Postgraduate Politics and International Relations students at the University of Westminster visited the European Union’s (EU) Delegation to the UK on 9 March 2023, and were addressed by the EU Ambassador to the UK Pedro Serrano.
Ambassador Serrano spoke to students about his career journey, which has seen him work as Chief of Staff to the EU’s current High Representative For Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, and EU Ambassador to the United Nations. He also explained the historical development of the EU’s foreign policy.
The Ambassador was joined by Counsellors Cyril Robin-Champigneul and Elias Centellas, who spoke about the importance of building trust between the EU and the UK after Brexit, and offered guidance to Westminster students on how to move into a career in diplomacy and international relations. They answered questions from Westminster students about the EU’s commitment to human rights, EU-Africa relations, whether sanctions against countries are effective and why aid is offered to some countries, with conditions attached.
Joanna Enu Obeng, International Relations MA student, said: “The visit to the EU Delegation provided great insight into the structures and workings of the European External Action Service. As a student, it was a great honour and privilege to hear directly from the Ambassador of the European Union and two diplomats. It was a very inspiring visit overall, and I personally gained new ideas for my career path.”
Dr Magdalena Frennhoff Larsen, Assistant Head of the University’s School of Social Sciences, said: “It is great to be able to take advantage of our central position in London and bring students to institutions, such as the new EU Delegation, where they can hear about the issues that we discuss in class from people who actually work on them.”
Find out more about Politics and International Relations courses at Westminster.
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