I have had the most wonderful experience attending the BSR MEP conference between 2nd and 8th of October in Potsdam, Germany. The Model European Parliament (MEP) is a simulation of the European Parliament, in which participants (delegates) try to find answers to difficult questions by assembling resolutions in smaller committees and then debating and voting on the resolutions in a final plenary session. It was a regional conference of the Baltic Sea Region (BSR), with delegates from all the Nordic and Baltic countries as well as Poland, Germany, Austria and Belgium. 

The conference lasted a week, and the political process began with several days of committee sessions. I was in the Security and Defence committee, and got to participate in some tough debates on how to keep the Baltic Sea safe. We even had a Youth Officer from the armed forces come and answer questions. What I enjoyed about the committee work was its small size, which allowed everyone to voice their opinion and participate in the debate. Overall, the committee debates were really interesting and a great way to learn debating, negotiation and finding common ground with others.

The conference culminated in a final session, which was held in the state parliament of Brandenburg, an incredible venue for the debate. Delegates delivered speeches for and against resolutions and we voted them, with my committee’s resolution receiving a grand amount of zero votes. That didn’t matter though, it was an amazing experience anyway! The organisers had also organised a great deal of other activities, such as a riverboat tour, committee talks with experts and political debates, which made the conference really diverse and engaging.

What really made this MEP conference so memorable was the venue and the other delegates. We all slept in one hostel, and I shared a room with some Icelandic guys, so I learned a great deal about Iceland (as they likewise did about Finland). I got to talk with people from all around Europe, which is always extremely interesting, and one of the biggest upsides of MEP. The city of Potsdam was a beautiful place to host the conference, with everything being within walking distance. In our free time we toured the palaces and castles in the city, and of course enjoyed the classic German delicacy, döner kebab.

Overall the conference was an incomparable experience that was a perfect blend of serious political debate and getting to goof and know other people and a foreign country during free time, and I really recommend anyone considering it to participate in a MEP conference! Keep an eye out for the national MEP session later this spring, it is a great start for your MEP career!

Daniel Björklund 21A

My great experience at iMEP Sofia

“Sure. I’ll go. I’ve been annoyed that we don't have more school trips anyway.” Was my first thought when I got the opportunity to go to the international Model European Parliament session in Bulgaria in the autumn. I had signed up thinking I probably would not be picked anyway and was unsure of if I wanted to go, but decided that I had nothing to lose. I see now that this was a shitty start to this text but the bottom line is that I could not be happier that I went. I ended up meeting amazing people from all around Europe that were, like me, interested in hearing other people's opinions and debating for their own. Some countries are so competitive about MEP and it takes a lot of work for some people to get the opportunity to participate. So one might think that a trip like this is only focused on working and that the people could be a bit closed off to social interactions because they are so focused on their work there. This was not the case at all, even though the committee meetings and General Assembly took up a lot of our time that week, we still had free time in the evenings to go explore the city. Also, the “work” we did there in committee meetings and the GA was something that we made fun. We are all there to learn about the world in a hands-on, straightforward way while making mistakes and not taking everything too seriously. (And as someone who takes GloPo, this gives you an insight to what Kenneth is actually talking about with the different parts of the EU.) The atmosphere in a place like this, when the whole hotel is booked for only members of the MEP and everyone is present and making the most of the experience is absolutely amazing, or marvelous, as my friend, a delegate from Belgium would say. I would definitely recommend participating in the international Model European Parliament if you have the chance, especially if you like meeting new people and discussing things to make something in this world a little bit better. 

If you are interested in this and have any questions to a former delegate, you can ask me:)

Lovisa Schulman 21K