The organization of the JEDDT is an institutional project that aims to train 3rd-year bachelor students at the University of Namur in the multiple challenges of the transition to sustainable development, in its social, environmental, economic and democratic dimensions. With the JEDDT, students are led to think in order to act.

Throughout the year, students were invited to take part in a series of activities, conferences and workshops organized on campus to fuel their reflection, and to keep a logbook to raise awareness of their learning. And on March 17, the closing event of the JEDDT gave them the opportunity to present to the university community, and the wider public, the fruit of the reflection carried out in teams. Through creative formats, they challenged themselves in front of a jury made up of experts and representatives of civil society.

The closing day jury was made up of: Laurent Schumacher, Vice-Rector for Sustainable Development and Education, Fabienne Bister, entrepreneur, UNamur alumni and President of the 6-24 Fund managed by the King Baudouin Foundation, Magalie Meyer, Project Manager at TRAKK, Anne-Catherine Vieujean, Director of the Pôle Académique Namurois, François Nélis, Director of UNamur's Communication Administration and Jean-Marie Balland, Professor at UNamur's Department of Economics.

According to Elena Frech, member of the Transitions and of the Department of Social Sciences, and Communication (Faculty EMCP), the lack of parenting Members of the European Parliament, and in particular mothers and young parents, has a direct impact on political decisions. "Parents see the world differently and, if there are fewer parents in the Parliament, this will inevitably affect policy and the decisions taken," she explains in an interview with EUobserver.

The researcher highlights the difficulties faced by MEPs in reconciling their mandate and family life. Between long working hours, travel between Strasbourg, Brussels and their constituencies, as well as the absence of formal parental leave, many elected representatives are forced to curtail or interrupt their political careers. "The absence of a parental leave policy, combined with a demanding schedule, has led some MPs not to stand for re-election in 2024," adds Elena Frech.

The European Parliament currently provides neither maternity nor paternity leave for its members. According to Elena Frech, this lack of official recognition of parental leave increases the pressure on parent MEPs. "Their party loses a vote, because parents on leave cannot be replaced for the vote. So the pressure to return is very strong" (EUobserver).

Elena Frech's research highlights a structural problem within the European institutions, which limits the diversity and representation of parents, particularly women, in the European Parliament. Her work raises a fundamental question: how can internal regulations be adapted to take better account of the reality of MEPs' families? A key issue for the future of European democracy.

Credits : the interview passages in this article are taken from an interview with Elena Frech conducted by EUobserver.

Source for EUobserver article : Bonneyrat, S. (2025).Is the EU Parliament still letting down female MEPs with children? EUobserver.

Find the scientific studies on which the EUobserver article is based:

Frech, Elena and Sophie Kopsch.2024. "Beyond Rhetoric: The European Parliament as a Workplace for Parents and Current Reform Debates", Politics and Governance 12.

Frech, Elena.2024. Mothers, parliamentarians, leaders: career factors influencing women's representation in the European Parliament - a case study of German parliamentarians.European Politics and Society, 1–19.

At a time when various governments are trying to get us to work until we're 67, some workers are continuing to work past the legal retirement age.

The BRIDGE-EXT project, funded by the PDR du F.R.S-FNRS, aims to gain a better understanding of these professional situations by questioning both the individual and relational reasons that contribute to continuing to work, but also the structural dynamics involved. It is for the latter reason that the researchers have developed a partnership with colleagues in French-speaking Switzerland, under the supervision of Prof. Valérie Hugentobler of the Haute Ecole de Travail Social de Lausanne (HETSL/HES-SO).

The interest of this collaboration lies in understanding post-retirement work according to differentiated political contexts where retirement systems are both fairly comparable, but also very different. How, then, are we to apprehend this work, which poses both the question of life choices and the constraints, particularly financial, that weigh on individuals today?

The research team will be made up of sociologists and anthropologists specializing in issues of aging at work. Amélie Pierre will be hired at UNamur to work on these issues, which are at the heart of current affairs.

In recent years, her scientific horizons have opened up to questions related to transmissions, life courses and temporalities, as well as to the sociology of emotions.

She is also a member of the Institut TRANSITIONS - Pôle Transitions et âges de la vie. This cluster studies the way in which these life courses are recomposed according to new social constraints and normative imperatives. It focuses on the fragility of populations at all stages of life, and also on the repercussions of political measures and mechanisms on the construction of life courses. It brings together researchers from different disciplinary backgrounds who analyze both the normative transformations affecting life courses and life-age transitions.

This article is taken from the "Alumni" section of the December 2024 issue of Omalius magazine.

You studied business economics, then turned to journalism. Why this change?

Like many 17-year-olds, I wasn't sure what to do after high school. My parents advised me to study economics, which opens a lot of doors. There were some courses I really liked, particularly marketing, where we worked on advertising. But I soon realized that I wouldn't be the one dreaming up the campaigns, but rather the consultant analyzing the target audience. I didn't see myself as part of the classic corporate consultancy route. I'm proud of my background in economics, but I needed something more concrete and creative. That's what led me to journalism.

Is your master's degree in management sciences useful to you today in your journalism career?

Yes, it's useful to me in several ways. Firstly, the courses I took in economics, econometrics or management taught me to think in a Cartesian way. Having additional training in journalism, such as law, political science or management, is a real asset. Secondly, these studies help me to understand how companies work. Nowadays, executives often have managerial responsibilities, but receive little training for this. My five years in management give me an advantage: I have a better understanding of hierarchical systems and consultants' decisions. This gives me a critical eye and a better understanding of the professional environments in which I operate.

What do you enjoy about being a journalist?

I'm a news junkie. What I love is being where it's happening, when it's happening. I love the adrenaline of live coverage, during major events like an election, a government collapse, a sporting event... I love working in those moments.

You recently covered the presidential election live from Washington. What do you remember from that experience?

It was obviously exciting to be there and experience the event live. But since it happened, I've been in a form of professional introspection. I find that what happens in the United States often takes a while to reach us. Here, there's been a real paradigm shift and a change of confidence in the traditional media. Something has broken down between the so-called traditional media, such as RTBF, and part of the population. Don't we also need to reconsider the way we handle things? Aren't we ourselves in our own bubble? One criticism is that we always see information that reinforces our cognitive biases. Are we, the Belgian Western media, also in this and haven't we sensed a certain form of anger in the population? It was exciting to cover the American presidential election, but it also raises a lot of questions in me.

What's your vision for the future of journalism?

It's both an editorial and managerial reflection. How can we cover the news in a relevant way while remaining creative, despite budget constraints? To reconnect with my studies, I have a bit of a love-hate relationship with management. We've all heard of companies where hierarchical structures and the ensuing meetings stifle any form of creativity on the part of employees. So how do we structure modern newsrooms so that they're efficient without stifling innovation? And how do we reach a younger audience that gets its information differently, often via the Internet? This also raises the question of our presence on social networks: they enable us to broaden our audience, but at the same time, they strengthen platforms that are our competitors.

What advice would you give to students who are doubting their choice of study and considering a reorientation?

I was very hesitant myself. I was quite pessimistic about the future, afraid of entering the world of work. By reorienting myself, I found a field I was passionate about and, from one day to the next, I said to myself, "This, I could do with pleasure". If you're not happy with your current studies, there are plenty of opportunities to change direction, such as bridging courses or Masters 60. A diploma is just a calling card; what counts is what you do next. The first few months after graduation are crucial. Send out CVs, try things out, explore! It's by trying that you discover what you like.

And to future journalists?

I see a lot of young people picking up on the methods of older journalists, their typical voices for example. Don't try to imitate them, do what sounds like you. You're the new generation, you know your codes, you know how to talk to your audience. Bring that to journalism! Dare, innovate and say what you have to say.

What do you remember from your years in Namur?

What stood out for me was the city. After two years in Louvain-la-Neuve, I needed to find myself in a real city, and Namur did me a lot of good. I had a kot in the pedestrian area with friends, and we met real locals, went to the market... it was very lively. I loved studying in Namur.