EU
in
FOcus
Every semester La Pietra Dialogues organizes a series of dialogues that aim to give students an overview of the European Union, how it works and its role as an international actor, and to address some of the most urgent issues the EU faces.
​
NYU Florence students have the unique opportunity to apply to be part of a working group
in order to develop a deeper understanding of how EU policy-making works through the study of two specific policy areas. The series working group culminates in a trip to Brussels to visit the European Institutions on the ground and meet with experts and practitioners.
​
Take a look below to get an overview of how the series works and some highlights!
​
Understanding the EU: Dialogues at NYU Florence
CATERINA DACEY ARIANI, NYU FLORENCE, SPRING 2014
It is precisely the European Union’s unusual nature that makes it so difficult, even for EU citizens, to understand... I would recommend to every NYU student studying in Europe to take advantage of their time there to learn about how the EU really works... you’re increasing your comprehension of both individual European countries and of the world.
​
SPRING 2014
CATERINA DAISY ARIANI
The series is composed of four dialogues. The first two dialogues focus on, respectively, the EU Institutions and the decision making process and the history of european integration and the common market.
CATERINA DACEY ARIANI, NYU FLORENCE, SPRING 2014
Since 2014, Prof. Conti Lombardo gives the students an overview of the history of the EU.
Since 2014, Prof. Conti holds a dialogue on the functioning of the EU Institutions and the decision making process and runs the EU in Focus working group.
Caterina Guidi: The EU’s Response to the Migration Crisis
The following two dialogues deal with specific EU policy areas according to the most urgent contemporary issues. Since its first edition in 2014, the EU in focus series has covered a wide range of topics, from food and environment to climate change, international relations, migration and Brexit. Below are student reports on some of the dialogues as well as videos of the dialogues themselves.
Tim Oliver: What does Brexti mean for the EU?
The decision by British voters for the UK to leave the EU in a referendum on June 23, 2016 sent shock waves across Europe, many fearing a domino effect. Tim Oliver from the London School of Economics met students in Fall 2017 to investigate the causes of Brexit and its meaning for the European Union.
In Fall 2017, Caterina Guidi, Research Associate at the European University Institute in Florence, developed a talk on the impact of migrants on European societies and how the EU intends to face this challenge politically and culturally. NYU Florence student Katia Taylor reported on that on the LPD blog.
Climate Change and the Future of the Paris Agreement
In Fall 2017, Professor of European Law at the European University Institute in Florence Joanne Scott illustrated the content, architecture and legal nature of the Paris Agreement. Based on that, NYU Florence student Samantha Chang wrote an article on the LPD blog.
​
​
EU in Focus
Experiencing the EU: Off to Brussels
After taking part in the dialogues organized on campus and further deepening their knowledge on the chosen policy areas as a part of the working group activities, NYU Florence students take off to Brussels, the capital of the European Union.
The trip usually includes the visit of the European Parliament and its exhibition centre, the visit of the Council of the European Union, the European Commission, the Council of the European Union and the US Mission to the EU, where students meet prominent experts and pratictioners to get an overview of the history and functions of those institutions. Moreover, students get the chance to visit the beautiful city of Brussels and dive into its cultural life through the visit of one of its main arts exhibitions.
​
Watch this videos from EU in Focus past editions to take a glance of the trip to Brussels's highlights, including the role play at the European Parliament.
NYU Florence student Oriana De Angelis wrote a daily report on the trip to Brussels she participated in for the Fall 2017 edition of the EU in Focus series
Below are some other pictures from different editions of the EU in Focus' trip to Brussels
Spring 2018
Spring 2018
Spring 2018
Spring 2018 Through multimedia content, the Parliament illustrates EU Member States' history from the twentieth century until now.
Spring 2017
Spring 2018
Fall 2017
Fall 2017
Fall 2017
NYU Florence Student Oriana De Angelis took part in the EU in Focus series on Fall 2017. Read her daily blogposts to gain an insight into the trip to Brussels:
October 28, 2017
Yet, you know what was beautiful? The fact that despite it being 4:45 am, the time when Ana Dicu—the head coordinator—requested we meet up and ride together to the airport, everyone was up on that bus, radiating smiles and 110 percent ready to take on this journey. We had been waiting for this ever since that first EU in Focus session with the distinguished NYU Florence Professor, Nicolò Conti.
October 29, 2017
We started off our visit with an interactive role playing game. The simulation had us pretending we were Ministers of the European Parliament. It even divided us into different political parties and gave us objectives on which we had to reach a consensus.
October 31, 2017
EU in Focus Day 3: Down to Business
A group of 20-year olds infiltrated the EU Commission building and held back-to-back meetings this past Monday, October 30th. The young adults were all students travelling in representation of New York University, forming part of the institution’s annual trip to Brussels, Belgium
