MEP EU 27+ candidate countries

2 international sessions a year

Two EU 27+ International Sessions take place on a yearly basis in a different European capital and are undertaken by the national organisations of the programme. The working language in international sessions is English.

Five students are chosen to represent each EU member state, and together they comprise a delegation. Each delegate represents his/her native country in one of ten committees to discuss international issues which appear on the agenda of the European Parliament.

The committees are structured as follows: Committee on Foreign Affairs, Committee on Security & Defence, Committee on Employment & Social Affairs, Committee on Environment, Public Health & Food Safety, Committee on Industry, Research & Energy, Committee on Culture & Education, Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice & Home Affairs, Committee on Women’s Rights & Gender Equality among others.

The participating States are divided into two groups – Group A and Group B. Each group is assigned 5 committee issues to address with a resolution. The committees are coordinated by a Committee Chair and a Vice-Chair from different countries. The work in the committees is carried out by the young delegates, one from each participating country.

The common goal is to find consensus within a committee on the draft of a resolution that is presented to the General Assembly and vigorously defended in the hope of winning majority approval.

All activities take place in a week during which there are team building activities, an official opening ceremony, committee meetings to write the resolutions, a meeting to decide on amendments and textual changes, lobbying activities, and the General Assembly. A meeting of the delegations at the Embassy of their country in the capital of the organising state is also scheduled along with a cultural night event and a party at the end of the international session.

International sessions began in 1994 in the Kingdom of the Netherlands, with international sessions each year in capitals and cities such as Paris, Dublin, Copenhagen, Vienna, Tallinn, Vilnius, Berlin, Norwich, Oxford, Madrid, Nicosia, Skopje, Istanbul, Stockholm, Helsinki, Luxembourg, Budapest, Bonn, Maastricht, Rome, Naples, etc.