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On 5-6 February 2026, over 160 students met in Brussels to take part in ConSIMium – a European Council simulation experience. Over two days, teams of six students from 27 EU countries stepped into the shoes of national representatives and role-played negotiations between the EU member states at four different levels. This is the fourth time the event has taken place.

The purpose 

ConSIMium is a hands-on experience of decision-making in the Council of the European Union and the European Council. The simulation allows students to understand the role of the member states in decision-making, the role of the Council’s Presidency, the value of deciding together and the importance of reaching a compromise. The scenario is based on real European legislation and countries’ negotiating positions. The simulation takes place in the Council buildings’ meeting rooms where ministers and EU leaders meet. 

The structure 

The participants take one of the following roles: head of state or government, minister, ambassador (permanent representative to the EU), national expert or journalist. In each meeting, representatives of the Presidency, the Council Legal Service, policy departments, and the European Commission play their real-life roles alongside the students. This year the two acts negotiated concerned Foreign Direct Investment Screening and the Economic Coercion Instrument (sometimes referred to as the “Bazooka”), both highly topical and of great importance for Ireland.

The participants 

To ensure equal access of participants, the organiser – the General Secretariat of the Council – covers the travel and accommodation costs. The participating students are selected at national level. As in previous years Prof. em. Joachim Fischer (��ɫ��Ƶ) was the national co-ordinator for Ireland. The Irish team consisted of six European Studies students from TCD, UCC and UL. The students were prepared for the event in two sessions with academic experts in UCC and UL. During the event the students were kindly invited by the Irish Permanent Representation to the European Union to visit their offices where they were welcomed by Ambassador Cait Moran, Deputy Permanent Representative of Ireland to the EU. The PermRep Press Office put together a with a brief summary of the students’ experiences.

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