Simulations of the European Council and the Council of the European Union (#ConSIMium) with Slovak participation again this year. Six Slovak students and a national coordinator took part in the third edition of the competition, organised by the General Secretariat of the Council of the European Union. In Slovakia, the project partner is the Slovak Rectors' Conference.

Student delegates and national coordinators from the 27 EU Member States had the opportunity to simulate negotiations between Prime Ministers, ambassadors, ministers and experts or to act as journalists at the Council of the EU on 20 and 21 February 2025. The negotiation simulation project has been running since 2023 and offers participating students a unique professional experience and an unforgettable experience.

This year, the simulations were held on topics related to strengthening the European defence industry through joint procurement (EDIRPA) and the establishment of a framework to ensure a secure and sustainable supply of critical raw materials (CRM).

The Slovak delegation included our student Ema Sotáková as the national expert on EDIRPA issues The students from Slovak universities were prepared and accompanied by the national coordinator Vladimír Müller from Matej Bel University in Banská Bystrica, who has been working on the project since the beginning. Before the simulation, the Slovak students had the opportunity to meet with the staff of the Permanent Representation of the Slovak Republic to the EC in Brussels, who helped them to orientate themselves in the processes and topics.

National coordinator Vladimír Müller says: "The participants of the third edition of the ConSIMium simulation experienced for the first time a situation where one of the draft legislations was not approved́. It was a remarkable experiencě because the students saw the consequences of such a situation. The Slovak students were very well prepared for the simulation and were able to effectively and efficiently defend Slovak interests on both legislative proposals in competition with all Member States."

Ema Sotáková concludes: ‘I am incredibly grateful to have had the opportunity to meet with my colleagues from the 27 EU Member States and to understand the challenges that other EU Member States are facing today.’

A total of 18 male and female students from 12 Slovak universities, selected by SRK, have participated in the three editions of the #ConSIMium project so far.

Based on  Press Release SRK