Bringing Europeans Together Association

Bringing Europeans Together Association (BETA e.V.) is a European politically independent, non-profit association which articulates and promotes international understanding by implementing political simulations of EU decision-making. This kind of simulation is called Model European Union (MEU). Doing so, BETA does not only offer knowledge and support to its various Partner MEUs, but also organises two simulations on its own, namely MEU Strasbourg and MEU Online.

Aims

BETA gives the young people the opportunity to be heard on the European arena and to work together in the spirit of cooperation and collaboration that exceeds national BOUNDARIES. It’s aim in organising MEUs is to enable young Europeans who dare to “think European” to become agents of change, encouraging them to get together and take action in order to make Europe a better place for its citizens.

Vision

We want to inspire young people in order to:

Foster European identity and consciousness, based on the principles of plurality, tolerance and cooperation among individuals
Contribute to the emergence of a European public sphere
Strengthen European civil society by furthering the development of democratic processes on the national and international levels (e.g. by organising MEUs)

Mission

We wish to nurture an active interest in European topics through:

Promoting intercultural exchanges (e.g. IDeaS, opinions, visions, ideals), understanding, and empathy across Europe and beyond
Supporting non-formal education and extensive access to information about European organisations (e.g. EU)
Constructing European networks by connecting civil actors and non-governmental organisations with each other
Encouraging community involvement and voluntary work

History

BETA e.V. was founded in 2008 by nine young Europeans in order to ensure a sustainable and legal basis for MEU Strasbourg which took place for the first time in spring 2007 being the first simulation of EU ordinary legislative procedure ever. Since then, not only the association but also its projects have grown a lot. The number of participants and applications for MEU Strasbourg increased and a new project, MEU Online was brought into being. Furthermore, further (Partner)MEUs evolved all around Europe such as MEU Mainz, MEU Granada or MEU Zagreb all of them being supported by BETA’s knowledge and team members.

Organisational Structure

BETA e.V. is a non-profit association which has its legal seat in Mainz, Germany, but its’ more than 136 members are spread all over Europe. The active part of the association consists of the Board (President, Vice-President, and Treasurer), and eight teams (Concept, Fundraising, Human Resources, Information Technologies, Layout and Design, Legal Affairs, Public Relations, Translation Services). BETA’s main projects, MEU Strasbourg and MEU Online, both have their own organising teams which follow a similar structure. Each project is supervised by a Director-General and a Deputy Director-General who are appointed by the BETA Board.

Main Projects

MEU Strasbourg

MEU Strasbourg is a simulation of the decision-making and legislative procedures of the European Union. The project brings together more than 180 young Europeans at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France. For one week, the participants have the opportunity to learn first-hand about the workings of EU institutions at the actual seat of the European Parliament.

MEU Online

MEU Online is BETA’s latest project which is currently in development. MEU Online is planned to be a simulation of the ordinary legislative procedure of the European Union. But what sets it apart from other similar events is that it is going to be completely set in a virtual environment. This particular aspect of the conference enables it to be open and accessible to participants regardless of their social standing, financial budget or time constraints. The first edition of MEU Online will launch in 2015.