Než se naplno vrhne do podnikání, chtěl si nejprve vyzkoušet život v zahraničí a hlavně zjistit, jak to vypadá pod pokličkou evropských institucí, kde vznikají důležité zákony dopadající na malé firmy. Jednu takovou totiž vlastní jeho rodiče a Matteo ji jednou převezme. Svůj sen si splnil. Přihlásil se do projektu PročByNe? a díky němu dva týdny stínoval poslankyni Evropského parlamentu Martinu Dlabajovou přímo v srdci unijních institucí v Bruselu. Co si Matteo, který pochází z malého města na severu Itálie, kde odmala pomáhá v rodinném vinařství a už třetím rokem k tomu studuje ekonomii na univerzitě v Udine, ze stáže v kanceláři europoslankyně odnesl? Co se v Evropském parlamentu naučil? A co třeba vůbec nečekal?

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Why did I want to do this traineeship within the “PročByNe?” project?

I always believed that the best way to grow is to escape one's comfort zone, so I realised that I wanted to see the world outside of my usual village. I wanted to learn more about many topics, but one of the things, that especially peaked my interest, as it has a significant impact on our lives, was the European Union and its institutions.

What were my personal motivations for applying to shadow the Member of the European Parliament Martina Dlabajová?

I took the opportunity to have this experience and, thanks to the “PročByNe?” project and its founder and ambassador Martina Dlabajová, I finally made my dream come true. It was supposed to be my first time in Belgium and in an enormous city like Brussels. I was a little scared because stepping out of your comfort zone is always like that. A comfort zone is a safe space where, on the one hand, you do not risk much, but on the other hand, you stay in the same place. The only thing that I knew was that I HAD to take this opportunity because it would be the only way to grow and learn something new about the world.

I decided to shadow Martina because she is a fighter. I knew how earnestly she carried on her battles to make Europe a better place and I wanted to fully understand and learn how it is possible to change things like she does.  

What were my expectations? What did I expect from this traineeship?

My expectations were very high. I knew that the European Parliament was a complex machine, and I was wondering how everything worked on the inside. I knew that the democratic process of representing half a billion people had to be complicated, but I could not imagine what it was like in practice.

Before my flight to Brussels, I thought about what I wanted to do during the traineeship and I made a few bullet points in my mind of the things that I wanted to find out or understand better.

I wanted to:

·      Understand how decisions were made.

·      Figure out how the legislative process was composed.

·      Find out what Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) do: what are their main tasks? How do they represent their constituency and their country?

What was my typical day like in the European Parliament?

On the first day, I met a fantastic team in Martina’s office. I was welcomed by many smiling faces, introduced to my desk and given a tour of the Parliament. I can say that there is no typical day in this institution, every day is a different story, with a lot of meetings, committees, discussions and interesting tasks.

What were my tasks?

I was following the Committee for Agriculture (called “AGRI”) and my task was to take notes of what was being said at its meetings. From this experience, I noticed how the different political views are crucial in policymaking. In fact, most of the topics that MEPs discuss are shaped based on their political affiliation. The particularity of the European Parliament that you cannot find in most other places in the world, is that here, while listening to committee debates, you could potentially hear up to 24 different languages. It is quite tricky at the beginning but, thanks to translation services, you get used to it after a week.

What did I learn?

Thanks to this experience, I discovered how intense and varied the life of a MEP and his or her team is. I began to understand where this incredible project called the European Union, which began 70 years ago, was leading: who are its main actors and that cooperation and solidarity are the only way to a prosperous future. I understood how the dimensions of interests and political visions of countries interact with each other. I also understood the importance of having a vision of the future to be able to build something. More fundamentally, but equally important, I was "obliged" to speak English 24/7 and that was a big challenge. In this case, technical English is necessary, but you will get used to it after 1-2 weeks.

What did this experience of shadowing the Member of the European Parliament give me?

I think I experienced intense personal growth through this traineeship, something that profoundly changed my mind and my personality. I think it was extremely helpful for my future professional life. For me, it was valuable just to see how professionals work and get advice from them. I started on the path of a better understanding of the world. Moreover, thanks to a short meeting at the European Commission, I had the opportunity to understand how a small company, such as the one owned by my parents, can “talk” to EU institutions. I think this last point is crucial because, like Martina, I believe that small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are the future of European development in most sectors.

Také vás zajímá, jak to chodí v Evropském parlamentu? Dozvědět, co se dá udělat pro malé firmy? Nebo sníte o úplně jiné stáži? Nezapomeňte hlídat naši nabídku vypsaných stáží, nebo si napište o tu svou 👍🏻