Every year almost two hundred of young people from the whole Europe gather in Strasbourg for a special event called Model European Union. Students from different countries, surroundings and universities get together to cooperate on given challenges for the European politics. The reason why they all come to Strasbourg from year to year is the interest in the European politics and happening around us. I personally participated in this conference two years ago and it was one of my best decisions ever.
Model European Union aims to gather young people over Europe and give them an opportunity to cooperate on issues of the European law thanks to the simulation of the decision making in the EU. Its vision stems from the need of getting better knowledge about what happened inside the European Union and how the whole process of the decision making really works. So students throughout MEU can fully understand the structure and the whole system of the decision making and adopt it.
Thanks to different positions which are offered, the students can get the crucial information about what is going on in the structure and how all members of the European parliament participate and deal with it. Step by step, every participant get to know more than his positions in conference.
During this simulation, young European students come to Strasbourg to get closer to the principal process of European law. It is the way how to help students to build their self-confidence, to improve their public speech and also to enable them to share their ideas and to present them in front of two hundred other students.
MEU is dedicated primarily to students to help them understand how the European Union works and effects every member state. This annual event gives a chance to exchange theory from an university field to some useful practical experience. In addition, thanks to multicultural society students get many contacts across Europe, share opinions and ideas as well. The whole simulation represents the educational system, the integration and the interest of the nowadays situation.
At the end of March, all delegates meet each other again in the building of the European parliament in Strasbourg for the conference of Model European Union. Delegates of the conference were chosen through an application process at the beginning of this year. There are few positions for which they could apply. Ministers, lobbyists, journalists, interpreters, chairmen and members of the parliament are the positions which students can represent and stand for during one week in the European parliament every year.
There is not just one reason why students apply for this conference and are excited about one week in Strasbourg. Besides the desire for the European politics, a lot of other advantages come up. From the beginning, you have many expectations. However, the reality is over any expectation.
Apart of the work in parliament, you meet every time someone new from a totally different area and Model European Union brings many benefits to young people. New contacts, spreading own ideas, improving presentation skills, coming up with new solutions, views and not at least the atmosphere of Strasbourg makes the conference a very special and pleasant occasion for everybody.
The whole week is perfectly organized. Most of the day takes place in the parliament, but during the rest of the day social activities take place in the center of the city. During these social activities, you are free to explore Strasbourg and its beauties. I have to admit that Strasbourg is the kind of city witch you fall in love immediately with.
Thanks to very rich social life, participants can get know Strasbourg as city pretty well. Just the city of Strasbourg catches your heart by very extraordinary atmosphere. Strasbourg is kind of mix of German and French culture. On the one hand magic nature, clean city and then delicious taste of international atmosphere.
Moreover, every participant is in the contact with organizers of whole event, who are usually alumni of MEU and have so many experience with this conference that they can share them with the new ones.
The conference of the European politics week starts always on Sunday, when all delegates meet in Strasbourg for the first meeting. As the first social event of whole week is a kind of international night, where participants and organizers meet each other in an informal way. At the international night each European state is represented by own delegates who bring some traditional food and drinks to Strasbourg specially for this meeting.
Students of different states, universities and language speak just English and share their own impressions and expectations from upcoming week. You can discover different stands with food and drinks from Belgian chocolate to Danish sweet and Myslivecká on the tables. You are free to take anything you want and spend some time with promoters of stands, who are willing to start conversation with you. The communication is one of the key elements of the conference MEU.
One very significant benefit of MEU is the organization which enables all delegates to cooperate on all activities including these social ones. From the morning to the evening you are still accompanied with some other delegates. The interesting about it is the fact, that organizers mix you with other students from different countries for sharing accommodation.
Logically, it is for its own sake. Let’s say that in Strasbourg one huge European family meets every year and share what is new in our world.
Bottom line: Would you also like to participate in the Model European Union?
