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On 8 - 9 April 2024, over 160 students will meet in Brussels to take part in ConSIMium – a European Council simulation experience. Over two days, teams of six students from 27 EU countries will step into the shoes of national representatives and role play negotiations between the EU member states at four different levels.
The purpose:
ConSIMium 2024 builds on a pilot event in 2023. It is a hands-on experience of decision-making in the Council of the European Union and the European Council. The simulation allows students to understand the role of the member states in decision-making, the role of the Council’s Presidency, the value of deciding together and the importance of reaching a compromise. The scenario is based on real European legislation and countries’ negotiating positions. The simulation takes place in the Council buildings’ meeting rooms where ministers and EU leaders meet.
The structure :
The participants will take one of the following roles: head of state or government, minister, ambassador (permanent representative to the EU), national expert or journalist. In each meeting, representatives of the Presidency, the Council Legal Service, policy departments, and the European Commission will play their real-life roles alongside the students.
The participants:
The participating students are selected at national level. The Irish team is co-ordinated by Prof. em. Joachim Fischer, Centre for European Studies, University of Limerick. The six students have been selected from Irish universities currently running European Studies degree programmes: Mairéad Butler (TCD), Julia Celej (UCC), Theodore Holmes (UL/Europa Universität Flensburg), Gregor McCullagh-Travers (UCD), Charlie McEvoy (TCD), and Aoife Woods (UL). The group will be accompanied by Dr Xosé Boan, Course Director of the BA in European Studies at UL.
The topics:
The topics for this year’s ConSIMium simulation exercise are two Acts relating to Cyber Security and Artificial Intelligence. They highlight to what extent the exercise aims to echo current issues and simulate real life negotiations: the new EU Act on Artificial Intelligence only passed the European Parliament in early March of this year and is currently going through the final stages of ratification.
For more details on the previous edition, visit www.consilium.europa.eu/en/events/consimium/. Or contact the coordinator: joachim.fischer@ul.ie.