With summer just around the corner, it’s time to reminisce about JEF Turku’s Brussels excursion from last year! Along the way there were dreams of our own office, a visit to the “Venice of the North,” and some interesting conclusions about the Parliament’s interpreters. JEF Turku aims to organise an excursion every year, and through the international affairs working group you can have a say in where our members travel next!
JEF Turku’s 2022 excursion headed to Brussels. We had last travelled to Brussels back in 2016, so it was high time to pay another visit. Our international affairs working group started planning the excursion well in advance, in March, and the group members got to take part in planning activities, choosing a day-trip destination, and booking hotels. Finally, in September, all that planning became reality as excursion week began!
The trip began on the night before Monday, travelling from Turku towards Helsinki-Vantaa airport. Sleep was in short supply, but luckily we had company from a group of pensioners heading to Madeira who had no shortage of enthusiasm. We arrived in Brussels in the morning, and our first destination was the chocolate museum. Belgium is known for its chocolate, and we got to learn its story as well as sample some treats. Although the museum was interesting, it also raised some uncomfortable thoughts because of its colonial background. The museum told the story of how chocolate “arrived” in Europe. Entirely missing from that story was any critique of the colonialism, plunder, and oppression practised by Europeans.
The day continued with a visit to Finance Finland (FFI), where we got to hear about lobbying activity in Brussels. Since this was a meeting with lobbyists, there was no shortage of drinks, food, and pleasant conversation for quite a while! Vice President Sepe also suggested JEF Turku get office space in Brussels. The rest of the group got excited about the idea too, but luckily our treasurer Siiri managed to rein things in before we got much further into looking at premises.
Tuesday began with a visit to the Royal Museum, which had something for everyone, from Bible stories to bold realism. Some of our members would happily have spent the whole day with the art and the discussions, but our schedule pushed us to keep moving. Our President, Susan, had lived in Brussels for several months by then, and she took us on a walking tour, sharing plenty of interesting facts along the way. We got to admire the Royal Palace, the Palace of Justice, and several churches and cathedrals. In the evening, we headed to a relaxed get-together with JEF Brussels. We shared thoughts on federalism in Belgium, in Finland, and in the work of our respective organisations. As the evening went on, we discussed, among other things, Europe’s worsening energy situation, the polarisation of politics, and Belgium’s history. Inspired by that evening, we went on to hold a joint workshop event with JEF Brussels in spring 2023!
On Wednesday we took a day trip to the charming city of Bruges. We learned that, despite the Aura River, Turku is not actually the “Venice of the North” – that title goes to Dutch-style Bruges instead. We got to know the city on a boat tour, which turned out to be a favourite activity for many in our group. Our daily step count quickly filled up, as the afternoon was spent admiring the old town, sampling Belgian fries and waffles, and, of course, shopping for chocolate.
Thursday was spent, from morning to evening, in the beating heart of the European Union. The day began at the House of European History, where the exhibition took us from the French Revolution through the World Wars towards European integration and the present day. We were left wondering whether every member state should have a House of European History like this one. The day continued with a visit to Parliament, where we got to hear about its work and history and admire the Brussels plenary chamber. What especially stuck with us was the demanding and rewarding work of the interpreters. We concluded that the faster an interpreter’s hands move, the more experienced they are. At the Commission, we were met by advisers from Commissioner Jutta Urpilainen’s cabinet. We got to hear about their career paths, the cabinet’s many duties, and Brussels’s demanding pace of work. To our relief, though, we learned that you can get by perfectly well in English in the EU institutions too. After the Commission, we also stopped by the Parliamentarium, which told the story of Parliament and European history through moving images and stories.
Earlier in excursion week, JEF Europe’s President Antonio Argenziano had invited us to visit JEF Europe’s office, and we got to drop by on Thursday evening. Antonio told us, among other things, about JEF Europe’s work and about how visible the European Year of Youth had been in practice. At the end, we left a message in a time capsule for future JEF members to read in ten years’ time. The visit was fascinating and only fuelled our dreams of an office of our own. After this visit, even our treasurer got excited about planning office space back in Turku! We spent the rest of the evening at “EU parties,” as the many people working in EU institutions gathered, as is their custom, for Thursday-night festivities at Plux. We admired and marvelled at this fun tradition, chatted with other JEF members, and enjoyed our last evening in Brussels.
On Friday morning we set off back to Finland. The excursion went brilliantly, and we managed to experience more than we had planned. Brussels was a lively and magnificent city, but it also gave us food for thought. Alongside unfortunate recycling practices, our attention was often drawn to the homeless people on the streets. In 2021, the number of homeless people in Brussels reached a record high, with more than 5,300 people living on the streets.¹ Brussels’s role as the capital of Europe creates a grand image of the city, but that naturally doesn’t erase this serious problem from it. The European Parliament has called on the EU and its member states to pay attention to preventing homelessness, for example by providing access to healthcare, education, and the labour market.² Perhaps Europe’s capital should set an example and take a firm approach to easing the situation for homeless people.
Text: Emma Jama, Vice President for 2023
1 Helen Lyons, ”Brussels homeless population hits new record”, The Brussels Time, 17.3.2021, https:// www.brusselstimes.com/160430/vanbiervliet-brusshelp-brussels-homeless-population-hits-new-record- frank-vanbiervliet-brusshelp-squatting-shelter-unoccupied-housing-coronavirus-pandemic
2 ”How European Parliament wants to end homelessness in the EU”, European Parliament, 24.11.2020, https://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/headlines/society/20201119STO92006/how-parliament-wants-to- end-homelessness-in-the-eu