Behind the Walls of the Mission

Ambassador William Kennard (center, 2nd row) and Claire (front left) stand with her fellow E.U. interns who attended a conference that Claire organized.

As you may deduce from my short hiatus from blog posting, it has been pretty busy here at the U.S. Mission to the European Union (USEU). Last week we had more than fifteen events on our calendar! Working in Public Affairs means that you have to roll with the punches, as your schedule can turn around at a moment’s notice. Sometimes speakers have to change their appointments at the last minute, rooms are reserved for three programs at once, and there just isn’t enough time in the day to even grab a sandwich for lunch. All this activity, though hectic at times, is definitely exciting. It means we have that many opportunities to promote the work of U.S. officials working to achieve our diplomatic priorities, and share what actually goes on behind USEU’s doors.

Before I arrived in Brussels, I did not have a very clear idea of how the Mission, as part of the State Department, was really organized. Sure, I could figure out that the people in the Political Section dealt with political issues - imagine that! - but the true organization of the Foreign Service is much more complex. As it turns out, there are five different career tracks, or “cones,” that make up the different offices of any U.S. embassy: Management Affairs, Consular Affairs, Political Affairs, Economic Affairs, and Public Diplomacy (or Public Affairs.) To oversimplify a bit: Management Affairs is in charge of the day-to-day administrative organization, overseeing property, budget, and personnel. Consular Affairs protects American citizens who are living or traveling overseas, and deals with immigration and visa issues for foreign nationals. Political Affairs supports America’s position on hot topics like development and democratization and works to coordinate with foreign governments – or in our case, the E.U. - on key issues like Iran, the Middle East or the “reset” with Russia. Economic Affairs promotes American economic and business interests, focusing on things like trade, environment, and technology, and works with foreign governments to coordinate regulatory measures. Finally, public diplomacy aims to enhance understanding among foreign audiences of U.S. policies and American society, promoting cultural and professional exchanges, as well as engaging in dialogue with media and opinion leaders.

Most embassies have offices for each of the five sections with State Department officers assigned to work on specific issues, often sharing space with representatives of other U.S. Government entities. USEU, however, is a little different in that we are dealing with the entirety of the European Union instead of a single country (this is why we are called a mission instead of an embassy.) We don’t have our own administrative and consular services, but share them with the U.S. Embassy to Belgium and the U.S. Mission to NATO. Additionally, in the USEU building we about as many representatives from several other U.S. Government departments as from State, like the Commerce Department, the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Homeland Security, the U.S. Trade Representative, and others. The department representatives report on just about everything that’s going on in the E.U. All this brain power under one roof is geared towards building a better relationship with the European Union as a whole as well as its member states, to work with their E.U. counterparts on issues critical to the world’s economic and political well-being.

We interns are really in the middle of the action when it comes to developing the U.S.-E.U. relationship. My intern colleagues in the Political and Economic Sections are heavily involved in researching, drafting reports, and meeting with officers about issues that are important to both the United States and the European Union. We attend conferences hosted by international organizations and think tanks throughout Brussels to discuss things like climate change, data privacy, and economic recovery. In Public Affairs last week, I helped to put together media events for journalists from many countries around the E.U. to talk to high-ranking U.S. Government leaders. Even though the work is nonstop, it’s really cool to read the news the next morning and know that I had a small part in making the story happen.

Want to know anything more about my experiences as an intern at the State Department? Don’t hesitate to comment or ask questions – I’m never too busy to answer! (And don’t forget to become a fan of my blog on Facebook!)