Free immersive exhibition space in Paris helps you comprehend the European Union

Europa Experience makes the work of EU institutions enthralling, and that is quite the achievement

The European Union has a massive impact on the daily lives of nearly half a billion citizens on the Old Continent and yet, it remains somewhat abstract and elusive to many people. This is where the Europa Experience, an immersive exhibition space in Paris, founded a year ago, aims to solve this gap in perception.

This 1,500 m2 venue, spread over three floors, takes the public on an unprecedented European adventure. Via a multimedia journey, augmented reality installations and a 360° cinema, visitors travel through the European Union, discover its challenges and successes, share the daily lives of other citizens of the continent and dive into the heart of European political functioning.

And best of all, it’s completely free and designed to really fulfil a mission of boosting citizenship awareness.

You can roleplay as an MEP

Who proposes the laws? Who votes on the budget? At the centre, two interactive tables allow visitors to understand the relations between the three main institutions of the European Union: the Parliament, the Commission and the Council. The augmented reality room invites the public to move around the map of Europe using a tablet and to discover the projects supported by the EU in the various member countries.

Even more, visitors can step into the shoes of an MEP! Groups of 16 or more people (over the age of 14) have the opportunity to participate in a role-playing game to better understand how decisions are taken at the European Union level. For two hours, participants become MEPs from different political groups. They get to examine, negotiate and adopt (or reject) European directives.

In the “Europe in everyday life” room, you can discover various testimonies of European citizens who evoke how the EU influences their daily life.

On the occasion of the upcoming Europe Day, 9 May, Europa Experience has also prepared a program of special entertainment.

The origin of the Europa Experience Paris project is directly inspired by the Parlamentarium located in Brussels, created by the European Parliament. Today, Strasbourg, Ljubljana, Helsinki, Copenhagen and Tallinn host similar spaces, with the aim of installing these immersive places in each European capital. In the reception hall, it is also possible to take a photo of yourself and send your selfie to the other “Europa Experiences” all over Europe!