Master en gouvernance européenne

Anna Kálmán, Hongroise

Who are you and where are you from? I am Anna Kálmán, and I am from Hungary. Although after my high school years spent in Rome, I feel a bit Italian too.  What did you study beforehand? I have a Bachelor’s degree (2011) in Public Affairs, specialization in European Public Management, from the Budapest Metropolitan University.

Why did you decide to join the European Governance Master Programme ?

During my Bachelor studies, in 2010, I was an Erasmus student at the University of Luxembourg. During that semester, I was looking for Master courses at the University, and I had found the brand new (at the time) MA in European governance, that seemed to me very interesting and I thought it would fit in my educational path. In fact, I contacted Prof. Harmsen, the coordinator of the programme, who was extremely available and had a first, very pleasant chat with him about this course. When it was application period for the MA courses, I applied for this course and for a MA in Public Affairs in Maastricht, and even if I was accepted for both, I have chosen to come back to Luxembourg, obviously.

What did you enjoy most about the programme ? 

I enjoyed the most the international-multicultural environment, as regards students and professors. The courses were actually all very interesting, and rather interactive! Rather than just listening to the professors, we were asked to participate, intervene in discussions and develop our communication skills as well. It was much more fun to study this way! It is quite special as well, that this MA course is bilingual: English and French – something that not many University courses offer! (I appreciated too the nice receptions we used to have once or twice a year)

What is it that you do now and did the degree help in your career path?

Now I am actually an EU official, working at the Registry of the Court of justice, here in Luxembourg. After my first MA year completed, I started to work here, replacing a colleague on maternity leave and I decided to focus on my career: I had the opportunity to pass an internal competition of the institution, that gave me a permanent status. Still, it was important for me to finish my studies at the University of Luxembourg: I received support from both my superiors here at the Registry and the University (particularly prof. Harmsen), and finally in November 2015, I received the MA degree in European governance.

How did you like Luxembourg? 

Already during my Erasmus semester I fell in love with Luxembourg. This is why, it was not a hard decision to come back to study at the University. Luxembourg is a small city, but has many attractions – and if it is not enough, you are still in the center of Europe, and you can travel and visit other countries also over the weekend. From a professional point of view, Luxembourg has a lot to offer for someone whose objective is to work for the European Institutions for instance… It is not just about Brussels when it comes to the EU! 

What were your best memories?

I found some nice friends, with whom I am still in contact. I travelled a lot during my Erasmus semester and the MA course. At the end, I really love to live in Luxembourg, and since my Erasmus semester I knew that this is the place to be…