Excursion to Brussels in December 2025

🇪🇺 Experiencing the EU on site – Brussels up close!

Image 1: Benjamin Höhne and Niclas Hüttemann (Chair of Political Systems) with students during a visit to the European Council in Brussels​

Report on the Chair’s Brussels excursion

Dates: 07. December to 11. December 2025

This is the report on our five-day excursion right into the political heart of Europe, which was organized by Prof. Dr Benjamin Höhne in cooperation with ARBEIT UND LEBEN Sachsen e.V. and financially supported by ERASMUS+ as well as the Faculty of Humanities of our university. In the following, we report on the experiences of the 30 political science students from Chemnitz University of Technology during the excursion to Belgium, the institutions we engaged with, and the discussions we held. Thematically, the excursion focused on security policy, tendencies of autocratization, and climate and environmental protection. ​

Day 1

On the first day, travelling to Brussels was the main focus. We met at 7:45 a.m. in front of the Orangerie at Chemnitz University of Technology. Everyone arrived with suitcases and large bags, ready and in good spirits for the long journey on a large coach. After checking all participants, there was a short delay because one participant was accidentally waiting at the wrong meeting point and first had to be picked up at Chemnitz coach station. Despite the roughly 30‑minute delay, the group then set off for Belgium complete and in high spirits.
During the approximately eleven‑hour coach journey, we took regular breaks. A minor mishap while parking at a service area – without any damage or injuries – caused a brief stir but was quickly and humorously dealt with. After the long day of travel, when we arrived at our B&B Hotel Centre Louise, we all checked in and immediately set off together for a restaurant, where we satisfied our great hunger and shared our joy at having arrived. There we also had the chance to talk about our expectations and our previous experiences within the group. As most of us were very tired after the long journey, we finally walked back together to our accommodation at around 10:30 p.m. and went to sleep in our single or twin rooms.

Day 2

On the second day, we were able to enjoy the hotel’s delicious breakfast in a relaxed atmosphere. At 10 a.m., the first item on the day’s programme began: a two‑hour guided city tour of Brussels with political scientist Dr Manuel Schmitz. He explained the presence of the EU in the Belgian capital, placing a particular emphasis on political architecture. With his very refreshing and open manner, he provided an excellent introduction to the excursion. We got to know the most important parts of the city with a European connection, explored various neighbourhoods, streets and monuments, and learned interesting historical and political background information. Afterwards, we had a two‑hour break during which we took public transport together to NATO headquarters.
​After extensive security checks, we were welcomed by Dr Jan Nemitz from the Political Affairs Division of the Permanent Representation of Germany to NATO. In a two‑hour discussion, we talked, among other things, about the war in Ukraine and the Middle East conflict as well as the issue of arms deliveries using the example of Taurus. A fellow student’s question regarding Turkey’s treatment of the Kurdish population and NATO’s possible room for manoeuvre was also addressed. Dr Nemitz consistently impressed with openness, transparency, and his willingness to answer even critical questions in detail. A tour of the building was only possible to a limited extent for security reasons.
After the very interesting discussion at NATO, a visit to the Young European Federalists awaited us at 6 p.m. We received a warm welcome and were able to learn a lot about their history and ambitions. Unfortunately, the conversation was somewhat short, as several members were under time pressure due to upcoming conferences. We spent the evening together in Brussels’ old town.

Day 3

On the third day, visits to three important institutions were on the agenda. After breakfast, we took a public bus to the Council of the European Union, also known as the Council of Ministers. After a brief security check, we received an introduction to the building and were then taken to a waiting room that also offered some information and activity options (see e.g. Image 1). This was followed by an interesting talk by the head of the Council of the EU’s Economic Department on the Council’s tasks, structures, and competences. Once again, we had the opportunity to ask our own questions (Image 2). After the roughly one‑hour discussion, we were shown further parts of the building, including the famous red carpet of the Council, known from appearances by prominent politicians (Image 1). ​ After lunch, we visited the Heinrich Böll Foundation. Unlike the EU institutions, the building is furnished in a much more homely way and looks inside more like a modern start‑up. The programme director for the European energy transition, Jörg Mühlenhoff, and the programme director for green economic and social policy in the EU, Anton Möller, welcomed us warmly and took us to their conference room (Image 3). We followed the extensive presentations on renewable energies and the European energy transition with great interest. Particularly noteworthy was the intensive discussion round, in which even controversial positions – for example on the concept of neocolonialism in raw material extraction – were discussed openly and objectively. All critical questions were answered with great transparency and high professionalism. Over the course of the two‑hour discussion, we were able to learn a great deal in this field. ​ In the late afternoon, we visited the European Parliament and met the Saxon Member of the European Parliament Matthias Ecke. In a personal conversation, he reported on his parliamentary work and focused in particular on dealing with right‑wing populist and right‑wing extremist forces within the Parliament. The visit provided an immediate insight into day‑to‑day political life at the European level (Image 5). He spoke with us very openly and met us at eye level. After several group photos in front of the European Parliament, the day’s programme came to an end (Image 4). We rounded off the evening in small groups. Some went to restaurants, some to bars, and some went shopping in the city, as Christmas was just around the corner and, after all, who does not enjoy Belgian chocolate.

Image 2 & 3: Visit to the Council of the European Union (left) and the Heinrich Böll Foundation (right)

Image 4 & 5: Group in front of the European Parliament (left) and visit to Matthias Ecke, MEP (right)

Day 4

On the fourth day, things felt particularly homely for many of our fellow students from Chemnitz University of Technology, as we headed to the Representation of the Free State of Saxony at 10 a.m. We were first welcomed by Alexander Ahrens, former lord mayor of Bautzen and SPD local politician. In an open conversation, he spoke about his work. We then discussed challenges posed by autocratic developments in Europe together with the Franco‑German political scientist and publicist Sophie Pornschlegel. This session was moderated by Niclas Hüttemann from the Chair of Political Systems. A subsequent reflection round within the group provided space for feedback and a critical assessment of the programme items so far. In total, we spent 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Saxon Representation.
In the afternoon, we visited the European Commission (Image 6). In two talks, Ulrich Trautmann (Directorate‑General for Trade and Economic Security) and Johannes Schuler (Directorate‑General for Climate Action) explained how the Commission works and outlined key aspects of European trade and climate policy. Despite the high academic level, both contributions provided valuable insights and built on previous programme items. Altogether, the two discussions lasted until about 5 p.m. and involved a great deal of information input. We had the rest of the evening free and were able to end the day in smaller groups in a relaxed atmosphere.​

Image 6: Visit to the European Commission and Brussels in the evening

Day 5

On the last day, we visited the Brussels editorial offices of SPIEGEL. In a conversation with journalist Timo Lehmann, we discussed the role of the media public in Europe, journalistic research work, dealing with hostility, and competitive pressure in the media industry. The open atmosphere and the hands‑on insights made this programme item a fitting conclusion to the excursion.

Afterwards, we started our return journey to Chemnitz at around 11:30 a.m., arriving back before midnight.

Image 7: Visit to SPIEGEL

Conclusion

The excursion to Brussels represented an extremely valuable and enriching component of the seminar “Party Governance in the European Union”. Over five intensive days, we not only gained profound insights into the political structures and decision‑making processes of the European Union, but were also able to understand and critically reflect on them first‑hand through discussions with representatives of key institutions, political foundations, media, and organisations.
Particularly noteworthy is the diversity of the institutions visited, ranging from NATO, the Council of the EU, the European Parliament and the European Commission to political foundations and on to civil society and journalistic actors. This made it clear how complex, multifaceted, and at the same time interwoven European politics, security, economic, climate, and media issues are. The open discussion formats enabled us to ask critical questions, get to know different perspectives, and experience political controversies not only in theory but in a very practical way.
In addition to the academic value, the shared group experience also contributed significantly to the success of the excursion. Long conversations, discussions, and evenings spent together strengthened the sense of cohesion and provided space for reflection beyond the formal programme points. In this way, Brussels became tangible not only as a political centre of power but also as a vibrant European city.
Overall, it can be said that the excursion impressively combined theory and practice and has deepened our understanding of European politics in a lasting way. It not only conveyed knowledge but also sparked interest, critical thinking, and motivation for further political‑science engagement with Europe. We would like to thank Prof. Dr Benjamin Höhne and ARBEIT UND LEBEN Sachsen e.V. for the excellent organisation and supervision of this instructive and impressive trip.

(Report by Felix Krause)