FIR Students Try Preparing a Mandate for the European Council at Hrzán Palace

How is the Czech Republic’s common position on European issues formed, and what does it take to find a compromise between the various players? Students of the Faculty of International Relations at VŠE tried it out in practice. At Hrzán Palace, they took part in a simulation of preparing a mandate for the European Council, held on the occasion of the 1,000th meeting of the Committee for the EU.

Ahead of the Committee for the EU’s jubilee meeting, first-year students of the “Sustainable Transformation and European Competitiveness” programme took their seats at the negotiating table in Hrzán Palace. For a while, they stepped into the roles of those who help shape Czech positions on European policies, gaining a glimpse into a process that normally takes place behind closed doors.

Experts from the Department of European Policy Coordination at the Office of the Government of the Czech Republic first introduced the students to how the Committee for the EU works and explained how European affairs are coordinated at the national level. Then came the simulation itself. In teams, the students prepared fictional mandates for a European Council meeting, discussed individual priorities and looked for common solutions. They then presented the results of their work to the other participants.

The simulation gave students a great opportunity to connect the knowledge gained in their studies with hands-on experience. They learned first-hand that preparing a national position is not only a matter of expert arguments, but also of communication, coordination and the ability to reach a compromise.

The event was organised by the Department of Communication on European Affairs of the Office of the Government of the Czech Republic (“Tvoříme Evropu”), together with the Department of European Policy Coordination and the Centre for European Studies at FIR VŠE. The faculty was also represented by Jarolím Antal, Director of the Centre for European Studies, and Josef Bič, Deputy Head of the Department of International Economic Relations.

We would like to thank the Office of the Government of the Czech Republic for the opportunity to involve our students in this experience, and all participants for their active approach!

Learn more about the master’s programme “Sustainable Transformation and European Competitiveness” here.