The European Model United Nations (EuroMUN) is a simulation of organs of the United Nations and other selected forums of world politics. It takes place from May 16 – 20, 2012 and will be held in the Maastricht Exhibition and Congress Center (MECC).
Since the first conference was organized by a group of ambitious international students in 2008, EuroMUN has grown to be the second largest MUN in Europe. EuroMUN is organized and hosted by a team of students from different academic backgrounds. MUNs engage with world affairs, but are not reserved for students of political sciences since international relations as such are influenced by many different factors. Students with backgrounds of economics, law, journalism, linguistics, criminology and even the natural sciences may be surprised how multidisciplinary decision-making can be when many interests are involved. Thus EuroMUN arguably holds a special value for every participant.
The overarching theme of the conference in 2012 is:“Peace, Progress, Prosperity - Forging New Paths in Uncertain Times”
The idea behind this theme is that on one hand, one is striving for sustainable solutions to regional, national and global problems, while on the other hand the distribution of power in the world is changing. Resource scarcity, the rise of the BRIC states, the future of the African Continent and the European Union are just some aspects of this issue. The theme is not only challenging, controversial and relevant to all future leaders, but also it can be found on top of the Global as well as the European Agenda.
EuroMUN offers three optional pre-programs to the conference. The first pre-program will take place in Brussels, the “European Capital”. It will entail visits to European Institutions and panel discussions by experts working in the European Union or being involved in the complex system of interest groups and lobbyists. The second pre-program will take place in The Hague and provide participants with an insight into the Peace Palace and an introduction to international law and justice. The third pre-program will take us to Bonn, the former German capital and the location of multiple UN institutions. Of course, there is enough room to discover the cities, socialize and celebrate together in each of the pre-programs.
In 2012, European Model United Nations will become more European than ever before. In addition to the pre-programs, EuroMUN offers a simulation of the European Council in which participants act as a European head of state. Moreover, a simulation of the European Parliament (EP) will, in coordination with a simulation of the EU Council of Ministers, pass a legislation under the ordinary legislation procedure. This sophisticated type of simulation entails very close co-operation between the two bodies and is a truly challenging experience.