By Giulia Barjona / 11.12.2020

On 16th October a French school teacher was beheaded in the north-central region of Île-de-France after showing offensive images of the Islamic prophet Muhammad in class.

Samuel Paty, a history and geography teacher, was also responsible for carrying out the moral and civic education lessons; the most difficult subject to address in multicultural classes, especially in schools which are located in priority education zones.

It is therefore necessary to think, or rethink, carefully about the roles everyone has on both a national and international level when talking about education, priorities, values, discipline, and pedagogy.

The school is primarily a place of learning where education is not limited to only maths, languages, geography, etc. This educational institution offers the opportunity to learn how to discuss and confront other cultures or “only” the most varied ideas. By questioning our convictions we have the opportunity to discover new points of view and to reinforce them. Regarding comments as accusations does not help to develop a dialectical ability useful for making oneself understood.

Additionally, schools offer to teach the greatest amount of useful information in order to be able to live, and live together, in our world. Some professions follow a suitable path to prepare students for future studies, and others offer the opportunity to critically analyse society. Getting to know each other and those around us gives an opportunity to “build” a peaceful and respectful cohabitation.

Moreover, parents of students, when they take their children to school, recognise how useful these institutions are. Schools impart a country’s knowledge and culture. They also share knowledge that parents could never give to their children themselves. These parents are obsessed with the desire for control and with planning the practices, the mind and the life of their “baby”.

However, schools are not ready to face the educational upbringings that children bring with them into class.

First of all, it’s important to be aware of the home culture of the different children and teenagers. Similarly, teachers are hardly ready to tackle such hot topics and start conversations. Paty had not forced students to watch the Charlie Hebdo-related footage, but one of his students did not understand the very purpose of the class. Perhaps the teacher had not understood that the student was not yet ready to approach this topic.

Secondly, in our digital age, there are other solutions than paper newspapers to show images. In some schools, it is forbidden to use mobile phones. Sometimes giving teenagers permission to turn on their phones in order to search for information and use it as they see fit may be a good compromise.

Thirdly, the choice to address current topics is a strategy that is always used. Sometimes, however, you have to think ahead and imagine the consequences. The trial of those responsible for 2015’s Charlie Hebdo bombing took place at the same time as Paty’s murder. Paty had, perhaps, carefully chosen this topic to make students better understand the news they watch on television. However, he did not think that those people involved are terrorists who have links to an international organisation still present in France to this day. It’s enough for an angry father to spark an international “debate” between French president Emmanuel Macron, Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and the entire Muslim community. Teachers should be informed, even by the military, about taboo subjects.

In conclusion, on one hand a piece of advice to give teachers is to listen to the real interests of students to create better-designed methodologies and programmes. On the other hand, parents should place more trust in schools. They must be informed that no one is trying to replace their authority. A new “structure” of mind is paramount on both sides.

Finally, the two sides must be asked if they truly want to work together and if they are ready to rethink their views. Would such a sincere collaboration ever really be possible?

Author

Giulia Barjona (Italy)

 

Studies: Pedagogical Sciences

 

Languages: Italian, English, French

 

Europe is... an immense source of inspiration and discovery.

Translator

Fern D (UK)

 

Languages: English, French, Russian

 

Study: MA in Applied Translation

 

"As conservative politics tries to push the UK further and further away from the continent, it's now as important as ever to make individual efforts to bring it closer."

Der Beitrag Deprived teachers and demanding parents erschien zuerst auf MH English.

By Alessandra Ivaldi / 5.12.2020

In antiquity, bisexuality was considered as something that was completely normal. Let’s look, for example, at the cradle of Western Civilisation, that is to say, Ancient Greece. The attitude of the Greeks towards bisexuality is reflected in their mythology. Various deities had homosexual relations with their mortal lovers. According to legend, Zeus kidnapped the fascinating Ganymede, with whom he had fallen in love. In the Iliad Achilles suffers for the death of his lover Patroclus, while the hero Heracles loves the young Iolaus. 

Moving onto the real world, we cannot forget the Sacred Battalion of Thebes, an elite body of warriors made up of couples of men united by a love affair. This would contribute to the establishment of a great solidarity among the soldiers and a sense of belonging, which represented one of the greatest strengths of this famous group.

The situation changed in the Middle Ages, when homosexuality began to be condemned and severely punished. This attitude persisted also in the following centuries. Just think of the numerous cases of artists persecuted for their sexual orientation. Oscar Wilde for example, was tried and sentenced to two years of forced labour because of his sexual orientation, an event that deeply marked the last years of his life. 

For centuries, therefore, homosexuality has only been considered in two ways: as a crime, a deviance that is dangerous for the rest of society, or as a disease. It was not until the early 1950s that research, conducted in the USA and known as the Kinsey Report, investigated the sexual behaviour and fantasies of a large group of men and women using an anonymous questionnaire. The results of the report revealed that homosexual orientations were much more widespread in the American adult population than was previously thought.

However, it still took several years before the WHO (World Health Organisation) removed homosexuality from the list of mental illnesses and defined it as a “natural variant of human behaviour”. This fundamental event took place in 1990 and is remembered every year on 17 May with the International Day against Homophobia and Transphobia 

Today we have the means to understand how our point of view on sexual orientation depends on the historical and cultural contexts. Nevertheless, there is still a long way to go. In fact, the freedom to follow one’s sexual orientation is still not recognised and guaranteed in all countries of the world. Even within our own continent, we cannot help but observe how the LGBTI community is sometimes treated differently from the rest of society and its rights are not recognised in the same way in all European countries. But let us not despair, there are also positive signs, such as the existence of the European Parliament’s LGBTI Intergroup. This is an intergroup, made up of members of the European Parliament from different parties, whose aim is to defend the rights of the LGBTI community, monitor the activities of EU countries and promote initiatives in this area. It currently has 151 members, which means that it represents the largest of the 27 intergroups in the European Parliament.

For further information on the subject, I recommend you consult the following website: https://lgbti-ep.eu/

Author

Alessandra Ivaldi (Italy)

Speaks: Italian, English, German, French

Europe is... a cultural heritage.

Website: https://iva1794.wixsite.com/home

Translator

Alex Jedwab (binational Swiss/British)

 

Studies: MA in English

 

Languages: English, French, German and Italian

 

Europe is... my home!

 

My website as freelance translator

Der Beitrag The Freedom to Love: yesterday, today and tomorrow erschien zuerst auf MH English.

By Alessandra Ivaldi / 18.11.2020

In the previous articles of this series we explored with our imagination the towns of Schaffhausen and Stein am Rhein, making a stop at the wonderful Rhine Falls. Now it is time to end our journey with the last, very famous destination: St. Gallen.

The symbol of the town is its baroque cathedral, which is part of a wide and spectacular religious complex. A sumptuous library is also part of this complex and contains about 170.000 volumes, some of which are hand-written and a thousand years old! The entire area is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The library contains the beautiful Rococo hall of Switzerland, an unrivalled masterpiece, which can be visited only after having worn proper “slippers” that make it possible to walk through this magic place without ruining the sumptuous floors in inlaid wood. The slippers are distributed by the staff of the library at the beginning of the visit.

In addition to the very precious and ancient volumes, visitors will also find inside the hall an Egyptian mummy from the 6th century B.C. and a fascinating item: a faithful copy of a sixteenth-century globe based on one of the first maps of human history – the original was stolen and is now in Zurich.

After the library, do not forget to visit the wonderful cathedral, work of the late Baroque period, with its imposing facade characterised by beautiful decorations that are just a taste of the magnificence waiting for you inside.

The town’s name derives from the legendary Irish monk Saint Gallus, who founded a hermitage in this area in the 7th century A.D…. and over time that humble hermitage turned into one of the greatest Benedictine abbeys of Europe, a center of power and culture. In fact, the abbot was for many centuries also the Lord of the town and the confining territories.

According to the legend, Saint Gallus gave a piece of bread to a hungry bear, an animal that at the time represented a dangerous threat for the local community. To reward Saint Gallus for his generosity, the bear helped him to build a chapel of the future monastery by bringing him the wood needed for that hard work. Today the bear is still one of the symbols of the city, and you will find statues and other representations of this animal throughout the old town of St. Gallen.

In this regard, the old town is really lovely and the local authorities decided to protect and keep its beauty by closing the entire area to traffic. Take your time to visit this fascinating place, where important evidence of the rich past of St. Gallen mixes with the vibrant life of a modern university town. St. Gallen and its old town offer many opportunities for visitors who want to have fun between one visit and another…

And that concludes, for now, our journey among the marvels of Switzerland. Do you know other places that you consider worth a visit in the north-western area of this little but fascinating country? Let us know your opinion by commenting on the Meeting Halfway website or on our social pages!

Author

Alessandra Ivaldi (Italy)

Speaks: Italian, English, German, French

Europe is... a cultural heritage.

Website: https://iva1794.wixsite.com/home

Proofreader

Alexandra Wood (Great Britain)

 

Languages: English, French

 

Job: Freelance Translator (Alexicon Translations)

 

Europe is... a mezze of languages and culture packed into a little continent.

Der Beitrag The Marvels of Switzerland: a rich historical heritage erschien zuerst auf MH English.

By Anna Alvarez Calleja/ 16.10.2020

Since we became aware of the existence of the virus, there have been alterations to our way of life. We can even differentiate several stages of change that our daily lives have gone through. It is true that these adaptations have not always been possible simultaneously in every part of the world. However, we would like to reflect on what we are going to call the three stages that have followed one another in the live music sector. 

Stage 0:

From December 2019 to February 2020, musical events were carried out in the traditional way. In spaces like concert halls, auditoriums, theatres, football stadiums, and even music schools and conservatories, musicians and the public could share music in the way they have always been used to. Did we have any idea that the way of interacting at musical events, which has remained generally constant since the middle of the 19th century, was going to be impractical so soon?

Stage 1: From March 2020 to July 2020

Certainly one of the most critcal stages that live music has suffered in the last 100 years (since World War II). In several countries, restrictions on personal mobility were imposed to varying degrees, from more or less strict confinements, to changes in the forms of movement (closing of borders, reducing capacity in trains, airplanes etc). These restrictions have an effect on the interaction of people at live music concerts and consequently has led to multiple responses.

On one hand, most concert halls and auditoriums chose to suspend their concert seasons. To make up for this, they offered special programming offered by way of streaming and revisiting past concerts. One of the great advantages of this offer is that it was, for the most part, completely free and accessible to anyone from anywhere in the world. As an example, the Royal Concertgebouw auditorium in Amsterdam offered streaming concert recordings of their orchestra.

Many of these concerts remain available to the public and can be accessed from the institution’s websites. In Spain, the National Centre for Musical Diffusion proposed something similar, including concerts not only of classical music but also of pop, urban music and even the latest trends in traditional music fusion. From the United States, a unique offer appeared from the Metropolitan Opera of New York, which made many of its great productions available to opera lovers for 24 hours.

Stage 2: From July 2020 to September 2020

With the summer period, you would expect the many festivals of all musical genres that take place each year. Given the situation of the pandemic, we have seen two different responses offered by organisers. Most have chosen to cancel the festivals and offer, as an alternative, retransmissions of the best moments from past years. This has been the case of Glastonbury festival or the BBC Proms.

However, there have been a few brave festival proposals that, either because of their history, size or location have decided to go ahead with the 2020 event, applying restrictions and special sanitary measures. This has been the case of the Salzburg Festival, which this year celebrated its 100th anniversary, and of the San Sebastián Musical Fortnight.

Similarly, some auditoriums have held concerts not usually seen in this season, such as the Berlin Philharmonie and its Parisian counterpart, who are offering their concerts in streaming and with the special collaboration of the television channels Mezzo and Medici.tv.

Stage 3: September 2020 onwards

Any other year, September would be the month where the concert seasons begins, just like the school year. It is true that, while many of the summer festivals were cancelled or postpooned, the few concerts that have taken place have served to test the conditions in which they are held.

With all this, we observe that, in most of the big capitals, the concert halls have plans to reopen their doors and have rescheduled a small season between September and December, which seems to be loaded with a renewed illusion. A prominent example is that of the Hungarian Opera House, which offered a free Crown Gala on September 7, 2020. Otherwise, the custom of streaming seems like it will continue, this time live, although it will no longer be free, as established by Wigmore Chamber Music Hall in London or already offered in the past by the Berlin Philharmonie.

Ultimately, the pandemic has caused the music industry to adapt and provide a response to make up for the inability to access concert halls. In a more or less satisfactory way for the public, technology and the Internet have been key to carrying out this response. From the current situation, we can see an intention to recover live music again, without these intermediaries. But, at the end of the day, we have found a very accessible avenue that can give us ideas for designing the future of live music.

And you? Have you been to any concerts this summer? What has been your experience?

Links that might be of interest for readers: 

https://www.concertgebouw.nl/en/watch-free-live-streams-from-the-royal-concertgebouw

http://www.cndm.mcu.es/node/21653

https://live.philharmoniedeparis.fr/

Author

Ana Alvarez Calleja (Spain)

Studies and work: Music history teacher and musicologist

Languages: Spanish, English, French and a bit of Dutch

Europe is... cultural variety within a common ground.

Translator

Lucy Gannon (United Kingdom)

Job: Aupair and English Tutor

Languages: English and Spanish

Europe is... a home away from home

Der Beitrag The Past, Present and Future of Live Music During the Pandemic erschien zuerst auf MH English.

By Milena Parotti / 3.10.2020

The financial foundations of the Regional policy are three of the European structural and investment funds (ESIF): the European regional development fund (ERDF), the European social fund (ESF), and the Cohesion fund (CF).

In contrast to other kinds of European funds (direct funding), this policy is based on the subsidiarity principle, which aims at ensuring that decisions are taken as closely as possible to the citizen: by Member States, regions, and cities. This means every state receives a certain amount of funding every 7 years, based on their GDP, and agrees on a Partnership Agreement in cooperation with the European Commission. Then, every region writes an Operational programme, that is a detailed plan, to explain how the ESIF will be spent during those 7 years.

It might seem complicated, but it is an efficient and fair way to make sure every region invests their money on what really matters.

When Covid-19 started to spread in Europe in March 2020, the European Commission decided to take advantage of this financial instrument for a first response to the emergency. The ERDF has been used for health expenditure and for small and medium-sized enterprises. The ESF, instead, has been used for smart-working needs, for payroll subsidies, for e-learning and a lot more in the job field.

Most of all, a lot of restrictions have been overcome to allow regions to spend the remaining funds for the pandemic. The simplification of the bureaucratic procedures helped regions to redirect their resources to the emergency when Member states were still really far from an agreement on the Recovery fund.

These measures were launched in April 2020 as Coronavirus Response Investment Initiative (CRII) and the Coronavirus Response Investment Initiative Plus (CRII+), which were endorsed by the European Parliament and the European Council, and then supplemented on the REACT-EU package.

According to Elisa Ferreira, Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms, “Three months after the adoption of the CRII+ and pending agreement on the REACT-EU package, Member States are making full use of the flexibilities and liquidities offered by Cohesion funds to help those most impacted: healthcare workers and hospitals, SMEs, and workers. […] the CRII provided emergency response where it was most needed. We have excellent examples on the mobilisation of funds and the measures introduced in many cities and regions across Europe”.

An example: Bulgaria reallocated more than 20 million euros of Cohesion policy funds to strengthen the healthcare sector’s response to the coronavirus outbreak. The same was done by most of the EU Member states. Eager to know more? Here you can find more information and more examples: https://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/en/newsroom/coronavirus-response/

Author

Milena Parotti (Italy)

Studies: Public and political communication

Languages: Italian, English, French, German

Europe is… a big family where differences are strengths.

Proofreader

Alexandra Wood (Great Britain)

 

Languages: English, French

 

Job: Freelance Translator (Alexicon Translations)

 

Europe is... a mezze of languages and culture packed into a little continent.

Der Beitrag Cohesion policy and Covid-19: the Coronavirus Response Investment Initiative erschien zuerst auf MH English.

By Giulia Barjona / 17.09.2020

Globalisation has reached all areas of the industry, including large and small fashion houses. Sometimes, it can be difficult to escape this trend, which becomes an injunction. In other cases, fashion allows certain social categories to emancipate themselves.

The idea of ‘globalisation of the world’ had already been born when Marco Polo visited China, when Captain Cook discovered the Cook Islands and when oriental manufacturers conquered Europe. The particular desire to westernise the whole world is a passion that never left the Europeans, as they had everything to achieve it.

For centuries, the ideals harboured in the minds of men have changed, but the desire to build a ‘world-community’ has continued to live in dreams as a synonym for power. Moreover, knowing and mixing different cultures has always been a symbol of openness, leaning towards a knowledge and a civilisation, a social group or even a human category. More precisely, the opening of fashion to the influence of other traditions creates the possibility of bringing about changes within an entire society. In the 18th century, for example, the fashion of the royal courts was reassessed to incorporate new colours and images of Chinese origin into the European tradition. In this particular case, all fabrics, jewellery, etc…witnessed a sudden turn by adapting the different shades of blue and black-line designs to white surfaces. In the same way, we find this phenomenon in modern society, by creating a visually appealing potpourri, like in the streets of Tokyo. The capital of Japan offers the opportunity to observe young people dressed in funny costumes that combine innovative fashion trends with the tradition of their ancestors.

However, from the 1970s onwards, globalisation became the main goal of all industries and, sometimes, of individuals. On the one hand, the various fields were urging for a faster production of goods. On the other hand, people experienced (and still do today) the fear of falling behind. For this reason, fashion had the opportunity to become the symbol of presence in the world; a ‘fashionable’ person is a person with the possibility of earning their place in life and the workplace. Therefore, to be fashionable becomes a necessity where there is an imperative to be recognised as a citizen of the world. Moreover, this deficit in the imagination is underlined by the big fashion houses with the triggering of a commercial plan at a global level, selling the same clothes all over the world. The feeling of comfort obtained among buyers has increased the popularity of an industry that is always ready to embrace certain novelties. These are made available to all cultures and all social classes scattered across the Earth.

However, these marketing techniques are not necessarily appreciated by most young people. The new generation prefers to move away from official fashion and invent their own style. The respect conferred on the offerings of big fashion houses is sometimes ignored or fought against. Young people often repurpose old clothes (a trend originating from rummaging through their grandmother’s wardrobe) or a meticulous search in a vintage shop where old clothes can be given a new lease of life. The revival of the textile secondhand trade underlines the need to give a new purpose to an object seen as ‘hopeless’. This work of identification of a boy or girl with a fake object, a ring or an ‘ugly’ detail becomes a symbol of the will to be recognised as an individual capable and worthy of existing. Modern young people are looking for a past to recognise themselves in order to be respected and heard by adults.

In conclusion, fashion has always dominated an important part of the industry and society, but it has not always been appreciated.

So what is the limit between fashion as an opportunity for self-assertion and fashion as a negation of personal identity?

Author

Giulia Barjona (Italy)

 

Studies: Pedagogical Sciences

 

Languages: Italian, English, French

 

Europe is... an immense source of inspiration and discovery.

Translator

Martine Wilmes (Luxembourg)

 

Studies: MA in English Literature

 

Languages: Luxembourgish, German, French, English, a bit of Spanish

 

Europe is... forging cross-cultural relationships.

 

My LinkedIn profile

Proofreader

Alex Jedwab (binational Swiss/British)

 

Studies: MA in English

 

Languages: English, French, German and Italian

 

Europe is... my home!

 

My website as freelance translator

Der Beitrag The revenge of flea markets and the “ugly” erschien zuerst auf MH English.

By Giulia Barjona / 28.07.2020

In 2002, Elon Musk breaks into the stellar system of the space sector with the dream of taking mankind to Mars. Musk became famous through the Space X enterprise, and has thereby reached his goal to run public-private space exploration. For example, he was the first person to demonstrate that it is possible to reuse rocket parts. Space missions are extremely expensive, and Musk’s goal is to reduce both their cost and ecological footprint. How could this become a reality? The launching vehicles used now turn into trash floating around the earth. Musk suggests using reusable motors. But how would this work? The answer is surprisingly straightforward: after launching, the motors would be able to return to Earth by themselves. This is a challenge of modernity that highlights the necessity of reform and innovation of the space sector.

Musk also has a clear idea on how to raise the funds needed for those kinds of projects. Most importantly, one needs to find private and public investors. NASA, on the other hand, solely relies on the public sector. Musk’s explanations contain strategies to maintain a high customer loyalty, and create dreams and expectations.

Finally, Musk wants to use American pride in order to generate revenue. He has recruited hundreds of professionals and firmly rooted his business in Texas. In addition to this, he has brought back the launching of rockets from America. Previously, rockets were only launched from Kazakhstan, meaning that the US was dependent on Russia in this instance.

Elon Musk is trying to make space exploration more accessible to the public. However, Xavier Pasco, Director of the Foundation for Strategic Research, does not believe in Musk’s ideas. According to him, Musk’s success will be short-lived and unable to live up to its promises. Pasco’s vision of space travel puts more emphasis on technology and efficiency. Pasco actually proves that Musk’s suggestions are difficult to realise. In short, he believes that space travel to Mars would be impossible, as it remains unclear how astronauts would be protected from radiation.

Another example is Musk’s idea of putting passengers on a non-traditional plane, which makes use of a layer in the atmosphere, to travel between different space locations. Due to passenger security issues, this idea is not viable.

Furthermore, Musk has already launched a project with the goal to send 42,000 satellites to space, in order to establish an internet connection in the most remote corners of the world. This venture is threatening stellar research, as the bright light of the satellites would conceal the stars and render them inexplorable.

Despite all of those issues, Elon Musk’s popularity and his inventiveness allow his name to be on the front cover of programs about the future of space travel time and time again.

Musk’s communication strategies resemble those commonly used on the web. Every new prototype – and every failure – are turned into a huge event for the public. There seems to be a solution to every problem. For Musk, multiple attempts and failure are an opportunity for increased exposure to the public, while also remaining successful. Getting his name out there is a good strategy to draw attention to Space X, and subsequently gain the interest and financial support needed to continue with the experiment.

To the detriment of Xavier Pasco’s ideas, Space X is currently competing for two important responsibilities in the 2024 mission, which also aims to take man to the moon once again. The first task is planning a landing device. The second task is supplying astronauts with tools, food, and other items necessary for life and work in the space station. The station will be orbiting around the moon.

One of Musk’s successes is Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley’s landing on the ISS. They departed from the JFK Space Center in Florida in a shuttle, which has already been used to supply the ‘floating headquarters’.

Finally, Elon Musk’s strategies are marketing strategies, which are usually used to sell products or services. If those types of communication helps expand space travel and research about the origins of life, why get in their way?

In the end, one important question remains: how much time will pass before we can touch red Martian dust without exposing neither Mars’ nor our ecosystems to dangerous microorganisms from our travels?

Author

Giulia Barjona (Italy)

 

Studies: Pedagogical Sciences

 

Languages: Italian, English, French

 

Europe is... an immense source of inspiration and discovery.

Translator

Martine Wilmes (Luxembourg)

 

Studies: MA in English Literature

 

Languages: Luxembourgish, German, French, English, a bit of Spanish

 

Europe is... forging cross-cultural relationships.

 

My LinkedIn profile

Proofreader

Fern D (UK)

 

Languages: English, French, Russian

 

Study: MA in Applied Translation

 

"As conservative politics tries to push the UK further and further away from the continent, it's now as important as ever to make individual efforts to bring it closer."

Der Beitrag Space: Where science and communication meet erschien zuerst auf MH English.

By Julia Mayer / 06.07.2020 

The European Office of the DStGB

Local politics and European politics are directly interwoven. In the EU, many regulations are designed to have an impact on local self-government. This makes it all the more important that municipal interests are represented in Brussels. Since 1991, the German municipalities have been represented by their own office in Brussels. At the heart of European policy-making, the DStGB is interconnected  within  Europe. It is for example a partner of both the leading municipal associations in Europe, and the European umbrella organisations, named the Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR). Furthermore, the delegates of the DStGB in the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) can actively participate in the shaping of European policy.  The European Office also cooperates closely  with municipal partners in Austria and France. 

The main focus of the work of the European Office of the DStGB is the active representation of the political positions and demands of local authorities vis-à-vis EU institutions, politicians and the public. As a spokesperson, the European Office is available in particular to the European Commission and the European Parliament. On the other hand, the German municipalities are informed about all relevant developments in Brussels. The areas of internal market policy, regional development, environmental policy and social affairs play a central role here. 

The following quote from the Director of the European Office of the DStGB, Dr. Klaus Nutzenberger, once again summarises the tasks in a nutshell: “There are over 10,000 lobbyists working in Brussels. We, however, represent the democratically legitimized level in Germany that is closest to the citizens. Europe’s dialogue with us must take full account of this special feature”. 

Internship at the European Office of the DStGB

If you complete an internship at the European Office of the DStGB, you will gain a unique insight into the work of the DStGB as a municipal umbrella organisation in Brussels. The main focus here is on cooperation with EU institutions, European umbrella organisations, as well as German and foreign partner associations. Attending and reporting on events and summarising current EU action are also of particular importance. 

Monitoring and evaluating the activities of the EU institutions with an impact on the municipal level in Germany – for example by attending events, conferences or completing research work – is one of the central activities. Furthermore, as an intern at the European Office of the DStGB you will have the opportunity to work independently on legislative initiatives, documents of the European institutions, and related projects. Events take place regularly at the European Office, and the municipal umbrella organisation often welcomes groups of visitors. The interns have the chance to participate in the organization of those events and have the chance to look after guests. . Internship activities also include general organisational and administrative activities, such as making appointments. 

In order to apply for an internship at the European Office of the DStGB, it is advantageous if your studies are in the following fields: administrative sciences, law, political sciences, communication sciences or economics. It is also helpful to have a good knowledge of German and English, and at least a basic knowledge of French. Communication in the office is in German. When contacting decision-makers at EU level or the European partner associations, the exchange is conducted in English. Hence, it is important to mention here  that the internship is a great opportunity to improve your language skills. An internship at the European Office of the DStGB can last from two to six months. 

Personal experience

I have learned a lot in the three months that I was allowed to work in the European Office. I was able to broaden my knowledge of the European institutions and their decision-making processes considerably. This is not least due to the many events and discussions with decision-makers in which I was able to participate. I have also had the opportunity to help to organise and run events, conferences and meetings such as that of the Franco-German Committee in Augsburg. Working with legislative texts and documents of the European institutions and writing articles has also allowed me to develop and gain valuable experience. If I were to be faced with the decision once again to do an internship at the European Office of the DStGB, I would gladly do so again without hesitation. I can also imagine working in a position which is located within the context of the European Union, or even directly in Brussels. The internship with Dr. Nutzenberger was extremely enjoyable and expanded my wealth of experience. It is a great pity that the three months at the DStGB’s European Office passed by so quickly.

I would like to thank all those who have looked after and supported me during this time in the DStGB’s European Office, especially Dr. Nutzenberger, the Director of the European Office. He has entrusted me with interesting and responsible tasks and has always encouraged me, thus preparing me professionally and personally with valuable practical tips for a career in the EU. 

I would definitely choose to complete  an internship at the European office of the DStGB again, and can only recommend this to anyone interested! This is a bit repetitive as it has already been mentioned in the previous paragraph (see text in bold)

Further information:

http://www.eurocommunal.eu/

https://www.dstgb.de/dstgb/Homepage/Schwerpunkte/Europa%20und%20Internationales/Europa-Info/Informationen%20zum%20Europab%C3%BCro%20des%20DStGB/

Author

Julia Mayer (Germany)

Studies: Public Management

Languages : German, English, and French

Europe is… a community that unites, founded on peace and common values, unique in this way, essential for our coexistence.

Proofreader

Martine Wilmes (Luxembourg)

 

Studies: MA in English Literature

 

Languages: Luxembourgish, German, French, English, a bit of Spanish

 

Europe is... forging cross-cultural relationships.

 

My LinkedIn profile

Der Beitrag Representation of municipal interests for a strong Europe erschien zuerst auf MH English.

By Julia Mayer / 25.06.2020

Most of us know the EU as a rigid, opaque construct. Unfortunately, it is also the case that decisions at European level receive little media attention in the nation states. This is partly due to the fact that journalists are comparatively less present in Brussels than in other national capitals and partly to the assumption that citizens are less interested in EU decisions. This feeling may also be due to the fact that many citizens are of the opinion that they have no influence on important European decisions anyway, and that it is often  heard regularly in the media that Brussels has made yet another decision alone. 

However, this is not the case. First of all, it must be made clear that it is not a simple case of “Brussels deciding”, but rather that the individual institutions at EU level carefully weigh up different interests against each other. This is also done with the help of information from lobbyists. The Commission, the Parliament, and the Council play a key role in the legislative process. As we know, the representatives we elect work in the European Parliament. In the Council of the European Union, the individual Member States are represented in the form of ministers. Therefore, although the right of initiative for legislative proposals lies with the Commission, national concerns are appropriately taken into account and incorporated into the further legislative process, especially in Parliament and the Council. 

It should also be noted that very important decisions are made at EU level which affect the organisation of many areas of life. This makes it all the more important to keep informed about these processes and, as citizens, to actively use their opportunities to participate in European decision-making. Because this is possible! Through consultations, the Commission offers the public the opportunity to contribute views and expertise to the decision-making process. You can access the current consultations via the following link: https://ec.europa.eu/info/consultations_de.

If you want to take part in the consultations, there is obviously no harm in being informed about European issues and decisions. But how can you best obtain this information? The Publications Office of the European Union offers a facility to consult all EU publications (https://op.europa.eu/en/home). In addition, there are many Members of the European Parliament who offer a newsletter which can be subscribed to free of charge. In it, they regularly write about current issues and decisions in Parliament and present their views and demands in this regard. Webinars are also frequently offered by individual parliamentary groups or politicians. If you subscribe to a newsletter, you are always up to date and will never miss live exchanges with top politicians again! 

Of course, you should also inform yourself  in a broad and versatile way. To do so, you can use the Publications Office’s homepage or the following homepage: https://europa.eu/.  Here you will be asked to choose your preferred language from all the official EU languages. After that, you are granted access to documents of the various institutions. 

If you are looking for a different way to keep up to date with EU decisions, the POLITICO podcast (https://www.politico.eu/podcast/) might be suitable for you. This informative audio format regularly provides relevant news on European topics, which are explained and discussed with selected experts invited to the event. Furthermore, the formats POLITICO Brussels Playbook https://www.politico.eu/newsletter/brussels-playbook/ and POLITICO EU Influence https://www.politico.eu/newsletter/politico-eu-influence/ which can also be subscribed to as newsletters, bring you the latest information about what is happening in Brussels. 

I hope that this contribution has (re)awakened your interest in European issues and decisions. In any case, I would advise you to look for a format, perhaps initially on a trial basis, so that you can find out about the decisions taken in Brussels. You will see that it is worthwhile, because the EU concerns and connects us all and offers opportunities for participation – you just have to use them! 

Author

Julia Mayer (Germany)

Studies: Public Management

Languages : German, English, and French

Europe is… a community that unites, founded on peace and common values, unique in this way, essential for our coexistence.

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By Elena Noventa / 18.06.2020

The media context in which we are submerged daily offers us hundreds of articles, exposés and other content, very often approximate, misinterpreted or false: fake news, myths, misleading advertising, scams, conspiracy campaigns. All this is the result of a communicative culture based on competition between media outlets, which do not verify information in order to be the first to publish a news item; or on click-baiting, which takes profit from the many views and shares of fake news and viral content. Very often misinformation also has political purposes, such as attacking the credibility of a particular state, government or institution, from the inside or outside, in order to create imbalances.

As ex High Representative of the EEAS (European External Action Security) Federica Mogherini said “Europe is committed to protecting democracy and not allowing anyone to spread fake news that fuels hatred, divisions and distrust of democracy. We have decided to act together, as the European Union, and to strengthen our response, promote our principles, support the resilience of our societies within our borders and in our part of the world. This is the European way to respond to one of the most major challenges of our time”.

EU plan against disinformation

In 2015, the EEAS set up a task force to fight Russian disinformation campaigns, setting specific objectives for clear and reliable communication with the Eastern Front, especially by supporting media freedom and strengthening independent media; improving the Union’s capacity to anticipate and address disinformation activities in favour of the Kremlin and to raise public awareness about them. In this context, the EUvsDisinformation web portal was created, where fact-checkers and experts publish false content and news from Russia that is intended to harm the EU and its Member States.

In April 2018, the EU Plan Against Disinformation, which sets out four key objectives, was approved:

1. to improve the overall capacity of the EU institutions and Member States to detect hostile actions of disinformation.
2. to facilitate coordinated responses between States and institutions.
3. to empower media and digital platform operators.
4. to involve and empower schools, universities, think tanks for IT services and individual citizens.

In June 2019, the Plan of the progress achieved with the implementation of the Plan up to that moment was presented: a Rapid Alert System was created, which is a digital platform where States and Institutions can quickly communicate with each other, exchange information, keep up to date on what is the situation of individual States, the problems detected, the solutions adopted, communicate periodic reports and keep the situation under observation, especially in delicate moments such as European elections. 

On 16th October 2018, Facebook, Google, Twitter and Mozilla signed the Code of good practice, which commits them to act in five specific areas within their platforms: 

• Disruption of advertising revenue from certain accounts and websites that spread disinformation; 
• Making political and issue-based advertising more transparent; 
• Addressing the issue of fake accounts and online bots; 
• Giving consumers the opportunity to report misinformation and access different news sources while improving the visibility and availability of authoritative content;
• Empower the research community to monitor online misinformation through access to platform data while respecting privacy.

Covid-19 emergency and infodemia

The outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic in March 2020 brought a strong and increasingly widespread phenomenon of “infodemia”: the circulation of an excessive amount of information and medical provisions, very often unverified, false, approximate or misinterpreted, conspiracy campaigns carried out by other countries, myths. All of this distorted and negatively influenced public opinion, putting at risk not only democracy and its functioning, but also the health of citizens. As EEAS President Josep Borrel said: “Misinformation can kill”.

The EU’s response was immediate, declaring that the protection of citizens’ freedom and health requires information neutrality and respect for the truth. 

On 17th April 2020, the European Parliament set the objectives and measures to be implemented:

• to step up the fight against aggressive propaganda from external influences such as Russia and China; 
• close cooperation with the official European media and an intensification of direct communication with citizens, for example by providing channels such as official websites to be informed in a secure and transparent way;
• the provision of 5.1 million euros to finance projects in favour of freedom of the press and independent media;
• the use and enhancement of the EUvsDisinformation platform as a channel to publish information, official news, monthly EEAS reports on disinformation and fact-checking.

Help the EU help you

Europe acts in our interests and of those of the community, but let us remember that Europe is most importantly about us who compose it, therefore we too can make a significant contribution to combating disinformation.

First of all, it is good to remember the two basic principles for correct information: choose sources and check them. Do not be in a hurry, go all the way.

To further deepen the EU’s action against disinformation and coronavirus, here are some useful links:

Un’Europa che protegge: l’UE interviene per contrastare la disinformazione

Disinformation: how to recognise and tackle Covid-19 myths

Fighting disinformation

Disinformation around the coronavirus pandemic: opening statement by the HR/VP Josep Borrell at the European Parliament

Coronavirus response

Author

Elena Noventa (Italy)

Studies: Communication studies 

Languages: Italian, English, French

Europe is… united by the borders that divide it

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Languages: English, French

 

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Europe is... a mezze of languages and culture packed into a little continent.

Der Beitrag How the European Union fights misinformation erschien zuerst auf MH English.