EU Law-Making Simulation — Materials

This section contains all the materials developed for the EU law-making simulation run during the GreenScape Prague Exchange Week. The simulation gives participants a hands-on experience of the European legislative process, centred around a European Citizens’ Initiative calling for stricter regulation on textile waste in the fast fashion industry.

All materials are free to download and can be adapted for educational and youth work settings.

The materials include:

A Step by Step Guide with clear instructions and timing for each phase of the activity, designed for both facilitators and participants.

A Citizens’ Petition Document, which presents the initiative at the heart of the simulation — outlining the problem, why EU action is needed, and what is being requested. All participants should read this before starting.

Role Cards for each actor in the simulation: the European Commission, the Council of the EU, the European Parliament, two lobbying groups (Zara as industry representatives and Amnesty International as an NGO), and the Citizens presenting the petition. Each card guides participants through their identity, goals, priorities and role during the simulation.

Amendment Sheets to record positions and track the outcome of negotiations across the three institutions.

Voting Cards (YES / NO) used during the final vote on whether to accept the Citizens’ Initiative proposal.

How to run the simulation

We recommend starting by distributing the Citizens’ Petition Document to all participants so that everyone enters the simulation with a shared understanding of the topic. Role cards should then be assigned and participants given time to read their materials, discuss within their group, and prepare their positions and strategies.

The simulation then follows the phases outlined in the Step by Step Guide, moving from the Citizens’ presentation to lobbying rounds, institutional negotiations, and a final vote using the Amendment Sheets and Voting Cards.

The activity works best with groups of 15 to 30 participants and can be facilitated in a 2 hours format. No prior knowledge of EU institutions is required, though familiarity with the basics of the European legislative process is an advantage.