Model European Union 2013

Model European Union is a simulation of the process of approving new laws in the European Union (the ordinary legislative procedure). The legislative bodies simulated are the Council of the European Union and the European Parliament. Our participants can take on the roles of Members of the European Parliament, Ministers of the Council, Journalists, Lobbyists, or Interpreters.

If you are interested in applying, you must complete an online application form, answer one essay question from a choice of four, submit the motivation letter and other required documents. The application period commences on December 15^th and closes on February 11^st, 2013.

Residents of the 27 Member States of the European Union,
Residents of the EFTA members of the EEA countries (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland),
Residents of the Republic of Turkey and the Republic of Croatia.
The countries refer to your current permanent residence.
All applicants must be between 18 and 26 years of age.

If you have attended similar simulations in the past, you are still eligible to apply. However, participants of previous editions of Model European Union Strasbourg are not eligible to apply.

The organising team will provide you with assistance should you need a visa to come to Strasbourg. Please bear in mind that there might be a 60-EUR-visa-application fee, which will not be reimbursed. If you are unsure of whether you need a visa or not, please contact the organising team.

The essay is the most important part of the application form. We expect all applicants to submit a well-thought and well-structured essay that reflects independent thinking and good research skills. Applicants are invited to select their preferred topic from a choice of four. All four topics require different kinds of responses giving applicants the room to choose whatever style they like. There is no true answer to the questions raised. We do not expect applicants to come up with textbook-style responses that do not reflect any individual thought. We welcome a well-structured debate reflecting different views. Please be creative when writing the essay and make use of relevant examples. Do not hesitate to refer to your respective field of study.

Plagiarism of any kind will not be tolerated. Please be aware that we use licensed anti-plagiarism software to detect plagiarism attempts.

All essays are marked anonymously and are subject to universal criteria.

Model European Union is a simulation that aims to model European politics faithfully. This is why we are very keen on the same role distribution that is to be found in the European Union (if the Council of the EU consists of 27 Ministers, we will have 27 Ministers. If the EPP faction is the largest faction within the European Parliament, it will be the largest faction in the simulation too). We will try to ensure a balanced distribution respecting applicants’ nationality, age, gender, etc.

It is crucial that you begin your preparation before the conference. Once your place at the conference is confirmed, you will receive a Preparation Guide with all the necessary information concerning the preparation process. We encourage you to print out the Preparation Guide and bring it with you to the conference.

Please devote a considerable amount of time to individual research. The Preparation Guide will provide you with the necessary hints, but it is by no means exhaustive. The outcome of your independent research will be your individual position paper.

The position paper is a brief essay that allows you to explain the position adopted by the Member State and your faction toward the two topics discussed during MEU 2013.

Every position paper should be short but exhaustive and should reflect the position you will stand for in the Parliament or the Council.

You are supposed to research the real position adopted by the Member State you represent and reconcile your views with other faction members.

Ministers of the Council will submit individual position papers only. Members of the Parliament will submit very short individual position papers first. Once all individual position papers are submitted (deadline for the submission will be communicated later), faction secretaries will organise a forum discussion or Skype debate where common faction position papers will be produced. Journalists are expected to create a pre-conference newspaper, which will be distributed on the arrival day. Interpreters do not have to produce position papers, but they have to prepare the topics beforehand. The lobbyists will submit position papers reflecting the view of the organisation they represent.

The check-in begins strictly at 2 pm (14.00) on the arrival day. We will not be able to check you in before 2 pm. The check-in ends at 5.00 pm (17.00) on the arrival day. Please let us know beforehand if you plan to arrive after 5.00 pm.

During the simulation, participants simulate the working of European institutions inside the official seat of the European Parliament. Two topics are discussed during the event. While members of the Parliament and ministers of the Council simulate the ordinary legislative procedure, lobbyists try to influence the two bodies, journalist report on the development of ongoing discussions and interpreters are in charge of interpreting the debates into their native language or into English during specific debates.

Working sessions are held from the morning until late afternoon. Evenings are reserved for the optional social programme.

The two legislative proposals up for debate at MEU 2013 are the Commission proposals

1) Proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on collective management of copyright and related rights and multi-territorial licensing of rights in musical works for online uses in the internal market.

2) The legislative procedure (consent) will be applied in MEU 2013 which will be completely new: Croatia’s EU membership accession negotiations. The negotiations are going to be particularly focused on 3 chapters of the Copenhagen Criteria: Judiciary and Fundamental Rights (chapter 23), Environment (chapter 27), and Foreign, Security and Defence policy (chapter 31).

Every year we prepare a very rich social programme. The social programme is specifically designed to give you the chance to get to know each other better and to have a good time together. The social programme includes parties, sightseeing tours, etc. Please note that participation in the social programme is optional.

One of the social events is the “European Feast”. Here, you have a great opportunity to offer traditional food, drinks or sweets from your home country to other participants. You may also bring along music from your home country and we will do our best to play it.

There is a strict dress code for all the sessions held in the European Parliament. Ladies are expected to wear formal clothing (skirt and jacket or trousers and jacket). Gentlemen are expected to wear formal suits (tuxedos are welcome but not required). Ties or bowties are recommended but not mandatory.

Please, note that informally dressed delegates will not be allowed to enter the premises of the European Parliament.

Casual clothing is recommended for social activities. There is only one social occasion in which a dress code must be respected: the Charity Gala. Ladies are expected to wear a cocktail dress (resp. skirt and blouse). Gentlemen are expected to wear a suit, shirt and tie.

We kindly ask you to bring the two proposals in a printed version with you. We encourage you to print out the Preparation Guide that contains them.

Do not forget to bring a pen and notebook (pad).

Personal hygiene: You do not need to bring your own towel as the hotel will provide you with one every morning. Soaps are also provided.

Clothing: You may want to bring your own hangers if you wish to hang your formal wear. Please note that the hotel does not provide you with hangers.

As you are required to wear formal wear for all the sessions in the European Parliament, you will not need that many casual clothes. Please bear that in mind when packing.

The participation fee for MEU 2013 is 150 EUR. This fee is used for accommodation costs. You will furthermore be provided with food and intra-Strasbourg transportation for the duration of the Conference.

The fee does not include transportation from your home country. You are expected to make your own travel arrangements.

We do not want financial constraints to discourage potential applicants from applying. For this reason we encourage applicants in material need to apply for financial assistance.

Please note that the organisation team does not provide you with any insurance. All EU/EEA nationals are, however, entitled to free medical treatment upon presenting a valid European Health Insurance Card (the blue card). If you wish to purchase additional insurance, please, feel free to do so. No insurance will be refunded.

You must complete the Financial Assistance Application Form that can be found in the relevant section of the website. The deadline for submitting the application form is February the 11th. If you get selected for the Conference, you will be informed of the outcome of your financial assistance application too. Please note that applying for financial assistance will by no means affect your chances of being selected for the Conference. We will not begin assessing the applications before the final selection of participants. 

The amount of financial assistance depends on the number of applications we receive. Every application is assessed individually. Please note that we are not in position to reimburse the participation fee. Those who have the most need will receive travel reimbursement for the cheapest travel arrangement (please note, that this could be bus or train too). Others will receive partial reimbursement (contribution towards travel).

All participants who perceive themselves as facing financial difficulties are welcome to apply. We use several criteria to assess your application: parental income, number of dependent children in the family, the quality of the application essay, etc. Case-to-case factors are taken into consideration too.

By plane:

The following international airports are located in a reasonable distance from the city of Strasbourg: Strasbourg International Airport, Frankfurt International Airport (Lufthansa operates a shuttle bus service from the airport to the main train station in Strasbourg), Frankfurt Hahn (for Ryan Air and other low-cost airlines), Karlsruhe-Baden, Stuttgart, Zweibruecken, Paris, or Basel.

Please make sure that there is a bus or train connection between your destination and Strasbourg before purchasing your travel ticket.

By bus:

Check the Eurolines Company or local bus companies.

By train:

Check the German Deutsche Bahn (DB) or the French SNCF.

The participation fee only covers your accommodation for the duration of the Conference. If you decide to extend your stay, you will have to make your own arrangements.

Lodging details will be available at a later stage.

You may bring your laptop with you to Strasbourg but note that the organising team bears no responsibility whatsoever for your personal property (laptops, mobile phones, cameras, MP3 players, etc.)

The organising team treats all the data you provide us with confidentiality. We will not process your data for marketing purposes. The treatment of your personal data is subject to the Terms and Conditions, which may be found in the relevant section of this website. All applicants must agree to our Terms and Conditions before submitting their application. Please read through them carefully before submitting your application.

Confidentiality is very important to us. We assure you that all the data you provide us with is confidential. We will not give your data to any institution, organisation, or private person. After the event, we will keep your data for purely organisational matters, namely communication and statistics.

Every year, 10-15 students benefit from the Social Fund where they are able to get a percentage of their travel costs reimbursed. This is subject to their parents' monthly income that shouldn't exceed the national average