Model European Union
UPJ  MEU Team

* 2004 Pitt Model EU at UPJ -- click to see infos and photos *

 

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        Convening of the Heads of State/Governments, UPJ Senior         UPJ's Kevin Chernosky, represents France ,                 Dr. Reinhard Heinisch, UPJ Director of  chats with
         Joe Sernell  representing Danmark  at Pitt MEU in 2004 at UPJ     at  Pitt MEU hosted  by UPJ in 2001                               with Oliver Nette, European Commission in 2001
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

INSTITUTION TO BE SIMULATED:

The European Council
The IES model attempts to accurately replicate a meeting of the European Council, which was an initiative of Valery Giscard d’Estaing in December 1974.  NB. Do not confuse the European Council with the Council of Ministers or the Council of Europe.

The European Council is a series of regular meetings (summits) of member states, represented by their prime ministers and foreign ministers, and the president of the European Commission.

The country currently holding the Presidency of the European Council and the Council of Ministers is Sweden.

The Maastrict Treaty (1991) defined the objective of the  European Council as being ‘to provide the Union with the necessary impetus for its development and … define the general political guidelines thereof. (Penguin Companion to European Union, T. Bainbridge, 1996)
 
 

Main Functions of the European Council:

• sets the general political direction of the EU
• resolves issues which have produced deadlock in the Council of Ministers
• all major changes in the EU must have the blessing of the European Council

Requirements

• Commitment to independent study.  You must be self-motivated and well organised to participate in this programme.  If you are accepted into the team, you must be prepared to read to research the topic thoroughly (on-line research, the national press and textbooks).
• Depending on your position, you will be expected to compile policy statements and articles.
• Attend regular tutorial sessions.
• Attend relevant public and official meetings.
• Be prepared for last minute changes.

Advantages to be Gained from Participating in the Model European Council

• Engage in depth with the current debates surrounding the EU.
• You will be expected to have a detailed knowledge of the position of the country you are representing as well as existing EU policy.
• You will also need to have an awareness of the positions of your EU partners.
• Learn about the pressures upon politicians as they enter into EU negotiations.
• Become more familiar with the ways decisions are made in a political forum such as the European Council.
• Develop skills in forging alliances and undermining hostile ones.
• Enhance your CV.

200 1 Model European Union Conference Held at UPJ
On March 31, 2001 over 60 students from four colleges, including UPJ and the Honors College of the University of Pittsburgh, convened on the UPJ campus for a Model European Union simulation of the 2000 EU Nice Summit. Student teams represented the heads of state/government and UPJ junior political science major Sarah Factor, representing host country France, presides over the meeting of foreign ministers and their staffs in the preliminary afternoon sessions of  the Model EU foreign ministries and their staffs for rounds of negotiations at both levels regarding the accession of 12-15 new members. Senior Shirley Hixson and junior SarahFactor of the UPJ team, representing the host and presiding country of France, chaired the heads of state/governments and foreign ministers sessions. The keynote plenary speaker was Oliver Lette, First Secretary for Political and Academic Affairs, European Commission Delegation to the United States. The Model EU was sponsored by the Center for West European Studies and the European Union Center at the University of Pittsburgh.

2002 UPJ Team Excels in Model European Union (MEU) Conference
On April 7, 2002, over 60 students from seven colleges, including UPJ and the Honors College of the University of Pittsburgh, convened on the campus of Washington and Jefferson College for the second annual Model European Union simulation. UPJ took honors for Best Delegation (Sarah Factor, Benoit Denault, and Jami Ference  representing France), individual Best Delegate/ Head of Government honors (Sarah Factor, France) and Best Delegate/Foreign Minister (Tiffany Walter, Portugal) with recognition of Matt Mazonkey and Dan Flynn for their work in Polish/EU accession negotiations, and honorable mentions to Frank Raimond and Dan Flynn.

2004 UPJ hosts Second Model EU Simulating the Copenhagen European Council
UPJ Junior Joseph Sernell representing the Danish Presidency welcomes student delegations from all over the United States including the Universities of Washington and Wisconsin. For more information click on the following links at UPJ and Pitt.
 
 

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