A group of students from the Adenauer Division for the Study of European Politics and Society and the Department of Politics and Government at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev recently spent five days in Greece as guests of the University of Piraeus to learn about the refugee and economic crises in Europe. The Centre organized the field trip for the Study of European Politics and Society (CSEPS) at BGU.
During the field trip, the delegation members met with the Cypriot and Greek Foreign Ministers, the Secretary-General of the Greek Ministry of Migration Policy, students and faculty from the Department of International Studies and European Studies at the University of Piraeus, civil society organizations, student leadership and refugees from Iran, Syria and Afghanistan.
On the last day, the delegation, together with refugees from Syria, Afghanistan and Iran, cooked hot meals for the homeless and refugees staying in Athens.
“One cannot understand the magnitude of the refugee and the economic crises in Europe only by studying about them in classes in Beer-Sheva. During the field trip we were able to connect with refugees, the homeless, academics, decision-makers and decision shapers from all over Europe and the greater Middle East and better understand the current challenges of Greece and of the European integration project," said Prof. Sharon Pardo, Chairperson of the Department of Politics and Government and a Senior Researcher at the CSEPS.
