The trip started in the Polish – German borderland in Frankfurt (Oder) where students visited the European University Viadrina. They attended different classes, had meetings with the representatives of International Office and the Centre of foreign languages, and also visited the Collegium Polonicum in Słubice.
The next part of the trip took place in Berlin. There the students participated in the guided tour to the German Parliament (Bundestag). They also visited the Free University (FU) of Berlin and in the Humboldt University. Both universities organized campus tours for participants. At the Free University of Berlin, the students also met with the director of the Center for Global Politics of FU, Professor Klaus Segbers, who conducted a lecture on the challenges to the EU from a German perspective. At the Humboldt-University of Berlin the group had a meeting with Prof. Silvia von Steinsdorff and Dr. Claudia Matthies from the Institute of Social Sciences, where the students got an insight into the research agenda and the current international social science MA study programs.
The students also learned about German foreign policy and, in particular, the functioning of such unique German political institutions as political foundations. EHU participants visited three important political foundations in Berlin: the Konrad-Adenauer-Foundation (KAS), the Friedrich-Ebert-Foundation (FES) and the Heinrich-Böll-Foundation. There they had meetings with Philipp Dienstbier, Desk Officer of Eastern Europe, European and International Cooperation Department of KAS; Kristin Linke, Desk Officer Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Department of Central and Eastern Europe of FES and with Robert Sperfeld, Senior Program Officer, East and South East Europe Division of the Heinrich-Böll-Foundation. During these meetings besides getting knew knowledge the participants of the study trip shared their visions on the current political developments in Belarus, discussed perspectives of Belarus – EU and Belarus – Germany relations, as well as expressed their opinion on the situation with the civil society, political and civic rights in Belarus.
Other discussions on the current Belarusian situation took place in the Bundestag when the students met with Mr. Christopher Paesen, team-member of the MP Mr. Oliver Kaczmarek (SPD) who is deputy chair of the Parliamentary group “Germany – Belarus”. The last meeting was with the representative of the German Institute for International and Security Affairs “Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik” (SWP) Dr. Astrid Sahm, who is a knowledgeable, long term scientific observer of politics in Belarus.
The outcomes of the study trip show the importance of the deepening knowledge of EHU students on the one of the most important EU members – Germany, its political system and principles of its foreign policy. Such educational trips create platforms for the discussions on Belarusian issues between EHU students and German stakeholders.
All the participants express deep appreciations to the DAAD who supported this interesting and useful study trip.