RIBO LABASTIDA A. & WEILER Q. - Simulation Game : EU International Crisis Response (30h)

In this role-playing simulation exercise students will be confronted with the challenge to design a collective European response to international crises affecting the European Union (EU). They will be playing a role within the EU institutions, the delegation of an EU Member State or as a journalist.

In this role, students will negotiate a response to the crises using the institutional framework and mechanisms, rules and practices in the field of EU crisis management and, more generally, external action. This negotiation will be held formally in Council meetings of the geographical Working Group (WG), the Political and Security Committee (PSC) and the Foreign Affairs Council (FAC), as well as informally throughout the week.

The negotiation process will require the drafting of four outcome documents (the deliverables): 1) an Option Paper outlining the various options that might be considered to implement a comprehensive EU response to the crises; 2) Council Conclusions stating the EU’s position on the crisis situations; 3) a Decision defining a Union action (Art. 25 TEU); and 4) a Press Release after the FAC meeting.

Decisions taken in the framework of the Common Foreign and Security Policy/Common Security and Defence Policy (CFSP/CSDP) are among the most political within the EU and require unanimity. The negotiations of political and operational responses to a crisis are intense, complex and usually take place under immense time pressure. Students’ understanding of the mechanisms and dynamics that govern these negotiations will be greatly enhanced by their roles and practical interactions in the framework of this exercise. It offers an opportunity to apply the knowledge learned in other courses.

ECTS Card 2020-2021