Created: 2026.02.19. 10:58
A law student of Széchenyi István University was selected to join the Hungarian delegation participating in the simulation event of the Council of the European Union, ConSIMium. At the two-day programme held in Brussels for the fourth time this year, Flóra Emma Varga successfully represented Hungary’s interests in the role of national expert.
ConSIMium is a simulation exercise bringing to life the functioning of the Council of the European Union. Within its framework, one student team from each Member State – altogether 27 teams – gains first-hand experience of negotiations between countries and of the European-level decision-making process. Over the two days, university students modelled meetings of the European Council and the Council of the European Union, participated in the preparatory work of the working parties and the Committee of Permanent Representatives (Coreper), as well as in the ministerial meeting, where they sought to reach compromise solutions on two current issues.
Six young participants were selected from a considerable number of Hungarian applicants to represent the country at the Brussels event. Within the delegation, Széchenyi István University in Győr was the only institution outside the capital represented, in the person of fourth-year law student Flóra Emma Varga, whose preparedness, strategic thinking, and negotiation and cooperation skills greatly contributed to the success of the Hungarian delegation. The team’s preparation was carried out by the Hungarian Rectors’ Conference, with the involvement of the National Conference of Student Unions and the University of Public Service.
Flóra Emma Varga, a fourth-year law student at Széchenyi István University (second from the right), participated in the event simulating the functioning of the Council of the European Union as a member of the Hungarian delegation (Photo: Fanni Kiss)
“I am very interested in European public law, which is why I was delighted when Dr László Knapp, Vice-Dean for Education at the Deák Ferenc Faculty of Law and Political Sciences and Associate Professor at the Department of International Law and European Law, drew my attention to this opportunity. My application was followed by successful oral interviews, and I was ultimately selected for the Hungarian delegation,” said the student from Győr. She added that prior to the event, the team jointly developed its strategy, which each member had to represent in their respective roles – as EU leader, ambassador, minister, journalist or national expert. “As a law student, I chose the latter role, and in addition to our joint preparation, I also took part in role-specific training sessions organised by the Council,” she explained.
University students from the Member States held discussions over two days, just like real EU officials (Photo: Fanni Kiss)
National experts were entrusted with a key task from the very beginning of the Brussels programme, as they were the first to deal with legislative proposals concerning economic coercion and foreign direct investment. “With regard to the latter, I had to reconcile the Hungarian position with the interests of the Commission and the other twenty-six Member States. Over the two days, we essentially went through the Union’s decision-making mechanism, modelling the various forums and the consultations taking place within them,” she emphasised.
Flóra Emma Varga highlighted that the debates during the programme were not directed; their outcomes and any potential compromises depended entirely on the participants, and in this context she was able to represent the Hungarian position firmly. “In addition to gaining a wealth of experience, I also established many valuable professional connections. I was able to gain deeper insight into the functioning of the Union and speak personally with those working there. All of this was also an important impetus for my own career, as in the future I would very much like to work at one of the European institutions, for example within the legal service,” she noted. The student from Győr believes that, at the Faculty of Law and Political Sciences of SZE, students not only receive up-to-date knowledge, but can also rely on their lecturers outside lectures – which, among other things, enabled her to represent Hungary at this major international event.
The two national experts of the Hungarian delegation, Flóra Emma Varga and Luca Piller. (Photo: Fanni Kiss)
