I recently had the first experience of sitting in the chair of the president of the European Parliament to preside over a parliamentary sitting in the august Chamber in Strasbourg.
Let us not allow the European Union to remain a complex mystery out of our reach- Simon Busuttil
The parliamentary seats in front of me were filled by some 500 sixth form students from all over Europe. Among them was a group of students coming from my old school, St Aloysius College.
For more than an hour students fired questions at me on issues ranging from Acta to the Greek bailout and from terrorism to the future of Europe. They put to me some of the most difficult questions that I have ever had to face and to me that was one good reason to enjoy the experience.
I am therefore writing this piece to reach out to all present or prospective sixth form students who are eligible to participate in this fantastic opportunity in Strasbourg.
It is called Euroscola.
The initiative is intended to help students understand Europe better by putting them in the MEP’s hot seat and getting them to meet and exchange views with fellow students from other EU countries.
It is a great exercise in getting them to learn more about each other’s views and differences and understand them better. After all, Europe is built on unity within diversity.
If you have not done it, you should. The first step is, of course, to get accepted to participate.
Each sixth form and higher secondary will offer places to their students. About 250 students from Malta can participate in this programme each year which, given our size, is a very high proportion. A limited number of places are also open to secondary school students.
In order to participate, your school will offer you the opportunity to sit for a test that will assess your EU knowledge. You can easily prepare for this test by doing some background research on the European Union through the websites of the institutions.
Once you are selected to participate in the Euroscola programme, it is time to start preparing. Preparatory work is important. It is an integral part of our work as MEPs. Votes, debates, meetings and negotiating positions all need to be substantiated and thoroughly prepared.
Working in the European Parliament can be very exciting but it is also very challenging because to be constantly on the ball you need assiduous preparation.
The preparatory stage will be carried out under the direction of your teachers who will be accompanying you on your trip to Strasbourg. Then, comes your trip to the European capital of Strasbourg in France. This is not just a visit to a beautiful city. It is a visit that will give you the chance to debate and to represent your views. It is an invaluable learning experience that you will treasure for many years.
Once in Strasbourg you will form part of one of five working groups of about 100 participants each. Each working group discusses issues for which you would have prepared prior to your visit.
This working group will give you the chance to get the feel of what it is like to work in a parliamentary committee in which the day-to-day work on legislative proposals is done.
Parliamentary committees are where EU laws are chiselled out and it is also where the most interesting and heated debates take place. Whatever gets decided in a committee then goes to the full plenary Chamber for a final vote by all 754 MEPs.
In our Strasbourg Chamber, the very same where EU laws are voted, you too will have the chance to take part in a plenary session to debate and vote upon the resolution that your working groups would have produced.
And you will also get the chance of quizzing an MEP who will chair your session. Last February, it was my turn!
For us, the end of the Strasbourg session means that we must go back to our constituency to communicate what has been decided. Likewise, as a Euroscola student, it is important for you to go back and share your experience and engage in what is happening around you.
Being part of a great democracy like the European Union is something to cherish and be proud of. And it is very much in everyone’s interest to inform ourselves and to make the best use of the opportunities available to us.
Let us not allow the European Union to remain a complex mystery out of our reach. We are a part of it. And let us fully exercise our rights to participate in it. And better participation comes from better understanding.
Euroscola is your chance to do this.
Go for it!
simon.busuttil@europarl.europa.eu
Dr Busuttil is a Nationalist member of the European Parliament.