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Model European Union

Welcome to BYU’s Model European Union Team

For the past several years, BYU Students have competed at the West Coast Model EU (MEU) competition sponsored by the University of Washington in Seattle. MEU is a simulation of a European Council Summit where undergraduate students play the roles of representatives of EU member state delegations, the European Commission, the European Central Bank, and the European Parliament. MEU features two concurrent summit negotiation sessions focusing on two issues each year. BYU generally represents three EU member states and each member state has a representative in the two sessions. Approximately six students are selected by the beginning of December each year to compete in the February of the following year.

About the Model EU Course

Every November and December, BYU students are recruited and selected to participate in the MEU program, which they prepare for and compete in during winter semester. In previous years, the MEU program has operated as an extracurricular activity. However, starting in 2013, MEU has been offered as a winter semester course where team members may earn three credit hours for their work leading up to the MEU competition and upon their return. The first block specializes in preparation for the competition at the University of Washington in Seattle. Following the competition—as part of the requirements for this new course—students engage in an instructional development and mentoring component, whereby they design and prepare materials for the MEU Program for Secondary Schools. Projects include helping run an MEU workshop for secondary school teachers as well as the new MEU Secondary Schools Standalone competition in April.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is MEU?

Model European Union is an annual simulation of a European Council Summit that allows students to gain a deeper understanding of the workings of the EU. Students play the roles representative of EU member-state delegations and strategize policy issues surrounding a specified topic. Country assignment allows students to develop in-depth understanding of the interests and main allies of the countries they represent. By the end of the MEU course, students have developed a comprehensive understanding of the topic and country stance and are prepared to participate at the West Coast Model EU competition in Seattle, Washington.

As a class, it provides a hands-on learning experience for students to employ the skills of diplomats: public speaking, negotiation, research, writing, and collaboration. The EU provides a smaller, more intimate diplomatic setting, which allows students to fully engage as a representative of one of the twenty-eight member states.

Why should I participate?

Model European Union is a unique experience at BYU. It is an opportunity for practicing diplomacy, finding solutions to real problems, learning marketable skills, making new friends, and having fun. Did we mention it includes a free weekend trip to Seattle? Ask any former MEU team member—it is an experience of a lifetime and a defining memory in their undergraduate education.

How do I participate?

1. E-mail byumeu@gmail.com and express your interest in being considered for the MEU team.
2. A call for applications will be sent out.
3. Interviews take place in November each year, and the top six students are selected to compete.
4. Selection decisions are made by early December, and students must commit before Christmas.
5. The competition usually takes place in February and includes a Friday and Saturday in Seattle.

How hard is the class?

This class is similar to an internship course. Students are graded on their performance and required to demonstrate the skills they have learned in the MEU program. Because the students’ expenses to the competition in Seattle are covered through the Center for the Study of Europe, students will also be graded for their work on projects in the Center for the Study of Europe during the second course. See “MEU Course” on left menu for more detailed information.

What is the Seattle competition like?

The trip to Seattle is an invaluable experience with real application of the diplomacy, research, mediating, public speaking, and negotiation skills students have learned. BYU students will compete with other college students in a two-day West Coast Model EU Conference held at the University of Washington in Seattle. Students represent either the head of government/state in one session or the governmental minister in another session for a particular EU member state. In the simulation, BYU students work alone in separate sessions. However, each member state has one representative per session, and BYU students will work with their fellow country partner in the weeks of preparation prior to the conference.

The trip to Seattle is also fun. Costs covered by the European Studies program include the flight, transportation, and a one-night stay in a hotel. Students will have the opportunity to do some sightseeing, although the trip is fairly short—only one weekend.