The SUNY Model European Union (SUNYMEU) is a program sponsored by the Institute for European Union Studies at SUNY (IEUSS), the SUNY Office of Global Affairs (with which IEUSS is affiliated), and participating SUNY campuses. SUNYMEU is guided by Rules & Procedures approved and published by the IEUSS, in consultation with faculty advisers participating in SUNYMEU. The IEUSS serves as the governance and financial reporting body for SUNYMEU. The SUNYMEU faculty directors provide an annual report of SUNYMEU, includng a financial statement, by June 30 of each year to the IEUSS Board.
The SUNY Model European Union was founded in 1988 by the State University of New York (SUNY) as an adaptation of the popular Model United Nations (MUN), but differs in its conception, organization, roles, and outcomes. (For more information, please visit the SUNYMEU Archive page.)
The MUN is, by and large, a simulation for students of diplomacy and foreign affairs, while the Model EU (MEU) simulates policymaking at the ministerial and head of government levels in the European Union. While the UN is an international organization, most scholars regard the EU as being more than this, though the terms they use to describe it, vary. Some, for example, view it as a rather special type of international organization (IO). Some emphasize that it has state-like properties. And some suggest it is a quasi-federal system. Thus, the MEU offers students opportunities to hone their skills both in diplomacy and governance.
SUNYMEU simulates a summit of the European Council. The summits are held at least twice a year, including in June and December when they signal the end of an EU presidency. However, with the EU facing a succession of crises in recent years, “special” summits of European Councils occur much more often now. European Council meetings are normally held in the Europa Building in Brussels.
