This year’s annual Masterclass, named 'European Priorities and National Influence - How European Agenda Setting works and what we can learn from it', focuses primarily on processes of European and national agenda setting. The agenda-setting related to the increasing policy interaction between European institutions and member states is one of the most important research topics for the Montesquieu Institute (MI) and is being executed by Arco Timmermans (research director), Petya Alexandrova and Lucie Spanihelova (PhD candidates), together with many MI research fellows. The Masterclass is been taught only by professionals and experts closely affiliated with the Montesquieu Institute.

Currently, the 22 students are writing their final papers on the diverse range of topics covered in the lectures. Subjects range from agenda setting processes in immigration policy to agenda setting via social media in environmental policies. But also interest group representation in the European policy processes is a topic of interest, just as Tunisian immigrants at Lampedusa. The formal classes have been concluded and the graduation ceremony is scheduled for the 16^th of June, 2011. The ceremony will take place in the Great Hall of the Dutch Senate.

The broad nature of the topics was reflected by broad range of speakers involved in the Masterclass. Arco Timmermans, research director of the Montesquieu Institute, spoke at the first lecture, introducing the topic, theoretical lenses on agenda-setting and the relationship between theory and practice. Following his introduction the students participated in five lectures given by professionals involved in policy processes in member states and the European Institutions.

 Respectively Sjerp van der Vaart (European Parliament representative in The Hague), Mendeltje van Keulen (Dutch Parliament, policy advisor Europe), Jan Werts (researcher and journalist, Brussels), Erik van Venetie (Berenschot Consultancy, Lobbying expert) and Ludolf van Hasselt (European Commission, former Commission representative in The Hague) shared their reflections on European and national agenda setting with the students. Especially interesting was the combination of their reflections since their perspectives were so diverse.

The last part of the Masterclass consisted of lectures by researchers and scientists sharing their insights and latest work with the students of the Masterclass. Issues addressed in this part of the Masterclass were amongst others the role of networks in agenda-setting and agenda setting processes in specific policy areas such as the area of security policy, environmental policy and immigration policy. The speakers in this part of the Masterclass were Kutsal Yesilkagit (MI-fellow, University of Utrecht), Beatrice de Graaf (University of Leiden), Sebastiaan Princen (MI-fellow, University of Rotterdam), Gerard Breeman (MI-fellow, University of Wageningen) and  Peter Scholten (MI-fellow, University of Rotterdam).

The Montesquieu Institute Masterclass is taught completely in English and is open to foreign and Dutch 3^rd year Bachelor and Master students who are enrolled in a program at a Dutch university.

Previous Masterclasses:

2010: Brick by Brick – Building European Parliamentary Systems before and after 1989

2009: Two-way Traffic – The interaction between EU policy makers and lower government levels

2008: Behind the Scenes of the EU – On the various relationships between European Parliament, the European Commission, National Parliaments and the European and National Civil Services       

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