Model EU Simulation Guidelines

EMU-EU Model is a simulation of the meeting of the European Council, involving the heads of governments of the EU Member States. We will try to replicate as closely as possible the actual format and proceedings of the European Council.  

GENERAL INFORMATION  

Location:  The meeting of the European Council will be held at the Senate Room or BEA 4

Dress and conduct: In the spirit of the simulation, rules on dress and conduct are the same as those which apply at an actual meeting of the European Council.  

Certificates: A certificate of participation will be given to each participant.

PREPARING FOR THE SIMULATION  

In order to successfully simulate a meeting of the European Council Delegates need to:  

1) prepare a country profile for your respective country: application and accession date to the EU,  harmonization and modification of laws etc. should be taken into consideration while the research is conducted. Each student will make a presentation based on the country profile for which the date will be announced later by the committee;  

2) research the decision-making structure of the European Council;  

3) research the actual policy positions of your member state, and - as far as possible - the background, party affiliation, duties and powers of your real-life counterpart, and come to EMU-EU Model prepared to play the appropriate role. In preparing, take into account the history of the EU, public opinion in your member state, the ideological leanings of your government, and your delegation's national interests;  

4) familiarize themselves with this Guide, particularly the rules of procedure. It is essential that all delegates know the rules and voting procedures, and adhere to them;  

5) come to EMU-EU Model and take part in all the meetings. If there is any chance of your delegation being unable to attend, please let us know by the begining of December at the latest;  

6) once it's all over, we'd like to know what you thought of EMU-EU Model and to hear your suggestions for future simulations.  

THE DELEGATIONS  

Since the number of participants is limited to students taking IR 413 The Politics of the European Union course, all delegations consist of one person each.   

THE EUROPEAN COUNCIL  

The European Council brings together the heads of state or government of the European Union (meeting sometimes with the 27 foreign ministers) and the president of the Commission. It defines the general political guidelines of the European Union.

The decisions taken at the European Council meetings are a major impetus in defining the general political guidelines of the European Union. The meetings of the European Council usually take place in Brussels, in the Justus Lipsius building.

Background

  The European Council is the forum in which the leaders of the EU Member States meet to: - provide strategic direction and consistency to the EU by discussing and deciding the overall   character and goals of the Union (i.e., to act as a "political dynamo"),
- resolve problems which the Council of Ministers and the Commission have been unable to   resolve (i.e., to act as the "supreme arbitrator", or court of last resort),
- provide political impetus to the EU by developing and encouraging new initiatives,
- develop a Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP). Council Conclusions always   include a statement of positions on foreign policy issues.  

The European Council alone has the power and authority to resolve major issues and reach key decisions. The Council consists of the heads of government of the EU Member States, their respective foreign ministers, and the President of the European Commission. The Council normally meets four times a year, each meeting taking place in the member state holding the Presidency of the Council of Ministers (now in Brussels). Council meetings usually last no more than ten hours, spaced over a 24-hour period. During this time, there is an opening plenary session, and a formal dinner followed by an informal and confidential "fireside chat". The next day begins with informal, bilateral working breakfasts, and is followed by one or two further plenary sessions. Together, these meetings are designed to discuss matters of common concern, and to agree a set of Conclusions.  

Preparation  

Each delegate should do as much advance preparation as possible on the member state they are representing, the personal and political background of the leader they are role-playing, and the positions on European policy taken by that leader. They should also be clear on the role of the European Council in the policy-making process, and should come to EMU-EU Model with specific policy proposals and objectives in mind. At the simulation, delegates role-playing heads of government should make their decisions in the context of the political forces and pressures currently active in EU member states, and the national interests of the states they are representing.  

Format and Goals  

In the Council meeting chamber, heads of government and foreign ministers of member states are seated alphabetically by member state, with the representative/s from the member state holding the Presidency of the EU at the head of the table. The major aim of the European Council is to discuss and debate the views, ideas and proposals of Council members with the goal of agreeing a formal set of Conclusions of the Presidency. Suggestions for the content of the Conclusions are discussed and drafted on Days One and Two, and the final Conclusions should be agreed by the Council at its second plenary session on the afternoon of Day Three.  

Rules of Procedure  

Because the heads of government normally want to decide for themselves ow best to use their meetings, the European Council has no formal rules of procedure. Council meetings are kept deliberately flexible and informal, and many of the most important discussions take place outside the Council chamber in the intervals between actual sessions. Nevertheless, the following rules will apply at EMU-EU Model:  

1) Chair. The head of government of the member state holding the Presidency of the European Union will be in the chair, and will be deputized by the head of government to his/her immediate left. During plenary sessions, the Chair will be assisted by his/her foreign minister. The Chair will have the sole and final power to open and close sessions, recognize speakers, place limits on floor times, control discussion and debate, caution or remove observers, and - if necessary - clear the room of everyone except faculty advisors and members of the Secretariat. It will be left to the Chair to determine the flow and temper of Council meetings, but he/she should be fair, efficient, and courteous, avoid being partisan in any way, and ensure that every delegate is given the opportunity to speak. The order of business at all meetings will be determined by the Chair in consultation with other members of the European Council.  

2) Speakers. During plenary sessions, only heads of government will normally address the Council. Foreign ministers may confer quietly with heads of government, and may be given the floor at the discretion of their head of government - and the agreement of the Chair - to address an issue on which they may have specialist knowledge. They may also deputize for their head of government if he/she must leave the chamber. Speakers do not need to address each other through the Chair.  

3) Voting procedure. The European Council does not normally take formal votes, instead trying to reach its decisions through consensus: a general agreement on a topic which those opposing - or unable fully to support - are prepared to allow the Council to adopt without recourse to a vote. Reservations and objections may be recorded, but the Council as a whole will agree to proceed. Where consensus cannot be reached, votes are taken as a last resort, with each member state having one vote and a simple majority prevailing. A device known as a tour de table may also be used, at the discretion of the Chair. The Chair asks each head of government in turn to give a short summary (up to 2 minutes) of their thinking on the matter under discussion, thus ensuring that every member state is able to outline its position, and allowing the Chair to determine whether a compromise is possible. However, it can be time-consuming. Each member state has the power of veto if its leader feels that critical national interests are at stake in an issue under consideration. The veto is very rarely used, however, and is always controversial. European Council decisions are not legally binding, but are binding in a moral, political and pragmatic sense. The general conclusions of the Council then have to be turned into law by the European Commission, Council of Ministers, and European Parliament.  

5) Workflow.

The European Council will operate in isolation from all other fora,  It may, however, request clarification or expert testimony from the Commission, the Council of Ministers, or from an individual Commissioner or minister; it may instruct the Commission (via the directors-general) to develop a new law or policy; and it may be requested to arbitrate disputes between the European Commission and the Council of Ministers.