Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

MEU stands for Model European Union and is a simulation of the process of approving new laws in the European Union. The institutions simulated are the Council of Ministers, the European Parliament. We also have journalists, lobbyists and interpreters. It takes place in Strasbourg at the European Parliament. The 2010 edition will take place from the 10th to 17th April 2010.

Eligible are people who provide a permanent address in one of these countries:

Austria
Belgium
Bulgaria
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Denmark
Estonia
Finland
France
Germany
Greece
Hungary
Iceland
Ireland
Italy
Latvia
Liechtenstein
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Malta
Netherlands
Norway
Poland
Portugal
Romania
Slovak Republic
Slovenia
Spain
Sweden
Turkey
United Kingdom

Priority will be given to people between 18 and 25 years of age who have not previously participated in MEU (other simulation experience welcome).

Applications for MEU 2010 is open from 16th December 2009, until 24th January 2010. In general we will require the following information.

Click here to be directed to the application form.

You do not need to speak English at a native-speaker level, but your English skills must be very good. If not, you will not be able to participate in the discussion in a meaningful fashion and gain the full experience of MEU. Apart from this, we are looking for interested and enthusiastic people to participate in the simulation, no previous experience of such a debate is required. Different backgrounds and fields of work are by no means a drawback.

You cannot apply to MEU if you have already attended MEU in a previous year. Outside of this there are no restrictions on previous MUN or debate experience.

We are looking for well thought-out and structured pieces written from a personal perspective. Research may be useful but, in general, we are primarily interested in seeing that delegates can express a knowledge of, and interest in, European issues outside an academic environment. Essays should be written in English and be of no more than 700 words.

You probably do. We will help you with the application procedure.

Prior to the simulation, you will be attributed a role to play. Nobody will represent his/her own country as this is against the spirit of intercultural exchange. A list of the participants and their respective roles and emails addresses will be distributed. Delegates should use this to contact people that will represent both their own country, to give advice, and their 'MEU' country, to discuss policies for the debate. There also will be an online Forum for this purpose.

If you are placed in the Council or in the Parliament, you should then gather general information about your country, role and general direction of the government. When you are sent the proposals to be discussed, you should research the topics the best you can so as to bring an informed position to the simulation. You should pay particular attention to the content of the proposals and the position that your country's government defends in these areas.

If you were attributed the role of a journalist or lobbyist, you should get in contact with your team leader who will give you more details as to what to do in terms of preparation and research.

Once the simulation starts you will have the opportunity of learning more about the proposals during workshops on the first day. You will also meet the other representatives of your country in person.

During the second day representatives from the European Commission will present the first proposal to the Council and the second to the Parliament, and you will then have the opportunity to ask questions. You will discuss the proposals, suggest amendments. and vote.

Next, the Council and the Parliament will elect a representative to present the amended proposal to the other institution. Once this is done, you will discuss the new proposal and vote on the amendments. After that you will exchange them once more to vote on the final version.

In the meantime, you will have to cope with the press and the lobbyists. It might be a good idea to gather information on their respective tasks, since lobbyists can be very useful to help you gather scientific and economic data to support your position, and the press can be very useful in channelling information.

There will be a research team available during the simulation to provide support in answering questions that arise during the discussion.

The law proposals under discussion will be the "Returns" Directive and a regulation on Genetic Modified Organisms, two up-to-date topics at European level that will provide for difficult but surely exciting debates.

The roles will be assigned by the organisation of the event and in no case is it possible to change the role during the simulation. However, your preferences will be taken into consideration.

You should gather as much relevant information as you can. Together with the proposals, we will send you a study guide which contains an introduction to the proposals and some useful links and directions that you can use to prepare yourself and write your position papers.

However, prior to that and as soon as you are assigned your position, you can start researching into your attributed country and/or party: demographical data, economical data, general politic position, latest news and everything that can support your role as a representative of that country and/or political party.

A position paper is a statement where you briefly and concisely describe which position you will defend during the conference. It allows you to summarize your research and organize your ideas in a coherent and official way, which will be very helpful through the conference. It must be submitted to the MEU Organizing Team prior to the simulation, a date will be announced when you recieve confirmation of a place.

It also allows other delegates to find out your position, allows chairs to evaluate the participant's level of preparation and constitutes the main guideline in the opening speeches. It should be about 700 words and based on the perspective of your specific role.

A possible structure would be:

- general introduction stating the position of the entity that the delegate represents
- a policy statement based on the relevant view of assigned delegation
- a development part where you further elaborate on the position (referring to the EU treaties, or relevant international documents such as the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union)
- conclusion: very briefly stating your position again and recommending actions which would be supported by the entity that the delegate represents.

It should be a formal document and, as such, formally written. Please note that a long essay-type position paper containing the whole background of the entity on the topic is not useful.

Do not worry. They will be sent to you in due course and will additionally be explained in the Opening Session of both the Parliament and the Council.

In order to take part in MEU 2010 you will have to pay for the travel costs to and from Strasbourg and the participant fee of 120 Euro, which includes accommodation and food expenses as well as everyday transportation and access to the activities of the social program. All extras to this you will have to provide for.

Yes. A social program including a boat trip, a diplomats cocktail party and a museum visit  will be provided. You will also have free time to explore on your own and to go out at night, either in Strasbourg or Kehl.

You will be staying at an inexpensive Strasbourg hotel, please check back for more information at a later date.

There will be no general access to the internet inside the Parliament. At the hotel you will have wireless access to the Internet, but it will not be for free.

Regarding the safety of your laptops (and other values), we must warn you that there is no safe in the hotel. This means that you either leave your laptops in your room or carry it with you at all times. The organisation of MEU will not assume liability for any valuables.

You will have to provide for it, so make sure your travel insurance covers your stay in France and Germany. You may also like to bring a European Health Insurance card (E111).

The data gathered from the participants will be used exclusively to organisation purposes, e.g. selection, communication and security. Additionally we will make it available to the European Parliament.

Strasbourg cannot be considered a dangerous city. However, like in any other place, and since you are not familiar with it, you have to be careful, especially at night. The usual measures should be enough to keep you out of trouble: walk in large groups, do not show your money around, do not openly carry expensive devices, do not appear aggressive and so on.

The fee does not cover extra nights at the hostel. However, you can let us know in advance and we can arrange with the hostel so as to book a room for the nights that you wish to stay - which you will have to pay yourself.