Athenry students represented Slovenia in mock EU debate

IT SEEMS that every other week we hear about another EU Council summit or meeting in Brussels, but what actually takes place at these meetings of EU states and how do they work? To find this out and to get a feeling for how negotiations work at an EU level, students from the Presentation College Athenry, Scoil Bhríde Tuam and St Mary's College Galway took on the role of European politicians in the sixth annual Model Council of the European Union in Dublin Castle recently. The winners were Pobalscoil Inbhear Scéine, Kenmare, who get a free trip to Strasbourg in September to take part in an EU-wide schools Model European Parliament. Runners up were St Mary's College, Rathmines. [private] 'Role-playing is a brilliant way for students to understand how the EU system works,' says Barbara Nolan, Head of the Commission Representation in Ireland. 'These young people have the vote in a couple of years and it's critical that they understand what goes on in Brussels and how decisions are made.' Teams of transition and fifth year students from 27 schools took part with each school taking on the role of Minister for Finance from a different EU Member State. The students debated a mock European Commission proposal for a Directive to introduce a financial transaction tax in the 27 Member States of the European Union. The level of confidence, quality of research and articulacy was exceptionally high. The students gave very well prepared presentations and had a good grasp of the topic itself but also of related subjects such as the new fiscal treaty. The event was formally opened by the Minister of State for European Affairs, Lucinda Creighton TD and the debate was chaired by Dáithí O'Ceallaigh, Director General of the Institute for International and European Affairs. Each school's team was made up of three students, with two students speaking during the debate and the third member of the team acting as an adviser, taking notes and preparing questions for and responses to other Member States. The mock proposal that was debated is a simplified version of the 2011 Commission proposal for a financial transaction tax. Competing students and their teachers were encouraged to research and adopt the official position of the assigned Member State to add realism to the debate. The winning team will be invited to bring their classmates to Strasbourg in France to participate in the European Parliament's Euroscola project in September 2012. This project allows students from the EU's 27 Member States to work together for a day, just as MEPs do in the European Parliament. [/private]