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CALD Internship Report |
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Overview I spent the first four weeks of my internship in the European Parliament, where I worked with Mr. Jacques Lecarte, ELDR Group Administrator for the Foreign Affairs Committee. During the latter two weeks, when the Parliament was in recess, I worked with Ms. Susanne Hartig, Project Officer at the Friedrich Naumann Foundation’s Brussels office. June and July were exciting months in Brussels: the European Convention on the EU Constitution concluded, the war in Iraq had just ended and Europe now had to redefine their relationship with the US and repair divisions amongst themselves, the EU Commission was plagued by the Eurostat scandal, the European Council held its summit meeting in Thessaloniki, and finally, the Italian Presidency took office with much flair and controversy. In addition to learning about European politics, I decided to focus on two topics of personal interest: EU-USA relations and development policies. In the Parliament, I followed the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Committee on Development and Cooperation. I also attended ELDR Group meetings, staff meetings, the European Convention, the plenary session in Strasbourg, and a variety of hearings and ad hoc meetings on issues ranging from religious freedom and the transatlantic relationship to the Middle East peace process. At the FNF office, I prepared background notes for an upcoming seminar that will be part of the FNF’s Transatlantic Dialogue project (see attached appendix). Throughout the summer, I also had opportunities to meet with representatives of Taipei’s Permanent Mission Office to the EU and representatives from think tanks in Brussels, such as the European Institute for Asian Studies. There were also numerous opportunities to meet staffers and other interns from all across Europe. Overall, I gained a better understanding of European issues and politics. Prior to this internship, my exposure to European viewpoints had been rather limited because Taiwanese media and policy circles are heavily influenced by American thinking and because I have been educated in mostly American institutions. In short, this immersion in a European political environment was arguably the most valuable aspect of this internship. In addition, some observations on democratic practices in the EU, transatlantic relations and EU foreign policy are discussed in the following section. The end of this report includes several suggestions for future interns.
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