On 13 December 2011, a group of twenty students from the Master in International Communication, the Bachelor in Information Services and Management and the minor in Journalism visited NATO in Chateau, Belgium. Two NATO officials from the Public Affairs Office (PAO), explained how NATO is structured and how PAO is trying to engage with the public to get their message out to raise public awareness and understanding. One way is through social media, which they have been doing since 2009. Students debated with NATO about social media uses, guidelines and policy. In addition, NATO also spoke about their intercultural training as part of preparing for missions, as it is crucial to understand and respect local customs, traditions and culture in order to have strong communication.
The next day, the students visited the European Commission (EC) in Brussels. An EC spokesman explained the workings of the European Union and its historical background. An EC spokeswoman addressed their "Digital Agenda for Europe" policy. One of its goals is expanding internet access across Europe so that eventually everybody will be able to get online (this goal is set for 2013). Currently, a quarter of the EU population has never used internet. Other topics that were raised were e-commerce, e-health and e-training to enhance e-skills.
