From 10 to 11 June 2024, 18 Master's students took part in a two-day study trip to Brussels to deepen their knowledge about the legislative process of the European Union and EU migration and asylum policy through discussions with representatives of EU institutions and civil society organisations. This excursion was part of the Master's seminar Policy-Making in the European Union, led by Paula Hoffmeyer-Zlotnik (Post-Doc at the Institute for Political Science and European Affairs).
Thanks to the wide range of discussion partners, the students gained a comprehensive picture of legislation in the EU and a good insight into the processes, particularly the informal trialogues between the EU Parliament, Council and Commission. While the discussions with the Commission and the Council were more focussed on technical aspects, the emphasis in the Parliament was on the political processes. The discussion with ECRE added an external perspective to the understanding of asylum policy legislation.

In the seminar, students applied political science theories of policy-making in the EU and gained insights into the practice of making laws in Brussels. The seminar had a particular focus on the EU legislative process and the interaction between the Commission, Council and EU Parliament. The EU’s asylum policy served as the main illustrative example. In 2020, after years of stalled negotiations on reforming the EU’s Common European Asylum system, the Commission put forward the "New Pact on Migration and Asylum” which contained a reform of existing rules such as the Dublin-Regulation, but also a whole host of new legislative instruments. The Council of Ministers and the European Parliament agreed on the main contents of this Pact in late December 2023.

Please click here for the full report (available in German only).

This event was organized with funding from Cologne Monnet Association for EU-Studies (COMOS) e.V. and the Fördergesellschaft des Instituts für Politische Wissenschaft und Europäische Fragen der Universität zu Köln e.V.