Democracy Lab – "Mission Europe" simulation game on 13th and 14th November 2023 in Tbilisi, Georgia
22 participants from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Ukraine spent two eventful days in the Georgian capital Tbilisi. As members of the European Parliament, the Council of the EU and the European Commission, the participants decided on the candidate status of the potential accession candidates Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia. While in reality, Ukraine and Moldova have already held this status since 2022 and Georgia recently received the recommendation of the EU Commission, albeit with conditions, the "Mission Europe" simulation game set everything back to square one. In the roles of decision-makers at European level, the young students scrutinised whether the potential candidates met the Copenhagen criteria - and where they needed to make improvements.
After two intensive days of negotiations, the EU Council President of the simulation game announced the hard-won decision on the recommendation of the Commission and the Parliament. All three countries will become accession candidates! The delegation of candidate countries played by the participants was delighted. However, the Council granted the status subject to conditions. Only if all three countries made improvements in the areas of rule of law, democratisation and the economy would they have a chance of joining the EU. All EU representatives at the final press conference also wanted their decision to be understood as a political statement that by granting candidate status, the EU was committing itself to supporting all three countries, even in the face of territorial insecurity and the threat posed by Russia.
After the role exit our trainers welcomed the participants back into their "own" skin. It was particularly interesting, but also challenging, to take on perspectives that were unfamiliar to them. This was also accompanied by an increase in knowledge about the EU accession process. The participants assured us that this gave them valuable knowledge that is urgently needed in their countries on the road to the EU. This is not necessarily a step on the euphoria brake. In many respects, the participants saw their countries' path towards the EU confirmed.
The simulation game seminar took place as part of the "Democracy Lab 2023" of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation South Caucasus.
