Fridays @ EU Parliament : the Insider Tour experience 

 A closer look into decision-making in the EU 

Fridays @ EU Parliament: Twice a month during the first semester IEE students had the opportunity to visit the European Parliament from the inside. IEE Alumnus Bogdan Deleanu, Head of Cabinet of the Office of MEP Dragoș Pîslaru (Chair of the EMPL Committee), spent around two hours with each group, in a visit that combined inside, practical information on the decision-making process, career advice and candid conversation.  

Some 50 students following the Advanced Master in EU Interdisciplinary Studies (MS-EURI), the Advanced Master in European Law (MS-DREU) or the Master in European Studies (MA-ETEU) programmes participated.   

The student experience 

Larisa Spahić, a student persuing the Advanced Master in EU Interdisciplinary Studies degree says: “Just one visit gave me so much insight into the work of the EP, the way it functions on a daily basis, and things you can’t read in books or official announcements. All thanks to Bogdan’s willingness to share his rich experiences and extensive knowledge about the work of this institution”. 

 Her felllow classmate Francesco Pannullo expresses his excitment about the visit. “For me it was the first time visiting the European Parliament and it was amazing! Walking in those building felt special and full of emotions! I liked a lot our ‘special guide’ that gave us a good picture of how the EP works and he was so nice and kind, answering all our questions! It was a very useful and nice tour and I recommend it!” 

 For Paula Notivoli Cabezas, following the Master in European Studies, the visit was not her first time at the European Parliament “but it was, without a doubt, a very special one. Discovering (again) the EP with an IEE graduate and a person who has been working there for several years allows you to see things from a different point of view and to learn things that you cannot learn in any other way. We saw the plenary and a normal committee room, where Mr Deleanu explained to us how legislation is negotiated in the committees and, especially, the ins and outs of the choice of parliamentary group (and individual MEP) in charge of a file”.  

Her classmate, Jeanne Fabreguettes, agrees. “We learned a lot about intra-institutional dynamics within the EP and its different committees and political parties. I want to thank Bogdan Deleanu for taking the time, at the end of our tour, to answer more personal questions we had and help us building strategies to enter the professional market in Brussels”.  

 Students following the Advanced Master in European Law also participated. Mathilde Duret was one of them. “Mr Deleanu was a great guide. Thanks to him, we had the opportunity to visit the EU parliament’s hemicycle. This is my most vivid memory”. 

 About our host, IEE Alumnus Bogdan Deleanu 

With a background in political science and international affairs, Bogdan Deleanu is an expert in European Affairs currently leading the team of MEP Dragoș Pîslaru, the current chair of the EMPL Committee in the European Parliament. 

Bogdan has work extensively in international affairs, serving for the European Union in the Parliament and the European Economic and Social Committee, for the United Nations Department of Peacekeeping Operations and cooperating with NATO and other international organizations. He worked on foreign and security policy, including cybersecurity and digital threats, moved to human rights and development issues and more recently, employment and labour affairs in the EU, where he focuses on future of work and social integration of children and youth. 

In his free time, he co-founded and led Europuls, a leading Romanian think tank on EU affairs. He coordinated the team that developed the Eurosfat Forum between 2016-2019, an event that is now established as the largest EU affairs event in Southeast Europe. He founded and led RO100Brussels, the largest Romanian civic organization in 2018-2019 operating in the Romanian Diaspora and has been active in civic and political activities aimed at improving the working conditions of Romanian mobile and migrant workers.