Conference Information

The Model European Union Conference (MEUC) will take place as a simulation of the Council of the European Union in the Winter Semester 2024/2025.

Corruption is an acute threat to trust in democratic institutions, the European single market and thus to the stability of the European Union as a whole. Combating corruption is a complex challenge which requires close co-operation between the Member States of the European Union.

A Directive proposed by the European Commission (2023/0135(COD)) aims to harmonise the anti-corruption efforts at the criminal law level in order to decisively confront and overcome cross-border challenges. This proposal for a directive replaces existing regulations and defines clear guidelines for combating bribery, embezzlement, abuse of office and unauthorised influence - in both the public and private sectors. In addition to criminal law measures, the directive also promotes preventative approaches and calls on member states to set up anti-corruption agencies and ethics guidelines.

However, the differing views of member states illustrate the controversial nature of the topic and the difficulty of determining the degree of regulation required. There are also considerable differences of opinion between the institutions of the European Union. While the Commission and the European Parliament set strict guidelines in an ambitious proposal for a directive, the General Approach of the Council of the European Union shows disagreements in the definition of corruption and the scope of the regulatory approach.

The participants of the MEUC will tackle these complex challenges. In their role as representatives of the member states or an EU institution, they will discuss these and numerous other issues and try to develop a version of the directive on which a consensus can be reached. In doing so, they will not only gain a deeper insight into the structure and legislative work of the European institutions, but also improve their rhetorical and argumentative skills as well as their English proficiency.

The conference will take place on 6th and 7th December 2024. Participation includes a preparatory meeting, the conception of a position paper, as well as the final simulation at the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES).

The seminar is recognised as a key qualification of the Faculty of Law of HU and equals 2 BZQ-I points or 4 ECTS points.

Registration

You can register at meuc.rewi@hu-berlin.de (Isabel Aragón). 

Registration is open to students of all semesters. In addition to a brief statement of interest in participating, the following information is required: 

• Name, first name
• Semester 
• Matriculation number
• Possible previous experience (MEUC, MUN, Moot Courts, etc.) 
• Role request (Member State, EU Institution, Chair)

Important Dates

• Registration deadline: 04 November 2024
• Preliminary meeting: 04 November 2024 (6 pm - provisional time)
• Conference date: 06 & 07 December 2024
• The conference will be held in English. 
• The course is worth two BZQ-I points. For Erasmus or Master's students the course is worth four ECTS points. 

Please note that if you have participated in the Council Simulation before, you will not receive BZQ-I points for your second participation. You will however receive BZQ-I points if you have only taken part in the ECJ simulation.