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Inside the Brussels bubble: Two reviews of the JCI EUKHT

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Experiencing the European Know-How Transfer - A participant's report


Lessons learned from the JCI European Know-How Transfer 2016

Almost 2 years have passed since I took part in the JCI European Know-How Transfer in Brussels. Those two years seem to have rushed by very fast as I can still remember the feeling of how it felt to be in a group of enthusiastic JCI members within the heart of European decision-making.

For me the week offered an extensive outlook on how decision-making really happens on the European level - starting from lobbying the decision-makers in practice to cooperation between the European Parliament and the European Commission on setting directives.
The best experience was that we really got the chance to learn from the people doing the actual daily work in Brussels and who had been involved in many of the decision-making processes for years. This is not something you can learn from text books or promotional brochures of the European Union.

Personally, I also enjoyed the time I got to spend with my host Liisa Jaakonsaari, Finnish MEP since 2009 and a member of the Finnish Parliament for 30 years before that. The process of getting involved in the daily routines of a MEP is not something you get to experience every day. The friendliness of all the MEPs and their interest for JCI also surprised me. As another benefit, there is a lot of extra activities and seminars open for all in the European Parliament, which are worth to be checked out.

Now, even two years afterwards, I think this is one of those unforgettable JCI events you want to participate for a second time and this will be part of my plans for the coming years. In one week I learned more about European decision-making than in seven years in university studying international business.

To the participants of this year's JCI European Know-How Transfer my advice is to take part in all the activities you can during the week. During the day you will see the Parliament and the Commission, but during the evenings you will be making friends for lifetime.

I am very happy to have been given the chance to participate in the European Know-How Transfer and strongly recommend everybody to take part in it. Not least because you will know beforehand, what your local newspapers will be writing about in the coming years as a new surprise from the European Union.

Miika Kostamo, JCI Finland



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