Stage & the City: The secret diary of a blue book stagiaire VI

The closing chapter

I have a friend that does not want to marry her boyfriend. I think that is a bit strange, but being 24 there are still a lot of things to do in life. But in the past few weeks everything now seems so clear to me. I do know what I want. I know that I will marry, have children and grow old with the man I love. Right now I can’t wait to finish my work in Brussels, at the moment I really do not care about interservice consultations, legislative proposals, meetings with Member States and stakeholders. Every minute I think about moving away from here to be with my future husband in Spain. This will be the beginning of the next chapter of my life. I will never have to worry about the future, which I have constantly done for the past year. 

Stage & the City: The secret diary of a blue book stagiaire V

Spanish passion

The first long weekend of June me and a friend decided to go to Antwerp. We had found a hostel and planned to explore the city for two days. As usual the weather was great. We started off with some shopping. Then we headed for the boardwalk where a lot of people were watching the river and a few boats. We walked a bit up north and came to MAS, the new museum that tells the story of the city, the river and the port. After several escalators we finally reached the top floor and could enjoy the panoramic view of the city. Once we had come back down we decided to have a drink and sat down at the nearest bar and ordered two Kriek. After a minute one lonely guy came along and looked for somewhere to sit. As all the other tables were full we offered him a seat with us. Of course we didn’t mind since he was gorgeous.

All you need to know about the European Quarter in Brussels II

Part Two: Brussels, European Capital?

The capital of the Burgundian empire
Philipp the Good’s accession to the throne in 1430 brought Brabant into the Burgundian empire, which now stretched from the north of the Netherlands to Switzerland. From now on, Brussels' inhabitants had the task of persuading him to make the city his political centre in the principalities of the Netherlands. Located on today’s Place Royale, renovation and transformation of the ducal palace of Coudenberg required significant financial sacrifices from the city and the Brabant states and it lasted 29 years.

The Solidarité Cycling Tour

11 volunteer bikers and 1 driver completed the 140 km bike tour challenge on the weekend of 22-24 July, 2011. The rainy weather forecast had scared away a few others but our little group remained determined and our enthusiasm brought us a completely dry weekend, just perfect for cycling. There was not a single drop of rain and some of us even got a little burnt by the sun.

Download the European Stagiaire Journal now!

You can now download an electronic copy of the European Stagiaire Journal here: http://www.sendspace.com/file/6qzxst

And if you still haven't collected your free printed copy of the magazine, don't forget to drop by the Stage Committee office in Madou and pick one up!

Thanks again to all of those who contributed to the journal and we hope you will enjoy it!

The ESJ Team

All you need to know about the European Quarter in Brussels

Everyone in Brussels knows the Berlaymont (sometimes called the Berlaymonster by its critics). But how many of you know the history of what we now call the European Quarter? Have you ever studied the history of Brussels? Can't remember your courses? Here is a quick summary of ‘Europe in Brussels’, published in 2007 by the Publications Office.

Stage & the City: The secret diary of a blue book stagiaire IV

Yoga one on one

To focus on something other than my boss and my misfortune here in Brussels I started intensively exercising. Every other day I was running in the Parc du Cinquantenaire. A friend of mine had told me that she goes for yoga every week and I decided to go on a Thursday before Place Lux. Perhaps this could give me some other kind of focus than running.

And yes, I did focus on something else. This time it was the yoga instructor.

Last chance to swim…

If the concrete jungle of Brussels is getting to you, if you're tired of noise and traffic, or if you just want to do something out of the ordinary, then there's still time to check out the Belgian coast before the end of the stage!

A fairytale Euroball: fancy dresses, delicious dinner and a great time!

On the day of the Euroball, you could either hear people getting overly excited (“I have the perfect dress!” or "Wait 'til you see my shoes!") or complaining about their work, the tiring week and their lack of motivation (and a 10am fire alarm in the Berlaymont didn't help!).

Stage & the City: The secret diary of a blue book stagiaire III

Mission possible

I know most stagiaires don’t get to go on missions, so I guess I should consider myself lucky to have been sent on a mission. But to be honest I wasn’t that eager to go because my boss is quite arrogant and Iceland is such an isolated place.

The meeting with stakeholders did not turn out the way I was expecting and I was very disappointed. The one good thing was the hotel, which was nice. After returning to my room after a boring dinner with boring stakeholders I got a bit lonely and started thinking about my ex-boyfriend and the happy times we shared when we were in love. I wished he was there with me, comforting me. But reality struck and instead of going to bed I decided to go to the nice hotel bar, which I had noticed when I arrived, to get rid of all those crazy thoughts...

The monks' gift to Belgium and mankind

What's the best thing about Belgium? Not the multitude of tourist attractions for sure, or the endless shopping opportunities. Definitely not the ever so friendly customer service.

Biking in Brussels

Until recently Belgium was in fierce competition with Cambodia and Iraq to win the least-desired title on Earth: the world record for the number of days without a national government. After winning this title - which many Belgians would have preferred to concede to the runner-up - the country's attention is now on the south. Running from Saturday 2nd July to Sunday 24th July, the Tour de France will bring a lot of Belgian fans to the roadside, and all are hoping to see their new hero Philippe Gilbert win several stages and catch the ‘maillot jaune’.

Euroball – this Friday!

This Friday, 8th July, the Euroball will take place at the beautiful Palais des Colonies at Tervuren. By now a legendary event among stagiaires in Brussels, this year promises to be no exception.

Waterloo Trip

When I saw the notice about the re-enactment of the Waterloo battle in the Stage Committee newsletter, I knew immediately that I would spend my hard-earned €25 to go there! Given my interest in all things Napoleonic, there was no other choice.

Bigger, Better, Balkan!

The stagiaires of DG Enlargement once more have the pleasure to invite you to another epic night out. We'll paint the town golden! Come join the madness in the very heart of Brussels and dance the night away to the finest selection of electro and Balkan swing. It's gonna be a blast, nuff said!

New package on economic governance: a risk for the European social model?

Following the financial and economic crisis, broad consensus emerged on the need for reform and better governance of the global economy. Tightening financial supervision in the private sector and tackling dangerous imbalances in EU economies (growth of debt and deficits) seemed to be a priority for all. In April 2011, the Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee of the European Parliament adopted six new legislative proposals on economic governance, also known as the 'six-pack'.

On Thursday 23rd June, the European Parliament adopted its position on this economic governance package during a plenary session. This text will now serve as the backbone of the talks between MEPs and Member States which will continue until a final agreement can be reached. With this vote the views of the Parliament and the 27 Member States on economic governance are becoming closer but some obstacles remain, especially when it comes to sanctions on countries which don't comply with the rules.

Stage & the City: The secret diary of a blue book stagiaire II

Hard work at night

Being a stagiaire means so much and there are so many things to do: meeting new people, drinks every other day, freshening up on your school French, and subcommittee activities on top of trying to do a good job...

Kraków day by day

After the advert in the Stage Committee newsletter, I was the first to buy a ticket for the Poland trip and the first to arrive at the bus that would take us to Charleroi, afraid of being stuck in the metro (as actually happened to some others). How could I have ignored this opportunity to go to the country of the upcoming presidency? Kraków here we come!

Stage & the City: The secret diary of a blue book stagiaire I

Arriving in Brussels

So here I am. Standing in front of this big glass building called the Berlaymont that I had previously only seen in pictures. One year ago I would never have imagined that I would be here in Brussels today for a five month internship at the European Commission... 

What do the Irish miss most in Brussels?

Brussels has long been a popular destination for Irish expats, with plenty of jobs on offer for native English speakers, a more international setting than Dublin could offer and (many of you may be shocked) an ever so slightly better climate than our fair isle.

Ask any Irish expat in Brussels what they miss most about home and you'll hear a range of answers from ‘proper’ tea (none of this Lipton's nonsense) to Tayto crisps.

But when it comes down to it, the things we really miss are far more basic...