My Discoveries While Serving the European Union

Right now, I have the honor of working in one of the most coveted internships, a young, inexperienced political science student could hope for; the European Parliament.

I am the only intern working for MEP Helmut Scholz, a socialist member of the Die Linke party of Germany. His parliamentary party is the GUE/NGL, a left-wing group with a focus on environmental policies and human rights. The party is the smallest, yet its policies pack a punch with their radical ideology and chauvinistic methods of gaining attention for political issues.

Going into the position, I had absolutely no knowledge or experience with any aspect of trade policy. The unfamiliar vocabulary of the committee, like SME (small-medium enterprises) and IP (intellectual property), caused intellectual vertigo. I spent the first two weeks in my office, dissecting the amendments of the WTO and GATT, reading ongoing trade negotiations, and watching explanatory videos on what intellectual property rights meant for enterprises meant in China. My supervisor keeps me accountable, and I can now proudly say I am familiar with all that information and more. In fact, I find it all incredibly fascinating. Why on earth should I care that the commission announced a carbon border tax on trade to combat EU carbon emissions? It has no effect on me in the slightest, yet I'm passionate about the policy's execution being fair to the WTO guidelines for trade policies.

I feel like an alien who has stumbled upon a new planet at the EP. It's as if mine has been destroyed, and the new planet is clean and in one piece. The daily functions of the EP are clean and cohesive, despite my lack of understanding. My everyday life is a blend of ideologies, cultures, religions, nationalities, races, and languages. My own office is nothing but German and French, with the occasional English conversation when I am involved. I am by far one of the youngest employees, and certainly one of the only Americans. Yet I am completely comfortable and devoted to my party’s cause, despite it being presented in a language I cannot understand. In fact, I think being culturally alienated is a bonus because not only does it make me more interesting, but at the same time, I fit in. Everyone is from different backgrounds, which means everyone is, in their own way, "alienated."

It's hard to understand that this type of work environment leads to harmony. The committee rooms are lined with glass translator boxes. The variety of languages depends on the size of the meetings and languages of the audience. The EU has twenty-four official languages, a few of them spoken by a single country. The MEPs take pride in their native languages and have vast amounts of respect for each other's origins. One of my favorite moments in these meetings is when the language of the speaker changes and all of the people in the room race to put on their headsets for the translators. We all flip to our preferred language and listen to the skilled translators decipher complicated speeches while delivering them with the same level of passion as the original speaker. The extraordinary thing is that nothing gets lost in translation. We all laugh at the same time and nod our heads to comments we agree with. We all share the same face of confusion when one MEP is too bold with their statement. Me and the French intern next to me are receiving the same message through a different dialogue.

The most significant thing I have learned from the EP is that differences in individuals do not lead to the slowing of progress. Differences only hinder progress when people are not willing to make themselves understandable to everyone. That does not just apply to languages, it refers to political ideology, culture, gender, racial hardships, anything that makes someone different from their neighbor. There will always be exceptions to this, with the occasional radical, but even they are given a voice and listened to with respect. I am not used to seeing that in the United States from anyone. I am ashamed of both sides of our polarized political system that contribute to the halting of progress and compromise. Both point their fingers at each other for doing the same things, while outcasting members of their party that challenge ideology out of moral conviction. The saddest part is the political leaders of America speak the same language, share the same nationality, and serve the same population. Most of the differences remain in their stubborn, unchanging minds.

Kendall Gilcrease