Monday's discussions focused on topics such as the coronavirus pandemic, the cross-border availability of vaccines, climate change, sustainability, fair trade, refugee policy, equal rights and gender issues as well as the general future of Europe.

"It gives me courage and hope to be presented with the wealth of ideas of the pupils with regard to the future of Europe. Pupils are the future of Europe, so it's great to see how they are tackling the problems of our time, such as climate change. I was also impressed by their detailed knowledge of climate protection even at primary school age.

A personal highlight for me was speaking at the GAR, where I was a student myself and where I learned about the EU institutions and working in Brussels for the first time. I was therefore all the more pleased to see how engaged and interested the students are. There is definitely no question of disenchantment with politics here. Europe can be happy," Manuela Ripa emphasizes and announces that she will continue to visit schools for exchanges in the future: "We are already planning the next meeting with a school from Saarbrücken. This is something that is particularly close to my heart with regard to Europe's future."