Local students simulate EU leaders summit

Over 50 students from five local tertiary institutions joined together at the University of Macau (UM)’s Senate Room during the weekend, simulating a European Union summit of state leaders.
Organized by the EU Academic Program of Macao (EUAP), the two-day “summit” had students representing the 28 member states of the EU and discussed current issues on the Ukraine crisis and the Ebola virus epidemic. Six of the participants who stood out will be awarded a free study mission to Europe.
“The students’ performance is better than we expected, given the fact that they are from very diverse academic backgrounds, majoring in different disciplines far from European Studies or International Relations,” commented UM associate professor Song Weiqing, who served as a judge at the event.
“It’s quite beneficial for students in Macau to simulate the real situation of internal negotiation between EU member states, as they can learn the knowledge of Europe and what is happening in Europe in a vivid matter that is quite different from class teaching,” he told the Times.
Besides local students, the participants comprised a large portion of mainland Chinese students as well as European and other Asian countries. Whilst helping broaden participants’ worldview, the event aimed to facilitate exchanges between students across countries and institutes.
“We are now living in an interdependent world. Although geographically it [Europe] appears to be quite far, in the globalization era, no places can be isolated from other parts of the world,” stressed the professor. “Students are encouraged to take a more positive and active attitude to learn about the outside world,” he added.
Now in its second edition, the Model EU event attracted about a hundred applicants this year, respectively from UM, the Macau University of Science and Technology, Macau Polytechnic Institute, University of Saint Joseph, and Institute for Tourism Studies. Meanwhile, the event itself was organized by UM’s student volunteers.
“This event has become a brand for our EU Academic Program,” said prof Song. “We plan to hold it on a regular annual basis.”