There are several intercollegiate U.S.-based Model European Union (MEU) programs to consider. Each MEU offers advantages to potential participants in terms of costs associated with travel, pedagogical goals, location, mission, and so forth. Here is a list of the six largest and most active MEUs in terms of student participation. SUNYMEU, the Midwest MEU, the West Coast MEU, and the University of Pittsburgh MEUs are organized by EU/European studies centers, while the Mid-Atlantic Model EU and Eurosim are organized by faculty at participating universities through consortia.
The SUNY Model European Union (SUNYMEU) program alternates between a SUNY campus and the SUNY Global Center in New York City. Participting students are mainly from college campuses located on the East Coast, Canada (Ontario and Quebec) and in European countries. Both undergraduate and graduate students are welcome to participate in SUNYMEU.
SUNYMEU is a simulation of the conclusion of a six-month EU presidency. Therefore, all 27 EU member states are represented (head of government, foreign minister, finance minister, and EU ambassador - i.e. COREPER II). In addition, one participating university plays the European Commission and students at the host campus play the Council's General Secretariat. "Veteran" SUNYMEUers are selected to play the roles of the President of the European Union Council and the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy (the EU's foreign minister). Because SUNYMEU is a program created and overseen by the Institute for European Union Studies at SUNY (IEUSS), which itself is affiliated with the SUNY Office of Global Affairs, it is guided by the IEUSS's mission, including seeking to provide an affordable and accessible experience for college students. Importantly, students of color have been historically underrepresented in MEUs and study abroad programs and SUNYMEU faculty and student organizers work to remedy this historical imbalance through its recruitment efforts.
SUNYMEU is student-run and student-directed and guided by the SUNYMEU (faculty) directors and the IEUSS board of directors. The SUNYMEU student director works closely with the SUNYMEU faculty director and a team of student organizers. SUNYMEU has found that by involving students in the organizing and implementing of SUNYMEU, they learn not only more about the EU, but important conference organizing skills that they take with them into the job market or graduate/professional studies.
For more information about SUNYMEU, please see SUNYMEU FAQ.
The Canadian Model European Union
The Canadaian MEU began in 2023, having been hosted by Carleton University (2023) and York University (2024). It typically takes place during the first weekend of May.
The Midwest Model European Union
The Midwest Model European Union (MMEU), as with SUNYMEU, is a project of an academic institute. In this case, the Institute for European Studies, Indiana University, Bloomington. The Midwest MEU meets on an annual basis and is hosted by IU's Institute for European Studies. The MMEU simulates a European Council summit and various other Councils, depending on the agenda items being discussed. The participants are undergraduate students from colleges and universities located in the Midwest USA.
West Coast Model European Union
The West Coast Model European Union is an annual simulation of a European Council summit, bringing together undergraduate students from across the United States and Canada. Students, in teams of two, play the roles of representatives of European Union Member State delegations. Participants negotiate two issues of concern for the country holding the Presidency. The West Coast Model EU takes place at the University of Washington in Seattle and is organized by the UW Center for West European Studies, an EU Jean Monnet Center of Excellence.
University of Pittsburgh, European Union Studies Center, Model EU
This is an annual MEU for undergraduate students. It takes place at the University of Pittsburgh and is sponsored by its European Studies Center.
The Mid-Atlantic Model European Union
This program has existed for many years and largely recruits students from colleges and universities located in the mid-Atlantic region. The Mid-Atlantic MEU is organized by the Mid-Atlantic Model European Union Simulation Consortium (MEUSC).
Eurosim (no central link found)
Eurosim (not to be confused with Eurosim - the Federation of European Simulation Societies) is an intercollegiate simulation of the EU's legislative process (includes the European Parliament). It alternates between a university located in the U.S. and in Europe on an annual basis. As with the MEUSC (see above), Eurosim in not associated with any particular EU or European studies center, but rather is organized by a consortium of faculty who are dedicated to organizing and hosting the annual simulation. Eurosim began as the SUNY Model European Community (SUNYMEC), hosted and managed by SUNY Brockport's Department of Political Science. This MEU underwent several name changes throughout its long history and converted itself into a nonprofit organization in the 1990s, while continuing to be hosted at SUNY campuses (Brockport and Fredonia) and (mainly) funded through SUNY budgets and in-kind contributions (such as faculty course releases) and the SUNY Office of Global Affairs. The SUNY Office of Global Affairs revitalized the "SUNY" in SUNYMEU in 2007 as a program of the Institute for European Union Studies to ensure that SUNYMEU aligned with the objectives of the State University of New York, especially with respect to affordability, accessibility, and student engagement. (See SUNYMEU Archives.)
