EuroSim - A transatlantic simulation
The Europa-Institut, in cooperation with a consortium of American and European universities, organizes an annual simulation of European decision-making processes, called EuroSim.
The event, which is held in English, offers students an excellent opportunity to test their acquired knowledge and skills in practice. EuroSim takes place every year, alternating between universities in Europe and the USA.
EuroSim 2025
From 02 to 05 January 2025, the Europa-Institut participated in EuroSim, organized by the University of Antwerp and the STRATEGO Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence.
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 on preventing pellet losses to reduce microplastic pollution. The Europa-Institut students took on the roles of the Rapporteurs, Head of States, Council Ministers, Party Group Leaders and various Ministers of the Parliament.
The team from the Europa-Institut received three prizes from the EuroSim organizers. The participant playing MEP Emma Wiesner (Renew Europe) was awarded Most Effective Debater in the ENVI I. The participant playing MEP and Party Leader Katri Kulmuni (also Renew Europe) was awarded Most Effective Debater in the ENVI II. Lastly, the participant playing Lobbyist Patrizia Heidegger (European Environmental Bureau) was awarded Most Valuable Contribution from an NGO/Special Role. The team was able to use the legal knowledge and public speaking skills they had developed at the Europa-Institut during the simulation in Antwerp. The whole team worked very hard and committedly and cooperated well with the other participants to make the simulation as a whole a success.
Unfortunately, due to the timing of this year’s edition of EuroSim, the team was unable to participate in the pre-simulation extracurricular activities. However, after the simulation and before returning to Saarbrücken, the students and coaches spent a few hours exploring the city of Antwerp.
EuroSim 2024
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 January 3 to 7, 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 alleviate the burden 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.
Overall, Eurosim was an educational, motivating and not least fun experience. It was interesting to discuss EU political and legal issues with students from universities both in the USA and elsewhere in Europe. Our different backgrounds expanded the scope of the debates and made them more challenging. This had us thinking in new ways, and made more clear to me the importance of the different perspectives when representatives of the EU come together to discuss Union matters.