My University of Maastricht Master's of European Public Affairs 2005 Class Portrait

Here we are - the University of Maastricht Masters of European Public Affairs (EPA) Graduating Class 2005. Luckily, one of the students snapped this cherished class portrait on the steps of the European Parliament in Brussels during our class trip in February 2005, (because no one took a full portrait of us when we actually graduated in June 2005). Twenty-eight students from 17 countries were my colleagues for this intensive 10-month dip into the background and machinations of the integration process of the European Union that, appropriately, began officially right here in Maastricht. The founding nations were Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Germany, France and Italy in 1958. Later Britain, Denmark and Ireland signed on, followed in a 2nd stage by Greece, 3rd by Spain and Portugal, and 4th by Austria, Finland and Sweden. Those stages ended with the Treaty on the European Union, also called the Maastricht Treaty, signed here in 1992.

The well-publicized last stage opened the doors to former Soviet-controlled and Balkan countries including Czech Republic, Slovenia, Slovakia, Poland, Hungary, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, as well as to Cyprus. Our line up of nationalities included four from Poland and Germany, three from both the Netherlands and the USA, two from Bulgaria, and one each from Austria, Georgia, China, UK, Ireland, Lithuania, Serbia, Cyprus, Moldavia, Italy, Macedonia and Spain. The average age of my classmates was about 28, and of my professors and lecturers, mid-30s to mid-40s, making me an unwilling 'senior statesperson'.

The best way to learn more about my dear EPA colleagues is to look at our class Blog at http://epa2005.blogspot.com.