Ever since the first edition of Model European Union Strasbourg took place ten years ago, interest in MEU conferences as a tool for young people to learn about the legislative process of the EU has been steadily rising. Today, there are MEU conferences being held in 15 countries in Europe and beyond, with new ones emerging every year. What has once been a unilateral project carried out by BETA e.V. has grown into a concept implemented by a vast network of different associations, most of whom BETA e.V. maintaines strong partnerships with. BETA’s aim as an association is not just to ensure the successful implementation of its own projects, but also to bundle and share expertise in organising MEU conferences with its partner associations. The MEU Symposium aims to serve the latter purpose.With such a large network of MEU conferences, BETA e.V. developed the MEU Symposium as a tool to ensure the high quality and efficient implementation of MEU conferences, as well as qualitative coherence throughout the various partner associations. In order to serve these two purposes, the MEU Symposium will see two kinds of activities designed for two types of participants.The MEU Symposium 2016 will be attended by a total of 50 participants: experienced members of BETA’s partner associations, henceforth referred to as experts, as well as new, inexperienced members of the partner associations or individuals wishing to become involved with organising an MEU conference, henceforth referred to as beginners. The activities carried out during the MEU Symposium will cater to the participants’ profiles and areas of expertise: while the beginners will be attending Workshops covering all aspects of organising a successful MEU conference, the experts will either be leading said Workshops, or discussing issues of cooperation among all partner associations with experts from other associations during Round Tables. This ensures the MEU Symposium as both an attractive training event for new and prospective MEU organisers, as well as a convention of associations organising MEU conferences with the opportunity to discuss ways of optimising cooperation between partners.The objectives of the Symposium are twofold: (1) improve the quality of MEU conferences in Europe and beyond by training its organisers; and (2) improve the way partner associations cooperate by providing the opportunity to discuss and agree on efficient methods of cooperation and integration of the partnership network. This will be ensured by adapting the working methods and content of the activities to the needs and abilities of the participants. Workshops will be prepared by experts and held interactively for beginners to learn, while Round Tables will take the form of deliberative sessions with a chairperson and an agenda, and the aim to produce a written decision or report from each Round Table.The MEU Symposium will have short-term, medium-term and long-term impacts on both the individual participants and the participating partner associations. Firstly, participants directly gain valuable skills needed not only for organising and managing volunteer projects such as MEU conferences, but also for the participants' personal development in order to succeed on the labour market in European affairs. Secondly, the participants will be able to pass on the skills gained at the MEU Symposium to other members of their associations, thereby ensuring a sustained increase in quality and professionalism of all MEU conferences. Lastly, the participating partner associations will benefit from the opportunity to establish structures of cooperation and thereby optimise their ways of working in a way that benefits all associations that organise MEU conferences.The long-term benefit of this endeavour is to facilitate the implementation of more MEU conferences in Europe and beyond, and to engage more young people in volunteering for such projects. BETA e.V. sees MEU conferences as an important tool of political education, where young people from all over Europe meet and experience together the work of the European institutions by actively simulating the activities of actors involved in the legislative process. The aim of these conferences is to familiarise young people with the work of the European institutions, in order to underline the European dimension of active citizenship and develop an awareness of the European level of policymaking. The more MEU conferences are organised in different locations, the more young citizens can be reached and take part in these experiences. The MEU Symposium serves to support the emergence and development of MEU conferences in Europe and beyond.