This sounds like some kind of Jean-Claude Van Damme movie.
Anywho, I got back from Brussels yesterday evening. I went there for two days, along with 8 other persons from my school, who had been elected to join in the “Europolis” program, which is an event sponsored by the European Union, to bring the European youth closer to the Union and the European feeling.
Basic idea behind this, was that 9 schools from all over Belgium had to design a resolution, and e-mail it to the Union (or at least the part of it that organised this event). Then, the Union mailed every school all resolutions, so we could find amendments to them. Then, you had to e-mail them the amendments as well.
And then the main goal of this whole event: the debate at the European Parliament in Brussels:
this is the only picture I took, I took it with my cellphone-camera, as it wasn’t allowed to take pictures inside the building. My teacher even had to delete one from his digital camera, under pressure by a guard. They’re really itchy these days, especially because there was a European Top the same day, and security measurements were unbelievable. Anywho, the picture…ah, it’s at the end of the post, right.
So, all schools were sitting in this kind of ‘debate room’, really cool, with comfy chairs, microphones to talk into and headsets to understand the other languages (live interpreted as the three main languages in Belgium are Dutch, French and German). And then the debate began. It was cool, you had to put up signs to ask to be allowed to speak, and at the end everyone voted either yes, no, or … I don’t know the English word, abstention or something. Our resolution got passed, with 70 votes for, 15 against and 4 abstentions. In total, 5 resolutions got trough and 4 were cancelled, but ours had the most votes for :thumb: It mainly dealt about maritime safety, which may explain the amount of votes we got, because I don’t really see someone saying: I’m against more maritime safety! :sure:
So anyway, the whole experience was really great, to be in that building, eat there (with the special dinnerware and everything), the party at night, the feeling of reality (that may sound weird, but I mean: the fact everything was conducted as if it were a real seating in the Parliament), etc…
So it was really great, a unique experience and I was glad to be able to join in it… :thumb:
