The Model European Parliament (MEP) is an international simulation of the working of the European Parliament for students aged 16–19. The aim of the programme is to give young people an insight into the workings of the European Parliament and raise their awareness of European citizenship.[1] Two sessions are held each year, each involving 180 secondary school students.[2]
| Model European Parliament | |
|---|---|
| Frequency | Biannual (spring & autumn) |
| Location(s) | Varies |
| Years active | Since 1994 |
| Previous event | Autumn 2023: Prague, Czech Republic |
| Next event | Spring 2024: Tallinn, Estonia |
| Participants | 180 students per session |
| Organised by | Model European Parliament Foundation |
Format
editThe format of the MEP resembles that of the actual European Parliament: approximately 15 delegates of different nationalities form a committee that debates a certain topic extensively and drafts a resolution, a non-binding piece of legislation outlining the key issues of the topic and proposing solutions.[3] The drafting process is followed by lobbying, during which delegates may debate and propose amendments for other resolutions. The finale of a session is the General Assembly (GA). During this, resolutions and amendments are debated and voted upon by all of the delegates. Any successful resolutions are then forwarded to the European Parliament, the European Commission and the Council of the European Union.[4] The elder members are titled as Presidents or Chairs, while the youngers are entitled as delegates.
Participating countries
editAs of 2013[update], participants come from all 28 member states of the European Union and two candidate countries: Republic of Macedonia and Turkey. Each country can choose five delegates in any way they deem appropriate. Many hold regional and/or national sessions using the same format but with a narrower scope.[5]
Connections to politics
editFamous members of the European Parliament often visit the MEP, hold speeches and participate in debates. Some delegates of the international session in Brussels in February 2023 had the honour to be welcomed by the President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola. Also the First Vice President of the European Parliament Othmar Karas and the Vice Presidents Rainer Wieland and Evelyn Regner visited the session in several parts of the programme. The General Assembly of the sessions is often held in real Parliamentary or governmental buildings of the hosting country, region or city or the European Union. In 2019 there was a General Assembly in the real building of the European Parliament in Strasbourg. The international session in February 2023 in Brussels had the General Assembly in the building of the European Committee of the Regions. Also national parliaments like the Narodno Sabranie in Sofia, Bulgaria, hosted international sessions in their plenary hall.
List of international sessions
editThe following international sessions have been held or announced:[6]
- 1994 Spring:
The Netherlands, The Hague/Maastricht
- 1995 Spring:
- 1996 Spring:
France, Paris
- 1996 Autumn:
Ireland, Dublin
- 1997 Spring:
United Kingdom, Stowe/Oxford
- 1997 Autumn:
Italy, Carpi/Bologna
- 1998 Spring:
Sweden, Stockholm
- 1998 Autumn:
Spain, Madrid
- 1999 Spring:
Germany, Bonn
- 1999 Autumn:
Luxembourg, Luxembourg
- 2000 Spring:
Portugal, Lisbon
- 2000 Autumn:
Austria, Vienna
- 2001 Spring:
Denmark, Copenhagen
- 2001 Autumn:
- 2002 Spring:
Slovenia, Ljubljana
- 2002 Autumn:
- 2003 Spring:
Finland, Helsinki
- 2003 Autumn:
Greece, Athens
- 2004 Spring:
Poland, Warsaw
- 2004 Spring:
- 2004 Autumn:
Hungary, Budapest
- 2005 Spring:
- 2005 Autumn:
- 2006 Spring:
Lithuania, Vilnius
- 2006 Autumn:
- 2007 Spring:
Bulgaria, Sofia
- 2007 Autumn:
- 2008 Spring:
- 2008 Autumn:
Slovak Republic, Bratislava
- 2009 Spring:
Cyprus, Nicosia
- 2009 Autumn:
- 2010 Spring:
- 2010 Autumn:
Turkey, Istanbul
- 2011 Spring:
Estonia, Tallinn
- 2011 Autumn:
Republic of Macedonia, Skopje
- 2012 Spring:
- 2012 Autumn:
- 2013 Spring:
- 2013 Autumn:
- 2014 Spring:
- 2014 Autumn:
- 2015 Spring:
- 2015 Autumn:
- 2016 Spring:
- 2016 Autumn:
- 2017 Spring:
- 2017 Autumn:
- 2018 Spring:
- 2018 Autumn:
- 2019 Spring:
- 2019 Autumn:
Malta, Valletta
- 2020 Autumn:
- 2021 Spring:
- 2021 Autumn:
- 2022 Spring:
Romania, Bucharest
- 2022 Autumn:
- 2023 Spring:
Belgium, Brussels
- 2023 Autumn:
Czech Republic, Prague
- 2024 Spring:
- 2024 Autumn:
- 2025 Spring:
Model European Parliament Baltic Sea Region
editThe Model European Parliament Baltic Sea Region (MEP BSR) is an international organization that includes eight member states of the EU situated in the Baltic Sea Region, but also welcomes delegates from Iceland, Norway and Russia (Kaliningrad). The MEP BSR, which is organised and managed by the Model European Parliament BSR Association, uses the same format as the main international MEPs, but with ten delegates representing each country rather than five.[7]
List of MEP BSR sessions:[8]
- 2005 Spring:
- 2006 Spring:
- 2006 Autumn:
- 2007 Spring:
- 2007 Autumn:
Latvia, Riga
- 2008 Spring:
- 2008 Autumn:
Russia, St. Petersburg
- 2009 Spring:
- 2009 Autumn:
- 2010 Spring:
- 2010 Autumn:
- 2011 Spring:
- 2011 Autumn:
- 2012 Spring:
- 2012 Autumn:
- 2013 Spring:
Iceland, Reykjavik
- 2013 Autumn:
- 2014 Spring:
- 2014 Autumn:
- 2015 Spring:
- 2015 Autumn:
Norway, Oslo/Nesbru
- 2016 Spring:
- 2016 Autumn:
- 2017 Spring:
- 2017 Autumn:
- 2018 Spring:
- 2018 Autumn:
- 2019 Spring:
- 2019 Autumn:
- 2021 Autumn:
- 2022 Autumn:
- 2023 Autumn:
Model European Parliament Central and South East Europe
editThe Model European Parliament Central and South East Europe (MEP CSEE) is an organisation largely similar to MEP BSR, but it invites students from member states Austria, Slovenia, the Czech Republic, Germany, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, candidate countries the Republic of Macedonia, Serbia, and neighbouring countries Moldova, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Montenegro.[9]
List of MEP CSEE sessions:
- 2001 Autumn:
- 2002 Autumn:
- 2003 Autumn:
- 2015 Autumn:
- 2016 Autumn:
- 2018 Spring:
- 2018 Autumn:
- 2019 Autumn:
- 2021 Spring:
- 2021 Autumn:
- 2022 Autumn:
- 2024 Spring:
Model European Parliament Western European Region
editA Western European version was launched in Autumn 2016 with the participation of Belgium, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Luxembourg, Ireland and the Netherlands.
List of WEMEP sessions:
- 2016 Autumn:
- 2018 Spring:
- 2019 Spring:
- 2020 Spring:
- 2023 Spring:
- 2024 Spring:
Model European Parliament Mediterranean Region
editThe Model European Parliament Mediterranean Region is a non-partisan leadership programme for youth in Mediterranean countries. The aim of the MED MEP Region programme is to develop interest and skills in addressing high level international issues jointly among high-school students. The program is a training ground for future leaders and politicians, and is mainly aimed at Italy, Croatia, Albania, Greece, Spain, Portugal, Malta, Cyprus, France and Turkey[10]
List of MEP MED sessions:
Similar projects
editThe European Youth Parliament and Model European Union are separate projects, but follow the same format as the Model European Parliament to some extent.[11][12]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Model European Parliament". Goethe Institute. Retrieved 15 April 2013.
- ^ "Model European Parliament". Wymondham College. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 20 April 2013.
- ^ MEP Foundation. "Guidelines for MEP sessions" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 16 April 2013.
- ^ "MEP Netherlands". Retrieved 15 April 2013.
- ^ "What is the Model European Parliament?". MEP Norwich 2013. Archived from the original on 4 July 2013. Retrieved 15 April 2013.
- ^ "All MEP Sessions". MEP Europe. Retrieved 23 February 2023.
- ^ "About MEP BSR". Retrieved 15 April 2013.
- ^ "Past sessions". MEP Baltic Sea Region. Retrieved 6 October 2015.
- ^ "About". The Model European Parliament Central and South East Europe. Retrieved 6 October 2015.
- ^ "MEP Mediterranean Region". MEP. Retrieved 19 September 2018.
- ^ "European Youth Parliament: What we do". European Youth Parliament. Archived from the original on 24 May 2013. Retrieved 4 May 2013.
- ^ "What is MEU?". MEU Strasbourg. Archived from the original on 18 May 2013. Retrieved 4 May 2013.