Thirty Masters Students of European Studies participated in the first ever EPP/CoR study visit. Representing twenty-two of the Union's twentyseven Member States, these young students interrogated EPP rapporteurs KAY TWITCHEN, Member of Essex County Council, FRANTISEK KNAPIK, Mayor of Košice, HELMA KUHNTHEIS, Member of Saarland Landtag, WERNER JOSTMEIER, Member of North Rhine-Westphalia Landtag, and MILAN BELICA, President of the Nitra Self-governing Region.
For the 2nd edition of the Study Visit, the thirty students were selected from more than 600 applicants proving the demand for this type of activity. During their visit, the students chose between two parallel sessions; An EU Policy for Youth and the Baltic Sea Region, with EPP/CoR Members ANTON ROMBOUTS and ANNA MARGRETHE KAALUND, Members of the European Parliament, representatives of the European Commission and experts in the field.
The EPP Group in the Committee of the Regions once again opened its doors to students enrolled in Masters programmes dedicated to European Studies, International Relations and Political Science to offer them a first hand view of the work that is carried out by local and regional authorities.
The EPP/CoR Group will welcome 30 Master students for the duration of the May Plenary Session as part of its communication activities for 2011.
The students, who were selected from hundreds of applications, are all enrolled in Master courses with specific relevance to EU regional policy and were selected on the strength of their motivation texts – from meeting local and regional representatives to experiencing first hand the exciting activities and debates which develop during Plenary Session.
Wednesday 28 November 2012
15:15 – 16:00 Students arrive
16:30 - 17:15 Regions and cities ready for the European Year 2013 CoR Forum
17:30 – 18:30 Introduction to the Committee of the Regions and the EPP Group
19:00 – 20:30 Welcome dinner with EPP secretariat
Thursday 29 November 2012
Europe is not just facing an employment crisis, but also a skills crisis. Research shows that despite the record number of jobseekers, Europe's skills gap is a determining factor in current unemployment rates. Education and training systems must reform and innovate to better match the requirements of the labour market, especially in terms of digital and entrepreneurial skills.