On Tuesday, 21st May the winners of the Elysee Treaty debate were invited to meet the French and German ambassadors to report back on their trip to Brussels, which was the prize sponsored by both embassies for the winning team. The meeting took place in school and was attended also by Mrs Golden and Mrs Cassan, debating coaches for the competition and by the principals of both schools St. Kilian’s and LFI, Ms Lynch and Madame Magadoux.
The students, Una Connolly, Mary O’Toole, Lukas Hallen, Derek Egan and Florent Cayer-Barrioz, impressed all present with their knowledge and insight into European affairs and their engagement with European issues. They felt that they had been given a real sense of what it is like to live and work in Brussels on the European Project. They spoke about their meeting with the Bavarian representation and the First Secretary to the German ambassador to the EU which gave them an understanding of how Germany is represented at a Federal level and by the various German Laender. An interview with the German MEP, Ms Pack, Chair of EU committee for Education and Culture was considered very interesting and enlightening as she spoke about the opportunities and programmes open to students in the EU. Their trip then concluded with a visit to the European Commission which gave them a fascinating insight into the workings of the European institutions.
The trip was deemed a great success and the students felt that they encountered the human face of the EU. They returned committed Europeans and thanked both ambassadors for their support for the trip and the debate.
