A competitive simulation game titled EU Negotiation Moot was held on November 26, 2011 at Corvinus University of Budapest. Student Kriszta Tátrai represented PPCU as the President of the European Parliament taking second place with her political faction.

How did you find out about the competition?

"I first saw the interviews with last year’s winners on the website, which aroused my interest and I thought I would take part in it in the future. Then I saw a poster last autumn about the next Negomoot competition and I decided to participate. "

So, it was the first time that you took part in a competitive simulation game. Did you have to apply in teams or alone?

I applied by myself. There were no teams, everyone applied as an individual participant. The rewards were also granted to the best players, not teams. There were lots of students from various Hungarian universities, including the PPCU’s Faculty of Law and Political Sciences. Except for 1 or 2 experienced players, most of us were there for the first time."

How did the preparation and the competition itself take place?

"The topic of the competitive simulation game was the Arabic spring and the game took place in two Saturdays at the Corvinus University. First, we were presented with the rules, the tasks of the roles, as well as the mechanisms of speeches. Then, Kristóf Kovács held a presentation about the Arabic spring. Finally, we had the opportunity to try ourselves in front of the camera giving half-minute summaries, which were analysed afterwards. The competition itself was held on the second Saturday. We were drawn into factions, and then we voted on the president of the EP and the SEDE. These positions meant extra points for the factions."

What was it like taking on the role of the President of the European Parliament? What tasks did you have to do?

"I was very happy with this role for various reasons. First, it is not something that you can try every day, and also it had practical benefits as I could control the speeches in a way that I could serve my faction better."

What was the atmosphere of the competition like? What was the most memorable moment for you and why?

"The entire course of the game was very exciting. It turned out that the vote of my faction was very important for both sides, so we tried to negotiate in two directions. During the competition the tables were turned several times and until the last 30 minutes it looked like that we would get the most points. Then suddenly one of the biggest factions decided not to support us, so we got to the second place. I cannot really mention a single moment which was the most memorable one, because there were many. The atmosphere was really good during the entire game as students were of the same age group with similar interests and determination."

All in all, what experience did you gain at this competition? Did you get something new in terms of knowledge or experience?

"This competition was very useful for me because I could experience how difficult it is for a faction to negotiate and to find supporters for its priorities in the long run. This meant a completely new challenge, which I really enjoyed and therefore I plan to take part in other competitions as well. "