My Internship in Brussels

This semester I worked with Stenström Consulting. This is a consultancy that offers advice on EU regulatory and legislative issues. The firm also specializes in lobbying and monitoring activity within the European Commission and European Parliament that is relevant to their clients. This consultancy was founded in 2006 by Kajsa Stenström, a Swedish national who had previously managed the lobbying team of international law firm DLA Piper. She created her own consulting firm in Brussels to offer specialized advice that is specific to the clients’ needs and policy interests (Stenström Consulting) 

As of now Stenström Consulting has four main clients, all of which have interests in completely different policy sectors. The four main areas of policy that they must keep up with are EU policies on health, artificial intelligence, sustainable housing provisions, and financial literacy. The firm follows any updates on these topics and sends regular updates to the clients about where major political parties stand on these topics and what legislative goals the Commission sets with regard to these topics. 

My technical title was EU public affairs assistant. I was subscribed to several news briefings that send out multiple emails a day summarizing parliament and commission hearings. One of my tasks was to read these briefings and search for anything that could be relevant to the clients. Within the relevant briefings I took note of each Member of Parliament and European Commissioner’s contribution to the conversation and added their name, contact information, and connection to the topic into our mapping of legislators that are related to the clients’ interests. I also must keep up with the different MEPs and which committees they are on and change the database whenever their positions change. 

The team was very kind to me during my time working with them. Since there were only four of us, it was easier for us to get to know each other on a more personal level. We got close very quickly. Kajsa even recruited me to join her choir! We always began the day by catching up on each other’s personal lives, and then would chat about the news of the day. 

One thing that I appreciated a lot was our ability to speak about politics with one another. We could talk about the world’s most controversial issues without getting upset or heated. I never felt like they were judging my opinions. We were all interested in pure open-minded learning, there was no desire to force our opinions on each other. It was actually quite refreshing. It was a nice break from the typical anxiety I feel about politics in the U.S.. I almost never bring up anything related to politics with my friends or family at home for fear of creating an uncomfortable situation, but at my job I could freely ask questions and discuss current events without being nervous. When we did disagree, it was respectful. Our disagreements led to a deeper discussion of our personal perspectives, which led me to be more open-minded about the way that others form their political opinions. 

While I was crushed that I had to leave my internship so soon, I am so thankful for the experience. Not only did I gain professional skills and experience, I also grew socially and had my perspective expanded by the kind and interesting people I worked with. It was an experience I wouldn’t trade for anything. Hopefully my internship experiences will continue to be as formative as this one.

-Katherine Valliant