Our Two Days in Strasbourg

Our Two Days in Strasbourg

Monday, April 4 we arrived at 5 pm in front of The European Parliament. It’s the parliamentary body of the European Union (EU). The present parliament, elected in June 2009, has 736 members from 27 member states of the EU. More than a third are women. The European Parliament, whose headquarters are in Strasbourg, has three locations: Brussels, Luxembourg and Strasbourg. Parliament is composed of 736 MEPs, who represent 375 million voters from 27 states (in 2009), that is to say, the second largest electorate in the world, behind that of India, and the largest transnational constituency. Since 1979, the Parliament is elected every five years by direct universal suffrage, with proportional representation. Although Parliament is the "main" institution of the EU, The Council of Ministers has greater legislative powers. In Strasbourg there are the plenary sessions, commissions, and some additional plenary sessions are held at the Espace Leopold in Brussels. The General Secretariat is based in Luxembourg.

When we arrived many people were there to welcome us but also to control us and see if we did have anything dangerous about us that might be likely to injure a member. Then we went into the hemicycle of the Parliament to listen to a debate about the immigration problem. After this, we met Malika Benarab Atou and one of her assistants who explained how European institutions function.

· The Kronenbourg Museum

Hooray! Journey to the Center of beer! No need to be an “alcoholic” to enjoy visiting this brewery which is one of the symbols of the Alsace region. We discovered how to manufacture, to bottle and can beer – a drink made from hops, barley and water. To conclude this visit and these two days, we had the right to a tasting of beers recently introduced on the market.

A very very good journey, interesting, cultivating, and a lot of thanks to the European Union, the Comenius project, our teachers and our high school ! Thanks to them we discovered a city that nearly nobody knew.

Amélie Bourreau 1ère ES2