FPZG Students Take Part in a European Parliament Decision-Making Simulation

About the project

The project addresses the challenges of low awareness and involvement of Croatian citizens in European Citizen Initiatives and EC public consultations on draft EU policies, as well as the lack of academic research, teaching and public debates about those challenges. It aims to promote excellence in teaching and research on active European democratic citizenship and strengthen the understanding of how the EU works as a precondition for active citizen engagement in EU policymaking. Given the low trust of Croatian citizens in the EU institutions and trends of disinformation about the EU, the project aims to contribute to the societal resilience to democratic backsliding tendencies and growing threats to fundamental European values.

By combining innovative teaching methods, students’ community engagement, research, and multi-stakeholder public debates, the project will enhance the active European citizenship competencies among students of political science and journalism at the Faculty of Political Science of the University of Zagreb and encourage them to share their knowledge about the EU among Croatian citizens. Through conducting communication campaigns on European citizen initiatives and EC public consultations and through participating in a simulation of negotiations on selected EU legislative files, students will develop their critical thinking skills and learn how to actively engage in European democratic life. Various events on active citizen engagement in EU policymaking will be organized to mobilise the participation of representatives of the academic community, civil society, media, and business, as well as local, state and EU-level policymakers. Drawing on the empirical evidence gathered during the project, a series of research papers will be published and the findings widely disseminated. The project should provide an impetus to increasing the number of Croatian citizens participating in European citizen initiatives and EC public consultations. The duration of the project is from September 2023 until September 2026.

As part of the course Interest Groups and Lobbying in the European Union, students from the Faculty of Political Science briefly stepped into the role of Members of the European Parliament and took part in a simulation of decision-making at the EU level. At the “Experience Europe” multimedia centre of the European Parliament Liaison Office in Croatia, they debated, negotiated, sought compromises, and voted on proposals for legislative acts affecting the lives of citizens across the European Union.

Simulations and role-playing exercises have proven to be excellent teaching tools. Students learn how alliances are built among political groups, how the views of interest groups and lobbyists are taken into account, how to communicate with the media and respond to emergencies, and how to reach consensus — just as Members of the European Parliament do.

The activity was carried out as part of the Jean Monnet Chair project Active European Democratic Citizenship for a Resilient Society, led by Professor Igor Vidačak, PhD. We would like to thank the European Parliament Liaison Office in Croatia for its hospitality and excellent support.

Jean Monnet Chair "Active European Democratic Citizenship for Resilient Society"

About the project

Key staff members from the Faculty

You can access the project's Facebook page by clicking on the link.

FPZG Students Take Part in a European Parliament Decision-Making Simulation