{"id":5009,"date":"2026-05-07T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-05-07T11:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/escp.eu\/blog-masters\/?p=5009"},"modified":"2026-05-07T10:42:38","modified_gmt":"2026-05-07T09:42:38","slug":"designing-europe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/escp.eu\/blog-masters\/2026\/05\/07\/designing-europe\/","title":{"rendered":"Designing Europe: A Distinctive Experience at the Heart of the Master in Management"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"has-montserrat-font-family has-custom-font\" style=\"font-family:montserrat\">Each year, something remarkable happens within ESCP\u2019s<a href=\"https:\/\/escp.eu\/programmes\/master-in-management\"> Master in Management (MiM)<\/a>: more than 1,300 students, usually scattered across campuses and countries, converge for a single, defining experience: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/DWYuLobDMhP\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Designing Europe<\/a>. More than just a seminar, it is an immersive, large-scale simulation of the European Parliament, where students step into the roles of Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) and key stakeholders. Each participant embodies a real figure, defending their values, priorities, and political positions with rigour and conviction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-montserrat-font-family has-custom-font\" style=\"font-family:montserrat\">In a programme defined by constant movement, new cities, and ever-changing peer groups, this moment of convergence feels different: bigger, more intense, and deeply unifying. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/fosterng\/?locale=fr\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Foster Ng<\/a>, currently studying on the Paris campus, captures this shift: \u201cYou spend a lot of time moving between cities and meeting different groups of people. This is the first time you really see the full scale of the MiM cohort in one place.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-montserrat-font-family has-custom-font\" style=\"font-family:montserrat\">What emerges is not just a gathering, but a shared experience that many describe as one of the most memorable moments of the programme.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"jetpack-video-wrapper\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"ESCP Master in Management Designing Europe Seminar: An EU Simulation at the European Parliament\" width=\"1170\" height=\"658\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/bZv7VbSqAe8?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-link-color has-montserrat-font-family has-medium-font-size has-custom-font wp-elements-04b6a11725875d8174ed4e5e4e441f6d\" style=\"color:#fdc534;font-family:montserrat\"><strong>Inside the European Parliament<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-montserrat-font-family has-custom-font\" style=\"font-family:montserrat\">The setting itself immediately sets the tone. Designing Europe takes place within the European Parliament, granting ESCP students access to one of the most symbolic and tightly controlled spaces in European democracy: the hemicycle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-montserrat-font-family has-custom-font\" style=\"font-family:montserrat\">For most, it is the first, and perhaps only, time in this chamber where history is written through debate and decision-making. The atmosphere is striking: the scale of the room, the weight of its purpose, and the awareness of stepping into the shoes of real policymakers all combine to create a powerful sense of occasion.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" data-attachment-id=\"5011\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/escp.eu\/blog-masters\/2026\/05\/07\/designing-europe\/hemicycle\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/escp.eu\/blog-masters\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/hemicycle-scaled.jpg?fit=2560%2C1707&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"2560,1707\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"hemicycle\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/escp.eu\/blog-masters\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/hemicycle-scaled.jpg?fit=300%2C200&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/escp.eu\/blog-masters\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/hemicycle-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C683&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/escp.eu\/blog-masters\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/hemicycle.jpg?resize=1024%2C683&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5011\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1.4992888417882142;width:432px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/escp.eu\/blog-masters\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/hemicycle-scaled.jpg?resize=1024%2C683&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/escp.eu\/blog-masters\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/hemicycle-scaled.jpg?resize=300%2C200&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/escp.eu\/blog-masters\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/hemicycle-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C512&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/escp.eu\/blog-masters\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/hemicycle-scaled.jpg?resize=1536%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/escp.eu\/blog-masters\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/hemicycle-scaled.jpg?resize=2048%2C1365&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/escp.eu\/blog-masters\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/hemicycle-scaled.jpg?w=2340&amp;ssl=1 2340w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-montserrat-font-family has-custom-font\" style=\"font-family:montserrat\">\u201cIt\u2019s one thing to learn about how the EU works,\u201d student<a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/antonia-kleffmann\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> Antonia Kleffmann<\/a>, who hails from Germany, reflects. \u201cIt\u2019s different when you\u2019re actually sitting in the room where those decisions are made, debating and voting as if you were an MEP.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-montserrat-font-family has-custom-font\" style=\"font-family:montserrat\">As students take their seats, speak at the podium, and cast their votes, the simulation stops feeling like an exercise and begins to feel real. The institutional setting transforms abstract concepts into lived experience, grounding every discussion in a tangible and unforgettable context.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-link-color has-montserrat-font-family has-medium-font-size has-custom-font wp-elements-54640822f59f7fa7fbbcab90e9d94812\" style=\"color:#fdc534;font-family:montserrat\"><strong>Connecting Business and European Policy<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-montserrat-font-family has-custom-font\" style=\"font-family:montserrat\">At its core, Designing Europe is not only about politics, it is about understanding the deep and often complex relationship between European policymaking and the business world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-montserrat-font-family has-custom-font\" style=\"font-family:montserrat\">Through committee sessions, negotiations, and debates, students tackle pressing issues such as economic competitiveness, sustainability, and technological transformation. These are not hypothetical topics, but real challenges currently shaping the European agenda and, by extension, the environment in which companies operate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-montserrat-font-family has-custom-font\" style=\"font-family:montserrat\">As discussions unfold, the connections between regulation, innovation, and strategy become increasingly clear. \u201cYou realise that regulation, trade, and innovation are all connected,\u201d Madrid campus student Maxim Baumgaertel explains. \u201cIt\u2019s not just theory. It affects how companies actually operate.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-montserrat-font-family has-custom-font\" style=\"font-family:montserrat\">By engaging directly with these questions in the very place where such policies are debated, students gain more than knowledge: they develop a sharper, more nuanced perspective on how business decisions and public policy continuously influence one another.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-link-color has-montserrat-font-family has-medium-font-size has-custom-font wp-elements-d39eddf4c32fdc622539a0acf2513686\" style=\"color:#fdc534;font-family:montserrat\"><strong>Bringing the Cohort Together<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-montserrat-font-family has-custom-font\" style=\"font-family:montserrat\">Beyond the academic and institutional dimensions, Designing Europe is also a rare and powerful moment of reconnection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-montserrat-font-family has-custom-font\" style=\"font-family:montserrat\">The MiM experience is inherently international, but its multi-campus structure often means that friendships are formed and then dispersed across cities. This seminar reverses that dynamic, bringing everyone back together in a way that feels both energising and deeply personal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-montserrat-font-family has-custom-font\" style=\"font-family:montserrat\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/laura-oliveira-642bab220\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Laura Oliveira<\/a>, currently studying in Berlin, reflects on this aspect: \u201cI was able to catch up with classmates from last semester who had gone on to another campus. You also suddenly meet people from other cities you\u2019ve only heard about from friends. It makes me feel much more connected to the entire community.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-montserrat-font-family has-custom-font\" style=\"font-family:montserrat\">Corridors, committee rooms, and informal gatherings buzz with conversations: old friendships rekindled, new ones formed, and a growing sense of belonging to something larger than any single campus. The diversity of the cohort becomes fully visible, not just as a concept, but as a lived reality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-link-color has-montserrat-font-family has-medium-font-size has-custom-font wp-elements-cf78977d7c50d098731e69cd1f4520f2\" style=\"color:#fdc534;font-family:montserrat\"><strong>A Moment of Personal Challenge<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-montserrat-font-family has-custom-font\" style=\"font-family:montserrat\">Amid the scale and excitement, Designing Europe also creates deeply personal moments and instances where students confront their limits and push beyond them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-montserrat-font-family has-custom-font\" style=\"font-family:montserrat\">The simulation demands active participation: speaking up, negotiating, persuading, and sometimes leading. These are not passive exercises but real tests of confidence, adaptability, and resilience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-montserrat-font-family has-custom-font\" style=\"font-family:montserrat\">During a recent simulation, one student chose to push herself to the limit by volunteering for the role of party president. \u201cI\u2019ve always been uncomfortable speaking in front of people,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/albane-theaud\/?locale=fr\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Albane Th\u00e9aud<\/a> later admitted. \u201cThat\u2019s exactly why I signed up to be party president.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-montserrat-font-family has-custom-font\" style=\"font-family:montserrat\">Standing at the podium in the hemicycle, facing hundreds of fellow students and ESCP Leadership including Executive President and Dean <a href=\"https:\/\/escp.eu\/faculty-research\/faculty-members\/laulusa-leon\">L\u00e9on Laulusa<\/a>, the challenge became tangible.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" data-attachment-id=\"5010\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/escp.eu\/blog-masters\/2026\/05\/07\/designing-europe\/albane\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/escp.eu\/blog-masters\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/albane-scaled.jpg?fit=2560%2C1707&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"2560,1707\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"albane\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/escp.eu\/blog-masters\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/albane-scaled.jpg?fit=300%2C200&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/escp.eu\/blog-masters\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/albane-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C683&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/escp.eu\/blog-masters\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/albane.jpg?resize=1024%2C683&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5010\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1.4992888417882142;width:445px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/escp.eu\/blog-masters\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/albane-scaled.jpg?resize=1024%2C683&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/escp.eu\/blog-masters\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/albane-scaled.jpg?resize=300%2C200&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/escp.eu\/blog-masters\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/albane-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C512&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/escp.eu\/blog-masters\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/albane-scaled.jpg?resize=1536%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/escp.eu\/blog-masters\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/albane-scaled.jpg?resize=2048%2C1365&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/escp.eu\/blog-masters\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/albane-scaled.jpg?w=2340&amp;ssl=1 2340w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-montserrat-font-family has-custom-font\" style=\"font-family:montserrat\">\u201cI was nervous the entire time,\u201d Albane said. \u201cMy hands were shaking so much my speech was hard to read. But I kept looking at my friends in the front rows which gave me the reassurance I needed to keep going.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-montserrat-font-family has-custom-font\" style=\"font-family:montserrat\">It is in these moments &#8211; intense, uncomfortable, but ultimately empowering &#8211; that the experience leaves a lasting mark.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-link-color has-montserrat-font-family has-medium-font-size has-custom-font wp-elements-93198c00c2107cd0c168722cc97b739d\" style=\"color:#fdc534;font-family:montserrat\"><strong>A Defining Experience of the Master in Management<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-montserrat-font-family has-custom-font\" style=\"font-family:montserrat\">Designing Europe stands apart because it brings together, in a single experience, elements that are usually encountered separately: rigorous academic exploration, direct exposure to European institutions, and the collective energy of an entire cohort.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-montserrat-font-family has-custom-font\" style=\"font-family:montserrat\">The combination is rare. The impact is lasting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-montserrat-font-family has-custom-font\" style=\"font-family:montserrat\">From stepping into the hemicycle to debating real-world issues, from reconnecting with peers to overcoming personal challenges, the seminar captures something essential about the ESCP experience: its European identity, its emphasis on learning by doing, and its ability to transform perspectives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-montserrat-font-family has-custom-font\" style=\"font-family:montserrat\">As Foster Ng summarises: \u201cIt\u2019s not just about understanding Europe, it\u2019s about experiencing it, together.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-montserrat-font-family has-custom-font\" style=\"font-family:montserrat\">And it is precisely this shared, immersive, and unforgettable dimension that makes Designing Europe not just a component of the Master in Management, but one of its defining moments.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Each year, something remarkable happens within ESCP\u2019s Master in Management (MiM): more than 1,300 students, usually scattered across campuses and countries, converge for a single, defining experience: Designing Europe. More than just a seminar, it is an immersive, large-scale simulation of the European Parliament, where students step into the roles of Members of the European [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":151943372,"featured_media":5018,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6329,6325,6343],"tags":[6432,6346,6440,6439,6441,6337,7819],"class_list":["post-5009","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-student-life","category-non-classe","category-careers","tag-designing-europe","tag-escp","tag-eu","tag-european-parliament","tag-european-union","tag-master-in-management","tag-seminar"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/escp.eu\/blog-masters\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Capture-2.png?fit=1201%2C458&ssl=1","uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/escp.eu\/blog-masters\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Capture-2.png?fit=1201%2C458&ssl=1",1201,458,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/escp.eu\/blog-masters\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Capture-2.png?resize=150%2C150&ssl=1",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/escp.eu\/blog-masters\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Capture-2.png?fit=300%2C114&ssl=1",300,114,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/escp.eu\/blog-masters\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Capture-2.png?fit=768%2C293&ssl=1",768,293,true],"large":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/escp.eu\/blog-masters\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Capture-2.png?fit=1024%2C391&ssl=1",1024,391,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/escp.eu\/blog-masters\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Capture-2.png?fit=1201%2C458&ssl=1",1201,458,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/escp.eu\/blog-masters\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Capture-2.png?fit=1201%2C458&ssl=1",1201,458,true]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"cgoig","author_link":"https:\/\/escp.eu\/blog-masters\/author\/cgoig\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Each year, something remarkable happens within ESCP\u2019s Master in Management (MiM): more than 1,300 students, usually scattered across campuses and countries, converge for a single, defining experience: Designing Europe. More than just a seminar, it is an immersive, large-scale simulation of the European Parliament, where students step into the roles of Members of the European&hellip;","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/paFRf4-1iN","amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/escp.eu\/blog-masters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5009","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/escp.eu\/blog-masters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/escp.eu\/blog-masters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/escp.eu\/blog-masters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/151943372"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/escp.eu\/blog-masters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5009"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/escp.eu\/blog-masters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5009\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5028,"href":"https:\/\/escp.eu\/blog-masters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5009\/revisions\/5028"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/escp.eu\/blog-masters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5018"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/escp.eu\/blog-masters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5009"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/escp.eu\/blog-masters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5009"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/escp.eu\/blog-masters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5009"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}