This summer, from May to July 2022, I had the opportunity to participate in an internship with the European Union Delegation to Canada in Ottawa. It was a great privilege to be an intern for the Trade and Economic section of the delegation. Their warm welcome and efforts to show and explain their work and mission to me really contributed to my experience during this internship. As an Economics student, this internship really complemented my field of study and provided me with practical examples of what I learned during my three years at McGill. Furthermore, I have always been very curious to know more about the functioning of the diplomatic world, especially how a large institution like the EU could succeed in uniting the different interests of twenty-seven countries.
The role of the Delegation is to create and consolidate a political, economic, social, and environmental bridge between the European and Canadian institutions and businesses. The Trade and Economic section are tasked with conducting analysis on Canada's economic development in terms of trade policies, climate change or innovation and how this may impact or be of interest to the EU.
As an intern, my role was to produce, in collaboration with the other intern, a daily press review where we had to evaluate and present news at various levels: international, European, national, provincial... The challenge was to prepare the press review at 9:10 am every morning. This allowed me to improve my skills in evaluating and selecting relevant information very quickly. I was also asked to continue a similar exercise with a press review on energy on a bi-weekly basis. I also had the opportunity to participate and cover different events organized by EUDEL for social media, such as Europe Day or Bike Day. During these events, I not only met some incredible people, but it also gave me a better understanding of the EU's influence. My tasks also included writing reports on different Canadian economic issues for the Brussels headquarters, as well as attending and taking notes for different events such as the monthly meeting of the economic representatives of the Member States.
During my internship, the energy crisis created by the war in Ukraine has been at the center of the work of the Trade and Economics department. Among the highlights of my internship were the meetings I had the chance to attend between the ambassadors of the EU member states and representatives of the Canadian energy sectors as well as a Canadian minister. During these meetings, I witnessed the efforts of diplomats to create a dialogue and find solutions to the energy crisis. This was particularly valuable and interesting as it gave me a better understanding of the energy stakes, I talk about in the energy press review. Furthermore, I really appreciated the multicultural atmosphere of the Delegation where everyone is very respectful and curious about each other's culture.
One of the main challenges I faced was determining which perspective I was supposed to take. Although I am European, being in Canada and at a Canadian university, I initially tended to adopt a Canadian point of view for tasks such as press reviews or reports. Fortunately, my dedicated colleagues have been extremely helpful in explaining to me the subtleties of what was relevant to Brussels and what was not.
To reflect and expand on the knowledge gained during my internship, I am writing a research paper and will receive academic credit for this internship by taking ECON 399. My paper is supervised by Ling Ling Zhang and will address the energy crisis that Europe is currently experiencing. I would like to address the topics of the different resources Canada has to offer to Europe and how their collaboration could be mutually beneficial, as well as how climate change and environmental transition are positioned in relation to this issue. This internship has really helped me broaden my knowledge on this topic which I believe is crucial for our generation. I am incredibly grateful for this experience, as it not only enriched my understanding of key issues, but it also helped me see more clearly what I wanted to do in graduate school and how I wanted my work atmosphere to be.
Finally, I could not have done this internship without the generous donation of the Vanasse Wilbert International Experience Internship Award, Ms. Martine Vanasse, and Mr. Randy Wilbert. Living in Ottawa can get quite expensive, and this award allowed me to pay my rent and cover my living expenses while in Ottawa.
