Schiller participates at the MEP project, where 17-year-olds discuss European issues at the Congress of Deputies

Date

March 28, 2023

Campus

Madrid

Knowledge Area

International Relations and Diplomacy

23rd-National-Session-of-The-Model-European-Parliament-program

Once again, Schiller International University, Schiller has participated in the session of The Model European Parliament as a proud academic partner of Fundación San Patricio.

Over the weekend, hundred students from the first year of baccalaureate from 47 schools from all over Spain have visited the new campus in Madrid and rehearse for the final session at the Congress of Deputies.

Following the protocol of the Strasbourg chamber, they have agreed on proposals on different relevant issues for the future of Europe, and have debated them in the Congress of Deputies.

MEP-project-17-year-olds-discuss-European-issues-at-the-Congress-of-Deputies

European defense, youth employment, the supply crisis and the risks posed by artificial intelligence for Human Rights, have been part of the debate, in which the consequences of the war in Ukraine have been very present. On the subject of artificial intelligence and the protection of human rights, they discussed proposals such as the incorporation of the Algorithmic Justice League to promote "the creation or modification of more ethical algorithms that do not use irrelevant data such as sex or race when being trained". They have also discussed proposals for platforms to incorporate filters to remove hate messages and have expressed the need to restrict access to networks to children under 12 years of age and to censor inappropriate content for this age group, as well as to progressively incorporate AI in education, and to ban AIs in medical procedures without human supervision, as long as their reliability is not ensured.

The Model European Parliament (MEP) is an educational program for young people from EU Member States and candidates to the EU whose aim is to awaken interest in international decision-making processes and cooperation, creating awareness of European citizenship and a culture of constructive parliamentary debate. The program has been organized in Spain by the Fundación San Patricio since 1999 and has the collaboration of Schiller International University, Schiller.

The students reproduce the functioning of the European Parliament in regional, national and international sessions. After studying a problem in depth, they reach a consensus in working groups on different proposals, which are then debated and voted on by the participants as a whole. During the process, in addition to the functioning of European institutions, they learn the complexity and value of reaching agreements that bring together the sensitivities of different positions on relevant issues.

Schiller-participates-in-the-session-of-The-Model-European-Parliament

In the previous regional sessions, participants who have stood out for their depth of analysis, creativity in putting forward proposals and skill in debate have been selected. In this national session, the young people who will represent Spain in the international sessions of the MEP will be chosen. There they will address different topics related to the future of the EU and will elaborate proposals agreed with participants from all over the Union. Their final conclusions are presented to the European Parliament.

Marta Muñiz, CEO President of Schiller International University, Schiller, urged the participants not to forget the lessons learned from this experience: "You are the future European decision-makers. From your respective professions, you will shape the society that awaits us and in your hands you have the ability to make it more tolerant, inclusive and diverse. I therefore encourage you to never forget what you have learned here, whatever your profession."

The university is part of the evaluation committee of the MEP, through its Dean Jesús Soto, and collaborates with scholarships for participants in this initiative who wish to continue their higher education at Schiller International University, Schiller.

The closing session was attended by Marta Muñiz, CEO Schiller International University, Schiller, Ramón Rodríguez, President of the MEP Spain Board of Trustees, Jürgen Föcking, Deputy Director of the Office of the European Parliament, Jorge Lorenzo Zingone, President of the MEP National Session and Agata Tutzó, program Coordintaion of the Fundación San Patricio.