tower. At around 18:50, after spending our last full day of the school trip in the amazing city Paris, our class met up again at the train station Gare du Nord and we took the train back to Brussels. (Zülal, 7e)
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