Studying European Politics through the Simulation of the European Council

The project includes two courses, each covering 45 hours of teaching a year, plus a debriefing/summary/dissemination seminar held each year by the end of the second semester.
Special attention is paid to the ‘Hong Kong Model European Union – European Council Simulation’, which is designed to familiarize students with the framework and procedures of international negotiations in the context of the European Union. It presents the participants with a unique chance to take part in a simulation of European Council (summits) meetings and thereby gain a ‘hands-on’ experience in preparing for and conducting multi-country political deliberations about current real-life issues that European societies face. In the process, the students also study the political, economic, and social backgrounds of European Union member states from a comparative perspective. The Simulation systematically encourages peer learning. The negotiations include three levels of bargaining: interpersonal, national and international, as participants are acting as Heads of States/Governments and Ministers of Foreign Affairs of all existing EU member states, required to reach a political consensus at the end of the Simulation.
The ‘Hong Kong Model European Union – European Council simulation’ is designed to achieve two main objectives:
1. Equip students and young professionals with knowledge of European Union subjects relevant for their academic and professional lives and enhance their civic skills;
2. Promote innovation in teaching and research (e.g. cross-sectorial and/or multi-disciplinary studies, open education, networking with other institutions).
The project will achieve the above goals through a series of seminars organized before the final conference. The seminars will include training on negotiation tactics at the international level, preparing a negotiation position, learning about the governance of the EU, and finally taking part in the final conference.