This month I had the opportunity to participate in a week long seminar about the European Union, NATO, and their relations with the United States. Throughout the course of the week we were given the opportunity to speak with diplomatic officials and bureaucrats from both the U.S. and Europe. We were wined and (mostly by the Fulbright commission, although NATO did pay for one of our meals) - I am now afraid to step on a scale after our week of three course meals. There were 35 total Fulbright participants - of whom only about 10 or less had just completed their BA. Most of the participants were MA or PhD scholars. It was refreshing to speak with other Fulbrighters from different countries - many of them older and more experienced and wrack their brains about opportunities and possible paths to take in my future.
This seminar was possibly one of the most informative and interesting events that I have ever participated in in my life. I have a new motivation for my project and feel more engaged in learning and discussing issues - a part of me that I had sort of forgotten in the past few months of being a member in the German University system. I am now re inspired with regards to my research project and I discovered new angles to focus on and explore.
Below I will give a break down of the week and what I experienced and some of what I learned by day. This is very much abridged as my brain took in so much information over the course of the week and I don't have the energy to relate it all. At a date in the future I plan on reorganizing and typing my notes and will gladly make those available to anybody who is interested in learning more about these bodies.
Day 1 - Arrival, Departure to Luxembourg:
I arrived in Brussels (after an early morning of train travel) in order to meet other participants and catch the bus to Luxembourg. Originally we were scheduled to attend a dinner at the U.S. Embassy in Luxembourg, but due to an untimely death our dinner was canceled and we ended up spending time in the hotel and getting to know one another instead. Dinner was still excellent - we just didn't have the opportunity to speak with the U.S. Ambassador.
Day 2 - Court of Justice, Lunch with the U.S. Deputy Ambassador, Court of Auditors:
We left the hotel in order to view a court session at the European Court of Justice. This court cooperates with the individual courts of all the EU nations and it takes action against countries for failure to act or meet EU obligations. It also reviews certain decisions of the EU and evaluates whether or not a Country's law or EU law should apply to certain situations. There are 27 Justices on the Court (one for each member country) and 9 advocates general who sit in on proceedings and make unbiased recommendations to the justices for a ruling. Only 1 advocate general sits per case and typically Justices sit in combinations of 3, 5, or 9 depending on how complex they believe the issue to be. When an issue concerns a particular country's law the Justice from that country typically is seated for the proceedings in order to answer the questions of the other Justices about that country's law. When the justices deliberate they meet in secret without any translators, staff members, or advocates general. Deliberations are conducted in French. The votes they cast are secret and there are no dissenting opinions that are issued (as is the case with the U.S. Supreme Court).
The case that we watched was a matter of Italian law v. EU law as it applied to debtors/creditors and the differences in collecting payment between private and public entities - not the most entertaining of cases that I think we could have witnessed and in fact it was difficult to follow without extensive background. One of the Justices actually fell asleep during the proceedings - interestingly enough we had been warned by the Court not to fall asleep as that would be considered rude. The most interesting part of the proceedings was the fact that at the beginning there was about 30 minutes spent reading the opinions of the court on other cases and those opinions were all read in different languages. When the case is concerning a particular country then the proceedings are conducted in the language of that country. Similarly it was interesting to watch all the translators in their window boxes as they interpreted the Italian proceedings into English, French, Slovak, and German.
After watching the proceedings, we headed to a delightful lunch in which the U.S. Deputy Ambassador to Luxembourg was in attendance. He was - in his own words - our consolation prize for the missed dinner the night before. I was fortunate enough to be seated at his table and partake in his discussion about U.S. Politics - especially foreign policy, how he anticipates policies to change after the election (he does not expect much to change - other than other countries will at least for a short time be more excited to engage with us), and how to become a diplomatic official.
After lunch we were escorted to the Court of Auditors where we met with the British Court Auditor's Chief Aid, Peter Welch. The Court of Auditors reviews the budgetary spending of the EU and creates reports that explain whether or not the money is being spent as it was planned and whether or not objectives are being met. He explained that in the EU budget about 50% of the money goes to farm subsidies, 1/3 to Social Security policy, 1/6 to research, 1/6 to external aid, and 1/6 to administrative expenses.
I was expecting the Court of Auditors to be incredibly dull due to the fact that it is an institution of accountants, however, Mr. Welch's wit and speaking style were surprisingly entertaining and it made it enjoyable to learn about the subject and engage in a discussion on monetary issues.
Finally we loaded up the bus and headed back to Brussels where we would spend the remainder of our time.
Day 3 - European Commission Briefings:
On Friday, March 14, 2008 we spent the entire day in the European Commission (the executive branch) , speaking with various bureaucratic officials. We learned about th
e EuroZone -where countries are on the Euro and how the concept of the Euro Zone was created, the EU's potential enlargement (and the prospect of Turkey becoming a member), EU structural reforms, the European Neighborhood policy (in which the EU cooperates with neighboring countries and provides them with targeted aid and incentives in order to become more democratic), the EU security policy, and EU/US relations.The speakers were very impressive and it amazed me at how frankly they spoke with us about various issues. I don't want to bog everyone down with the details, but if you have any questions you may feel free to e-mail and ask me as I took extensive notes and feel like I now know a lot.
Day 4 - College of Europe, Brugge Tour:
On Saturday, we headed to Brugge in order to have a lighter day and tour the city of Brugge (which is called the Venice of the North). Brugge is a preserved Medieval City -
the street pattern has never changed, largely because of the earlier poverty of the city. It was the original large trading post between the North and the South and as a result was prosperous until the trade routes were moved to Antwerp and then to Amsterdam.Our first objective in going to Brugge was to attend a sales pitch at the College of Europe. The sales pitch itself was not that interesting, but we were also given a lecture on the politics of European monetary policy. The lecture on monetary policy was informative. According to the policy, much of the expansion within the EU is in order to preserve growth. The Eastern European countries have room for their economies to expand and they have labor resources that the aging Western European countries need.
After our lecture and lunch we were given a tour of Brugge. It is a lovely city and
provided the breath of fresh air in a quaint village that was needed after 1/2 a week of intense seminars in a large city. The city is now overpopulated with tourists, but it was an enjoyable day filled with walking around, learning about the city history, and sampling chocolate.The fact that Belgium is so small and that you can easily make it from Brussels to another city within about an hour adds to the livable atmosphere of Brussels. We returned that evening to Brussels and later that evening we met up as a group at the bar Delirium which hosts the Guiness World Record for the most beers on the menu - 2,004!
Day 5 - Unscheduled (Sunday) visit to an open-air market, the Town Hall, and Horta Museum:
Sunday was a free -day and so I went with a small group of other Fulbrighters to a large open-air exotic market. The market was mostly run by an immigrant population and was complete with fresh fruit and vegetables, baked goods, other food items, and of course junk. I was delighted to find some fresh strawberries and fresh nuts that made for a delicious (lighter than the rest of our meals - which was needed) lunch. After the market we began our stroll towards the Brussels castle, however, after misreading our
map (5 Fulbright fellows - go figure) and receiving 3 sets of incorrect directions, we never made it there. We ended up by the Town Hall (Hotel deVille) after a lot of wandering around and sat on the steps in order to eat our impromptu picnic lunch. Then we wandered further, first to a cafe for some coffee and a bathroom and then to the Horta museum. The Horta museum is the old house/office from Victor Horta - a art nouveau architect. His house was spectacular - elegantly designed and decorated in the art nouveau style (pictured at right).Our group split into two after the Horta museum - half returned to the hotel and the other half (which I was a part of) headed off towards the center of Brussels to explore the famous chocolate shops and look over the entire city. It was an enjoyable stroll and I took a lot of great pictures. I did not buy any chocolate at this point - primarily because the chocolates at places like Pierre Marcolini (the most famous of the shops) was incredibly expensive and I wasn't convinced that it was worth that price when there are other nice chocolate shops around in which the chocolate is not cheap but it is not that expensive.
Day 6 - Council of Ministers, U.S. Mission to the EU, and the European Parliament:
The day started out with a visit to the Council of Ministers where we were briefed about the outcome of the European summit that had finished up the previous Friday. The council set legislation for issues like climate change, external relations, immigration, and security. The decisions by the council are political intentions, but as it is only a political intention it has no legal weight and cannot be challenged if nothing comes about from it. Our speaker, Wolfgang Ploch, was well versed in the workings of the council but primarily in issues related to climate change. He commented on how the EU has gained astonishing importance even in just the past 15 years and that although it has a ways to go in gaining authority on some issues it has made leaps and bounds.
After the Council and another delicious lunch we headed to a briefing by the U.S. Mission to the European Union. At the beginning we met with a public affairs officer who explained a bit about the mission but after a short introduction from him we had the opportunity to speak with - or should I say be tongue-lashed by Special Envoy Gray. It should be noted that Special Envoy Gray was a Bush recess appointment as he would likely not have been confirmed by the Senate. He is a staunch Republican and immediately came out swinging at our group after somebody asked a question about climate change and the U.S. failure to sign Kyoto. He immediately became sort of agitated and made the claim that nobody would ever give credit to a Republican for passing something environmentally favorable (to which our group responded by naming Schwarzenegger and the first Bush among others). He also called our group un-American (and it should be noted one of our group members is a member of the Armed Forces), overly critical of our government, and biased by the liberal media (again it should be noted that about 5 group members are journalists). It was shocking to have a diplomatic official address individuals in such a manner and I certainly hope that he does not conduct diplomacy in such a manner as that certainly will not help the U.S. image abroad. Our program director was of the opinion that he was seeking to challenge us and engage in a rousing debate, however, I think that it could have been done with a little more tact and respect. Special Envoy Gray did make a few comments with which I have to agree. He noted that this election - with both Hillary, Obama, and McCain running is historical (a woman, an African American, and the oldest candidate) and that it demonstrates to Europe our ability to integrate - not perfectly but certainly better than Europe itself is able to integrate with various minorities. He also noted that a good reason to be ashamed of America and the government would be the subprime Mortgage crisis and again I must agree. Although there are numerous other problems within our country that is one that has large implications for both our domestic and foreign situation and it really should not have occurred in the first place.
Finally, after an intense emotionally stirring experience we finished off our day with a speaker, Michael Shackleton (who is the author of a book on the subject), on the European Parliament. Like the other British speakers I was impressed with his ability to speak candidly, convey a great deal of information and utilize humor so as to keep it entertaining. Mr. Shackelton pointed out, that like in the U.S., there is a great deal of ignorance and apathy within the EU citizens when it comes to elections and that often the greatest voting turnout occurs when the EU elections coincide with the National elections.
Day 7 - NATO Headquarters:
Tuesday, a day immediately after NATO forces in Kosovo had been active due to a Serbian attack along the border, our group headed to NATO in order to learn about what the organization does. Once again our speakers were excellent and I learned an incredible amount about the inner-workings of NATO and the 21st Century Challenges it is facing.
Kosovo, Afghanistan, Iraq, and Chad were the primary topics in terms of current missions but it was interesting to learn that NATO conducts both civilian and military operations in those countries. There are of course numerous other operations that NATO has conducted in the past and that they are conducting at present. It was interesting for me to learn about the successes the organization has seen and also the partnerships that it forges with other countries on certain projects. Russia, for example, has actually cooperated significantly with NATO on Operation Endeavor in the Middle East and shows interest in further cooperation. In addition to learning about the organization itself we also spent some time discussing the relationship between the EU and NATO and the US and NATO. The EU actually has structured their defense policy around being able to utilize NATO in order to round up forces (which all are actually member government forces - NATO has no army or weapons of its own and relies solely on members to provide resources when needed) and respond to crises.
Day 8 - SHAPE Headquarters:
SHAPE is the command center where all allied military operations worldwide are conducted. We had been informed in advance that SHAPE would not really tell us a whole lot of information or answer questions - and with our first speaker that appeared to be the case. The powerpoint that he shared contained interesting information but his monotone voice and speaking style made it less interesting. Unlike the other institutions and speakers, I think that most information that was shared with us was actually information that is available on the website.
Our second speaker was surprisingly interesting - he was another British gentleman who again blended wit with information. He detailed the process of the EU utilizing the NATO system in order to provide their own defense and run their own operations should the need arise. He was much more willing to answer questions and speak in a manner that was not limited to information from the website.
Finally we finished our day with a panel discussion between the two previous speakers and an American Lieutenant. This panel consisted solely of our group asking questions and hearing the perspective from three different individuals representing three different countries and three different divisions within SHAPE. It was interesting to hear how the Armed Forces get along and to hear anecdotal stories of how the groups play sports in their free time but usually as a unit and not as a country in order to promote cultural cooperation and understanding since they are all working towards the same goals.
That night we had our closing dinner - conducted our final discussions as a group and then headed one last time to the bar Delirium in order to celebrate the conclusion of a great week.
Day 9 - Exploration of a Few Parks in Brussels, Chocolate Factory, and a Return to Germany:
On the final day in Brussels a few of us decided to explore a few of Brussels parks and walk around a bit enjoying the general aesthetics. It was enjoyable to stretch our legs and enjoy the fresh air after a week of mostly sedentary existence and overeating. Brussels also has an Arc d' Triomphe, like Paris and it is contained in a large park. The park also contained a monument that was erected to celebrate Belgium's colonial past - which struck me as being unusual in that you don't often find countries to have monuments celebrating their imperi
alism.After walking for a bit we headed to the "best fries" in Brussels. It was at first hard to stomach the idea of greasy food after having ingested so much over the previous week, however, I think we were all of the idea that we should live it up and experience it while you can. The fries were quite delicious - a nice texture and a good flavor, however, I am not sure what qualifies them as the "best" in Brussels. Having finished our fries we then boarded the metro in order to head to the Neuhaus chocolate factory where people can buy the deluxe pralines for a price more reasonable than the store they have downtown. The only downside was that they had to be purchased in large quantities (3 kg!!) but we were luckily a group of 4 and were able to purchase that much and divide the spoils amongst ourselves. It is still a large amount of chocolate but luckily pralines are not something that spoils quickly and it makes for nice gifts.
After our venture into the boonies seeking chocolate I headed to the train station and boarded my train back to Germany. The train ride was mostly uneventful until I reached Dusseldorf where the train was boarded by a large group of unruly teenagers (who did not have school today due to Good Friday) who were drinking and then had the audacity to begin smoking on the train (although it is not allowed). Despite the fact that there were numerous adults on the train who were annoyed by the smoking and the loud nature of the group I was surprised that NOBODY said anything to them. It is interesting how afraid the Germans are of asserting authority and how they allow their high school aged children to run around as they please - something that has been attributed to their difficulty in coming to terms with their Nazi past. Luckily I only had to tolerate this action for about 10 minutes when I was finally back in Duisburg and able to get off the train.
Another thing that caught me by surprise being back in Germany was the fact that everything (grocery stores!!) was closed today due to the fact that it was Good Friday. I was happy that I purchased an Apple and some crackers yesterday in Brussels and that some food stands were open because without those items I would have had to subsist today off my large store of chocolate. Germany seems to make life incredibly difficult at certain points.
