Summer European Academy 2026

Each year, CIFE’s Summer European Academy (SEA) takes students from Texas A&M University to multiple European cities to learn about EU institutions and European integration. Under the theme “EU Politics and Transatlantic Relations in Times of Geopolitical Shifts”, the group spent just under three weeks travelling from Berlin to Brussels to Paris and visiting different institutions every day, thus living the real European experience.

In Berlin, after a guided tour of the city, the group visited the German Parliament and the Federal Chancellery, which was preparing to host the newly inaugurated Bulgarian Prime Minister. There were also trips to the German Ministry of Defence, the Federal Foreign Office and the US Embassy in Berlin. During a day trip to Potsdam, they also discovered the Wannsee Conference House and the Sanssouci Palace.

Moving on to the European capital Brussels, the students visited numerous European institutions, including the Council of the EU, the European Parliament and the EEAS, where they discussed the war in Ukraine. On their way to Paris, the students stopped off in Mons, where they visited NATO SHAPE and learnt about NATO’s structures and strategies for the future.

Last but not least, the European experience concluded in Paris, where after a dinner cruise evening on the Seine, the participants learnt about diplomatic work and US-French relations at the US Embassy in Paris. There was also a meeting with a French MP at the French National Assembly and the assistant of French Senator Laure Darcos at the French Senate. Lectures at the Robert Schuman Foundation rounded off the academic programme.

Thank you to all the speakers and institutions who welcomed the students, and to Texas A&M University for the continued fruitful collaboration!