Europäische Kommission - Migration and Energy

March 06, 2023

Last week I had the chance to go on a program trip to Brussels and Paris. I have never been to these cities before and I was super excited. I have to say I was more enthusiastic for Paris but Brussels surprised me by its really good gluten free food options and their amazing EU institutions buildings and environment. Coming from Chile, I never knew much about the European Union and its importance, and having taken specific classes about its history and organisation has taught me its relevance not only in the continent but worldwide. After the recent pandemic and the on-going Ukraine and Russian war, the EU plays a major role in political, economical, and social issues towards achieving peace.

We were fortunate to visit two of the most important institutions of the EU located in Brussels, die Europäische Kommission (executive arm) und die Ministerrat (represents the member states and coordinate - work on adopting laws). On our second day of the trip, we visited die EU Kommission were we saw Ms. Ester Pozo Vera, DG for migration and home affairs talk about The asylum policy of the EU. Her knowledge was profound and we had the chance to understand in a better way the conditions for people who are not EU citizens to migrate legally, the intricacies of asylum seekers, and on what basis asylum seekers are sent to different destinations among the 27 member states. The Europeanisation of justice and home affairs are the consequences of increased cross-border movement, which after the Single European Act, exploited the resources of government securities. Now, there is a better integrated system but it is still difficult to control the demand for migration and asylum seekers. We also investigated how the solidarity act was launched to help Ukrainian citizens to migrate and integrate themselves to their new hopefully momentary countries.

We also has the chance to talk to Mr. Mathew Baldwin, DG for Energy, Deputy Director-General, about the the energy policy of the EU. We touched base on Germany's need to stop depending on russian gas and the option of a sustainable agenda to meet the green goals set for 2030. This energy crisis has been dealt with trades from other countries such as the US, Netherlands, Canada, among others. Collaboration among other countries has been excellent in order to help European countries to meet their demands and sustain their economies.

Talking about this topics, specifically about migration, made me think about the ethics of migration and how in Chile, a similar situation has happened with people coming from central America. The same goes with immigration on the US. As an immigrant and a Chilean that has seen his country adopt citizens from other places, it is important to understand legalities of these issues and be open to accept people from other places, as long as they come with good intentions and are there to be a plus to their new communities. The European Union surprises me everyday with its range of action and impact all over the world. There is no doubt it is a revolutionary, great organisation willing to do a lot of work to help the world become a better place. It is a privilege to study it and hear from their professionals. I am interested in seeing what changes will happen about migration, energy, and security at the EU level, since the ongoing war is in "seinem Hinterhof".