Executive summary

You are interested in European politics, history and culture? You would love to experience EU politics at first hand, looking behind the facades of the Berlaymont, the European Parliament and the Justus Lipsius in order to better understand international diplomacy? Maybe you even aspire a career in fields such as international politics, contemporary history, translation, or cultural studies? You can’t wait to connect your academic knowledge with practical insights and exchange views with the makers and shapers of the European continent? You feel pleasure in building international networks and cross-border friendships? If yes, the "Euregio Brussels School 2025" is definitely the right thing for you!

How to apply? Please find all details below! 

Details

Learning Outcome

Students will learn about the functioning of the European Union and its main policies, starting from those EU-institutions and bodies that claim general and specific leadership-, agenda-setting, -steering as well as concrete legislative competences. They understand historic and legal patterns that led to the institutional framework of the political system of the contemporary EU, the practical unfolding of the EU legislative process and the complex formal and informal interest representation system surrounding it. Participants of the course are enabled to comprehend various multi-level-processes of political coordination in the framework of international and European Law and policy-making, and to explain those processes based on academic theories and on praxis.

Contents

The course promotes a theory-based, interdisciplinary and practice-oriented analysis of the European Union, its historical development, its constitutional and political structure and its current policy priorities. The learning programme is divided into three modules (Institutions, Policies and “Brussels Ecosystem”): the first online preparatory meetings will tackle the theoretical background, while in-person-lectures with practitioners in Brussels will tackle the practical aspects of the EU decision making process, having a strong focus on the current EU policies and politics (mainly drawing on the new European Commission's priorities). The core element of the course is a multi-day field trip to the heart of the European Quarter in Brussels. From there, the "Representation of the European Region Tyrol-South Tyrol-Trentino in Brussels" organizes a tailor-made learning program: different dialogue formats with high-ranking politicians, their administrations and various actors involved in the legislative and political processes (e.g. regional representations, think tanks, NGOs, lobbies) aim to provide a multifaceted yet comprehensive view of the essential aspects concerning the European decision-making process.

Methods

The first few sessions of the course serve to introduce the topics, bring all students together and provide them with a common theoretical framework, considering their different (inter)disciplinary knowledge, linguistic prerequisites and (transnational) educational traditions. Within the framework of the multi-day field trip to Brussels, participants are given the opportunity to personally exchange with representatives of various EU institutions and other stakeholders to familiarize themselves with European topics of contemporary interest by participating in various different workshop formats.

Assessment criteria and prerequisites

Active participation in all virtual and real life sessions, as well as speaking and written contributions before and during the excursion to Brussels. Thus, good (English) language skills are necessary (at least B2 based on thorough self-assessment).

Important remarks

The excursion will take place from Monday 23 June until Friday 27 June. Three (online) introductory and coordination meetings will take place (two in April and one in May). Full participation and compliance with all rules of the course are necessary in order to be eligible for receiving the attributed ECTS points.

Application and selection

According to different legal procedures in place, the selection process varies, depending on whether you apply as a student registered at the University of Innsbruck, Bozen-Bolzano or Trento. Please find all detail as follows.

University of Innsbruck (incl. registered Erasmus+ students):

Application: Please send your CV (in English) and an essay (2-3 pages) to the course coordinator (michael.wolf@tirol.gv.at) no later than 28 February (23:59). For capacity reasons in the administration, however, only the first 25 applications can be considered for the selection process. Therefore, we strongly advise you not to wait until the end of the official deadline (28 February) to submit your application! When you submit your application, you will be informed whether it can be considered for the selection process. The subject of the e-mail should be “Application Euregio Brussels School 2025/University of Innsbruck” and the documents should be sent together in one PDF file (max. 5 MB). The topic of the essay should be “The European Union in 2029: a success story” (imagine you are the current President of the European Commission and writing your memoires after your 5 years in office. Creatively describe your biggest achievements and how you solved all your challenges in doing politics with other countries, institutions or other sorts of stakeholders in a sort of “fictional narrative”).

Selection: Each of the first 25 incoming applications (CV & essay) will be reviewed, assessed and ranked. In case of equally good applications, the selection will be made on a “first come, first serve” basis. Please note that the final selection by the course instructor can’t be challenged and that participants of previous editions cannot be selected again (in order to give other students the chance to take part in the program).

Free University of Bozen-Bolzano and University of Trento (incl. registered Erasmus+ students) and resident of the Autonomous Province of Bolzano/Bozen – South Tirol and the Autonomous Province of Trento:

Application: The selection procedure will be based on the criteria set out in the document “Admission and Selection Criteria” that you can find below.

• APPLICATION FORM (attachment below)
• ADMISSION AND SELECTION CRITERIA (attachment below)

To apply, please fill the form and send it to brussels@europaregion.info with the requested information and attachments.

Please note that, as stated in the “Admission and Selection Criteria”, priority will be given to students enrolled at the Free University of Bozen-Bolzano (10 places) and at the University of Trento (10 places). In the event that the number of applicants from these two universities does not reach the number required to fill all the available places, a further selection process will be carried out. At this second stage, applications from students enrolled on master's courses at other universities who meet the requirement of residence in the Autonomous Province of Bolzano/Bozen - South Tyrol or the Autonomous Province of Trento will be assessed. 

  APPLICATION FORM  

  ADMISSION AND SELECTION CRITERIA

Start and timeline

Virtual (preparatory) meetings:

• 15.04.2025
• 29.04.2025
• 29.05.2025

Excursion to Brussels:

• 23.06.-27.06.2025