In the Spring of 2023, Pieter-Jan Vandoren, a student in BSoG’s Master in Global Security and Strategy programme, submitted a policy brief entitled “European Critical Infrastructure” as part of the 2023 student contest of the Trans European Policy Studies Association (TEPSA), which invited students all over Europe to submit a policy brief on the subject ‘The future of Europe in the context of Russia’s war in Ukraine’. We are proud to report that Pieter-Jan was selected as the winner of the Master student competition, which gave him the chance to attend TEPSA’s Pre-Presidency Conference in Madrid on 1-2 June. Below you can read his impressions about this exciting opportunity!
On 1 and 2 June, I had the pleasure of attending the TEPSA pre-presidency conference in Madrid, organised in cooperation with the Elcano Royal Institute, after winning the TEPSA student policy brief contest. Experts from leading think-tanks all over Europe attended the event to discuss the aims and priorities of the Spanish presidency of the Council of the European Union that would start on 1 July 2023.
During this two-day event, I was able to sit front-row and listen to the debates that experts had on a topics ranging from EU enlargement, to building a competitive economy, and of course, the EU response to the Russian aggression in Ukraine. After the sessions, I was able to share my thoughts with leading experts and have interesting discussions, which gave me novel insights into the dynamics of the inner workings of various EU institutions.
All in all, the Pre-Presidency was a truly enriching experience and I hope to be there next time as well, in Brussels!