Students complete EU study tour

Five UAE students have completed the three-week European Union Studies Summer Programme, offered by Abu Dhabi Education Council (Adec) in collaboration with the Foundation of European Studies at Science PO, Paris, one of the most multicultural institutions of higher education in Europe, with a strong reputation in international studies.Mona Majed Al Mansoori, Adec’s division manger of Guidance and Scholarship, said that Adec is keen to provide graduate and undergraduate students with greater opportunities to enable them to acquire the skills of communication and openness to other cultures such as the European culture. “This will help improve their learning outcomes, introduce them to international programmes and experiences,” Al Mansoori added. “Interns from UAE University, Zayed University and Paris Sorbonne University-Abu Dhabi (PSUAD) are given the opportunity to engage themselves in key contemporary policies related to the European Union, such as the unified European currency, energy, migration, education, and much more,” Al Mansoori pointed out.As part of the programme, a series of lectures were given with regard to the European Union Studies and issues of mutual interest between EU and GCC. Interns also visited the European Commission in Brussels, European Parliament in Strasbourg and the Senate of France.Danna Mohammed Al Hajeri, a third-year student who studies Civilizations and International Relations at PSUAD, said that the programme gave her the opportunity to meet members of the European Parliament, have extensive discussions on the EU politics and know more about the EU-GCC relations regarding education, energy, economy.“We visited the Senate of France in Paris and the Louvre Museum where a lecture on the Louvre Abu Dhabi, to be opened in Saadiyat Island, was delivered,” Al Hajeri added.Majed Al Khamiri, a 2011 graduate who studied Civilizations and International Relations at PSUAD, said that “this journey has been a great experience for all of us. I am proud that UAE is highly appreciated abroad as a model for rapid social and economic development and growth. From / Gulf today