Home>The mission in Moldova of a Young European Ambassador and student of the Master in European Affairs
01.03.2023
The mission in Moldova of a Young European Ambassador and student of the Master in European Affairs
Jules Bigot, a student in the Europe in the World policy stream the Master in European Affairs, has been a Young European Ambassador since the end of 2021. In this context, he took part in a mission in Moldova in February 2023. Testimonial.
you ARE A YOUNG EUROPEAN AMBASSADOR, COULD YOU EXPLAIN WHAT THIS IS AND HOW YOU WERE APPOINTED?
The Young European Ambassadors (YEAs) is a non-political initiative which aims at building bridges between the youth from the Eastern Partnership countries (Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine) and the youth from the EU and the UK. Through the organization of various activities and our participation in different international events, we seek to raise awareness about EU cooperation in the Eastern Partnership (EaP) and to promote civic activism and youth participation to shape together a better future for our regions. Our network is organized into chapters, one in each Eastern Partnership country, and one in the EU & UK, which I am part of since December 2021. As such, my role as Young European Ambassador in the EU is to promote the Eastern Partnership and the culture of its countries within the Member states of the European Union, a very exciting task!
The selection process to become a Young European Ambassador is held every year in autumn and includes the filling in of an application form, which will be followed by an interview for successful candidates. The selection process is open to citizens from EaP countries, an EU Member states or the UK, aged 16 to 26 years old, interested in European affairs, the relation between the EU and the Eastern Partnership and ready to take part in voluntary activities in the network.
As part of your missions, you participated in the "More EU in Moldova" event, could you tell us more?
The “More EU in Moldova“ event to which I participated in February was organized to kickstart this new year of cooperation between the European Union and Moldova and gathered Young European Ambassadors from the EU and from Moldova in Chisinau for a couple of days. Through different activities we tried to highlight the importance of Moldova for the EU and of the EU for Moldova.
We for example took part in school visits throughout Chisinau and its region where we presented the EU’s history, its values, its principles of cooperation with Moldova, as well as the work of our network in the country. These presentations were also a good opportunity to exchange with the students who had a lot of questions about our countries and the EU. The idea here was to bring the EU closer to Moldovan students.
This event included a day trip to Cahul in the south of the country where we visited the city’s business incubator and met local entrepreneurs who actively participate in the economic development of their country. In the Liceul Teoretic Piotr Rumeantev we visited a Digital Lab also financed by the EU where students presented their work which ranged from digital art to website design or digital service providing. These two visits showcased the EU’s strong support to local businesses and to the digitalization of the country, two key sectors for the future of Moldova and its youth.
Jules Bigot and other young European Ambassadors from different EU countries © European Commission
What were the highlights of this experience and what did you learn from it?
>This “More EU in Moldova“ event was a great opportunity to step out of the academic box, to have a more pragmatic approach to the topic of my studies: the European Union. Indeed, presenting and promoting the European Union in a candidate country and discussing with students about their expectations towards the EU was a unique experience and made me realize the beauty of this European project we are part of. Furthermore, meeting our fellow Young European Ambassadors from Moldova with whom we had been working online prior to this trip and discovering their country and culture by their side was certainly another highlight of this event, which gave us a different perspective on this rather unknown country in the West of Europe. Our trip to Moldova was a good reminder of the fact that there are more things that bring our two regions together than separates them, and of the need to continue this dialogue on a young people's level to build together the future of Europe.
Do you have a message for students who would like to become a Young European Ambassador?
This network has allowed me to meet some of the most amazing people in the EU and the Eastern Partnership, who soon became friends. We all have different backgrounds and profiles but are united in our will to bring the Eastern Partnership and the EU’s civil societies closer together. If these words resonate with you, please do apply to become a Young European Ambassador in autumn this year and we will be more than happy to welcome you into our big family!
