For 32 years, colleges and universities from across the United States have assembled once a year to participate in the Mid-Atlantic European Union (EU) Simulation. This year’s simulation went from Nov. 14 to Nov. 16 and was hosted at the Holiday Inn Arlington at Ballston located in Arlington, Virginia. Elizabethtown College once again had the privilege to participate, this year with a class of ten students under Dr. Oya Durson-Özkanca. The Etown class represented presidents, prime ministers and ministers from Cyprus, Romania, Poland and Hungary.
Junior Avery Burke, who played the role of the Polish Minister of Finance and Climate, Paulina Hening-Kloska, said she enjoyed the experience.
“I thought it was educational. It was nice to be able to debate in a controlled professional setting,” Burke said. “Most people knew what they were talking about and were respectful. I want to be a foreign service officer, so this will help me with that.”
Four other student delegations James Madison University, John Carroll University, the University of Scranton and Susquehanna University, were at the simulation. These universities all had European member states to represent including Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark, Germany, Estonia, Ireland, Spain, France, Croatia, Italy, Latvia, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Finland and Sweden.
The Etown student delegation had the honor of meeting with the Polish embassy as part of EU Simulation custom. They were greeted warmly by the Polish embassy staff and brought to a meeting room to discuss the topics of the simulation.
Two Etown students presented the 2023 EU Simulation commission pieces to the Polish embassy staff. The pieces regarded topics such as energy security and the reconstruction of Ukraine. The Polish staff gave a brief digest of what Poland’s stances are regarding the subjects.
The student delegation then departed to the hotel where the EU Simulation was set to be held, with the evening off to prepare for the sessions.
At 8 a.m. on Nov. 15, the EU Simulation was set into motion. The student delegations split into three groups, including the European Council (EUCO), Economic and Affairs Council (ECOFIN) and the Transport, Telecommunications and Energy Council (TTE). The councils had until 10 a.m. to introduce the legislative pieces and begin negotiations.
After resuming at 10:30 a.m., the sessions continued within each council on whether to amend the proposed legislation or keep it as is. This debate continued throughout the day, with a lunch break at noon and eventually concluding at 4:30 p.m.
The first time Özkanca led the Etown delegation in the EU Simulation was in 2007.
“We were all Hungary. The Simulation had two councils of ministers and the European Parliament. It was so fun,” Özkanca said.
When asked what similarities Özkanca has seen over the years at the simulation, she had some insights.
“The students get quickly into their role assignments. That transformation is like a miracle. The students take things seriously and professionally,” Özkanca said.
Özkanca expressed immense pride for Etown’s student delegation, who had been preparing in her fall 300 level EU Simulation class.
“The students are awesome. The way they carry themselves is professional. They truly represent the countries’ positions, sticking to international and national interests. It is really amazing,” Özkanca said.
Students were given two hours after the sessions concluded before the reception was held at 7 p.m. This was a formal catered gathering of all the student delegations and staff members, a place for friendly conversation outside sessions.
The final day consisted of the sessions starting at 8 a.m., a coffee break at 10 a.m. and the closing reception at 12:15 p.m. The student representatives presented awards to each council; the student delegation voted for an award for whoever showed outstanding leadership.
A student delegate from Susquehanna University representing Belgium won an award for their role in TTE. Another student from Susquehanna won an award as the German minister of finance in ECOFIN. A student from Scranton University received an award for their role as the prime minister of Croatia in EUCO.
Several Etown students expressed their enthusiasm over the EU Simulation and how it went. One included senior Silje Lorentzenplayed the role of Mihály Varga, the Hungarian minister of finance as well as head of ECOFIN.
“I thought it was fun being president of the council, even though I didn’t speak much on my own countries’ role. It was fun being a moderator. The simulation teaches you a lot about policy making and how to deal with people,” Lorentzen said.
The EU Simulation served as an experiential learning experience for all the Etown students involved. The goal of this experience is that each student takes critical skills they learned into their career fields.
