US-Ireland Alliance

Mitchell Class of '13 Delves into Brussels and the E.U.

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April 2012 -- The Mitchell Scholars of the Class of '13 were treated to a glimpse of the 27-member European Union in action. In what is rapidly becoming a Mitchell tradition, the Irish Mission to the European Union hosted the Mitchells, kindly providing home-stay accommodation, an up-close opportunity to see the E.U. and its institutions at work, and to learn more about Ireland's role in and relationship with the Union. The Irish Ambassador to the E.U., Rory Montgomery, hosted an evening reception for the Mitchell Scholars. Meetings with NGO representatives, think-tank analysts, business leaders, and diplomats filled two very jam-packed days.

The Mitchells were intrigued by the impression that emerged of a body very much at a moment of transition, with the Union feeling the push-pull of individual states' concerns versus those of the body as a whole.

The Scholars met with Justine Korwek, the Brussels director of the European American Business Council, heard Janis Emmanouillidis of the European Policy Centre discuss current E.U. institutional developments, and visited the European Parliament. Ambassador Montgomery's reception was a stellar way to end Day One.

The next day began with a visit to Google's E.U. offices, where Google policy analyst Angela Steen discussed the fine points of lobbying in Brussels, which many of the Mitchells, especially those with an interest in technology and technology policy, found intriguing. Topics included such hot-button issues as data privacy and social responsibility.

The day continued with a presentation from Simon Pascoe, who works on European policy for UDITE, the European Federation of Chief Executives in local government, and a visit to the European Commission. This was followed by a wonderful lunch at the US Mission to the E.U. hosted by Ambassador William Kennard. The Mitchells were fascinated by the discussion of the US-European Union relationship, the responsibility each has to the other, and the effect of EU member countries' domestic politics on the politics of the EU as a whole.

The program wound up with a session hosted by the Irish Business Employers Confederation (IBEC), at which Heidi Lougheed treated the nuts-and-bolts issues of employment.

The Mitchells very much appreciated the Irish Mission families who opened their homes to the Scholars, giving them a much more personal view of life in Brussels than they would otherwise have had. And they send a big American thank-you to Ciara O'Floinn of the Irish Mission for her heroic programming and organizing efforts.