There was chuckling to be heard when Mr Wegler entered the room. He is an aged man with horn-rimmed-like glasses and eyebrows sprawled in all directions which might show all the long days and nights he had to work in his earlier times.
Mr. Wegler explains to the students that he is Dutch and retired from his position as a former civil servant, spokesman and adviser of the EU, while he was acting in place of a tutor for an European Policies class at AVANS Hogeschool on September 7th .The class’ students were expecting a common lecture with distractions of their own thoughts or abusing their pens.
However, when he started explaining his personal background it was clear that he would give the students an individual insight of his experience and attention was put on his words rather than his looks. With his enthusiastic voice and movements it was easy to see that he is proud of his background and experience he gained during working for the EU. He speaks several languages and gave the international students the feeling they had been understood.
Even though the students were aware of the EU's background and its structure it was impressive to hear a voice who has experienced the EU's beginning with only six member states. He also took part in Germany’s reunification and spoke of times when there were only a few journalists at summits. Through illustrating the complexity of the ‘Brussels' kitchen’, Wegler emphasized his statement that the European Union ‘is not a love affair’ with showing that the ‘menu’ always has to be presented by the commission, with 25,000 servants underneath it, in all 24 languages and then has to be reviewed by two other institutions which are located somewhere else. In fact, it is an institution where compromises have to be made transnational, so should it be called the largest democratic polygamy instead?
He finishes with the statement that he would not believe in an “United States of Europe” in the future but he was certain that the European integration is necessary to fight global issues and to confront other big nations. Regardless, the students did not get their answer on how the EU is and will be handling the current recession but everybody could divine that there is a European unity in Brussels.
Hey Caro,
ReplyDeleteI really appreciate you writing a review on the guest lecture we have had last days at Avans since I have also enjoyed the enthusiastic way of lecturing that Mr. Wegter has presented. In my opinion, it was a great opportunity to gray how does the internal "EU kitchen" work in case of decision-making process. Of course reading the eternal texts and articles in the books is necessary, but he was able to explain the tasks in his own way what enabled us to conceive the sometimes vague procedures and historical facts. You have reviewed it very well mentioning the most important aspects as well as the character of a great man. Thank you for posting!
Kindest regards,
Olga
Hello Carolin !
ReplyDeleteAs Olga said, I really enjoy your post too !
You have described the man in a funny way, but that's real he has big white mustache and eyebrowns.
It was a good moment during that lecture, because we learn how EU works, but with the point of view of a civil servant here since the beginning !
Amazing man!!
Thank you so much for this flash back!
(But the next time try to make more shorter sentences ^^)