Students sponsored by EMRA and EU Just Transition Fund visit the European Parliament

Students sponsored by EMRA and the EU Just Transition Fund recently joined students from across Ireland at the European Parliament representing their school and county.

As part of the communication and visibility strategy of EMRA and the EU Just Transition Fund, EMRA teamed up with Graduate.ie to sponsor 4 students from the Eastern and Midland Region to win a student trip to the European Parliament in Strasbourg. To be eligible for this prize, students must participate in a 20-week online student awareness competition, answering questions related to EMRA’s work and the EU Just Transition Fund.

In December 2025 the winners from the 2024 – 2025 competition went on their 3-day visit, during which they took part in a youth parliament (Euroscola) with students from across EU member states, had an opportunity to meet Irish MEPs and visited other places of educational interest.

Euroscola offers an immersive experience in the Chamber of the European Parliament in Strasbourg, allowing secondary school students to experience European parliamentary democracy. Students debate on topics such as Cyber Security and its impact on their daily lives, negotiate, amend, vote and adopt resolutions on current European issues, just like the MEPs. They also got to use the translation facilities which MEPs use to hear different speakers from various countries.

Since the launch of the project in 1990, hundreds of thousands of students have spent one day in the premises of the European Parliament, debating, discussing and exchanging views with colleagues in the form of a multilingual European Youth Parliament.

This is a very prestigious and much sought after prize and is hugely educational, giving students once in a lifetime experience, which they will never forget.

Students reported that the trip was an exceptional educational experience. MJ Finn, one of the participating students, noted that the trip deepened their “understanding of European democracy, enhanced [their] confidence in debate and discussion, and fostered greater cultural awareness. The combination of structured learning, cultural exploration and international interaction made the trip both educational and memorable” for all involved. 

Martin Heneghan, Programme Coordinator with Graduate.ie stated that “We greatly acknowledge sponsorship by the Eastern & Midland Regional Assembly for their financial contribution to enable us to give students this unforgettable experience.”