European studies

During our European Studies class, we have been studying about the European Union from a handout that we had been given. The handout told us about the brief history of the EU and how it was set up in Rome in 1957. It also told us how the 15 original members were Belgium, Luxembourg, Denmark, Sweden, Germany, The Netherlands, Greece, Finland, France, Ireland, Spain, Austria, Italy, the UK and Portugal. The handout was good as it showed the aims of the Eu and how important membership is for countries like Ireland because it gives free trade movement. This also led us to discuss the referendum in the UK about whether or not they should leave the EU and the effects it may have for Ireland if they do leave the EU. We also discussed the Euro and the importance of the Euro in the EU. The classes were great as we learned more about the EU as well as discussing topics that are current like the new MEPs and referendums.

Belgian chocolate

Ardennes forest

For our European studies project, we had to produce a PowerPoint presentation about one of the member countries of the EU. I was given Belgium and I found the presentation interesting to make as I learned a lot of new thing about the country. The categories that we had to write about were; population, the flag, the currency, national symbols, tourism, famous landmarks, industry/ manufacturing, location on the EU map, famous people, sport and any interesting facts. We had to type around 15 slides. I was surprised with some of the people that I found out were born in Belgium as well as the highest industry in the country. I also enjoyed learning about the different architecture in the country, especially the castles in Belgium. This is the link to my presentation: Belgium presentation