Hi! I’m Amalia Tuchmann, a rising junior at Yale University, majoring in Environmental Studies with a concentration in Environmental Policy and completing a certificate in French. I hope to pursue a career in environmental sustainability through either international climate policy or sustainable urban design, two somewhat different but equally interesting paths to me.
Given the current political climate in the United States, I was especially interested in exploring environmental policy in a different context this summer. I was fortunate to spend eight weeks at the Institute for European Environmental Policy (IEEP) in Brussels, from May to July 2025. I worked as part of the Networks and Governance team, which focuses on outreach, networks’ coordination, and strategic partnerships. It was an incredibly rewarding experience that deepened my understanding of the European political landscape and its approach to environmental governance.
One of the highlights of my internship was attending and helping organise two Science4Policy briefing events at the European Parliament. The first focused on the social impacts of the EU energy transition, and the second addressed how to ensure affordable energy and industrial competitiveness through the Clean Industrial Deal. After both events, I worked with another intern, Ewa, to co-author policy summary briefs that distilled key takeaways and recommendations.
I also supported the planning of a third event at the Parliament on the EU’s role in promoting global climate justice, which included a screening of a documentary produced by youth climate activists. Beyond the Parliament, I helped organise an event on the external spillovers of the EU Green Deal, and another on national pathways to carbon neutrality in major emitting countries. These events introduced me to a wide range of EU policies, spanning just transition, industrial decarbonisation, and global equity, many of which were new to me but have since become areas I’m very interested in.
In addition to working on events, I contributed to a variety of other projects:
- I helped write a blog on sustainability priorities for the upcoming Danish EU Council Presidency and learned about key EU environmental policy files for the next six months.
- I researched on the anticipated EU environmental policy milestones for 2026–2027 to inform future Science4Policy briefings, aligning current IEEP research with the timeline of anticipated policies to plan impactful events.
- I synthesised policy updates from weekly staff meetings, following developments on files including the Soil Monitoring Law, Water Framework Directive, and the EU Forest Strategy.
- I wrote summaries of articles recently published by Think Sustainable Europe members for the monthly news digest and learned about the work being done by partner institutions on a wide variety of topics, from circular economy strategies to food policies that support sustainable consumption.
This programme developed my skills in research, policy communications, and outreach, and gave me invaluable insight into the current state of EU environmental policy and governance system. Comparing it to the US system has been particularly interesting for me and has immensely expanded my perspective.
I’m grateful to Mattia Bonfanti, Irene Chiocchetti, and the rest of the IEEP team for their mentorship and warm welcome. The supportive and collaborative environment made this an especially enriching experience, and I learned so much from informal conversations as well as formal projects. I would highly recommend an internship at IEEP, especially to American students interested in European environmental policy.
Lastly, thank you to the Henry James Travel Fellowship at Yale University for making this opportunity possible.
IEEP strongly believes in supporting the policymakers and environmental experts of tomorrow. As part of our educational mandate, IEEP is happy to host students in partnership with their Universities as part of their programmes. If you would like to find out more, contact us at brussels@ieep.eu