In cooperation with a consortium of American and European universities, the Europa-Institut organises an annual simulation of European decision-making processes: EuroSim.
The course is held in English and offers students an excellent opportunity to test their acquired knowledge and skills in practice. EuroSim takes place every year alternately at universities in Europe and the USA.
From 10 April 2024 to 14 April 2024, the Europa-Institut participated in EuroSim, organized by the State University of New York, College of Brockport. This year's simulation of an EU legislative process involved adapting a real-life draft for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on the comprehensive regulation of artificial intelligence (also known as the AI Act). The Europa-Institut students took on the role of the Commission, among others, and were responsible for drafting the Commission proposal for the regulation, which formed the basis for the legislative process.
The team from the Europa-Institut received two prizes from the EuroSim organizers. Firstly, the participant playing Commission President Ursula von der Leyen was honored for her constructive and dedicated work before and during the simulation. Secondly, the team from the Europa-Institut received the most votes overall in the individual categories and was therefore the most successful team.
After the simulation, the excursion team traveled to New York City to spend the remaining three days in this dynamic global metropolis before flying back to Frankfurt. This part of the trip was, and should have been, seen by the participants as a reward for their efforts of the previous days, but above all included exciting excursions to the United Nations and the German Permanent Representation to the United Nations. At both institutions, the students gained an insight into the workings of the UN.
EuroSim 2023
From 3 to 7 January 2023, nine students from the Europa-Institut took part in EuroSim, one of the world's largest simulations of decision-making processes in the European Union.
EuroSim 2023 was hosted by the University of South Wales at the International Convention Center Wales and brought together almost 160 students from 17 partner universities from both sides of the Atlantic. In the simulation, participants negotiated a regulation to mitigate the impact of increased EU climate action on vulnerable households across Europe. Strategic autonomy in the energy sector was also on the agenda of the European Council.
The Europa-Institut team had the honor and responsibility of taking on the role of the European Commission, which included drafting the legislative proposal for the "European Social Climate Fund". The team spent a lot of time drafting the proposed regulation in the run-up to Christmas, making a significant contribution to the simulation taking place. In Wales, the students from the Europa Institut also took on responsibility in their role as the Commission and guided the simulated legislative process. The team was praised by the EuroSim hosts for their excellent design work and on-site support.
In addition to the academic component, the participants had the opportunity to explore the cities of Cardiff and Newport, visit the St. Faggans Museum and socialize with the other participants at a gala dinner, the numerous coffee breaks and a closing party. We congratulate the entire team on their remarkable group performance and wish them every success for the future. The team was financially supported by a so-called PROMOS scholarship via the DAAD program ("PROMOS") to increase the international mobility of students at Saarland University.