"In the previous game we played the role of Italy, which was tricky and therefore difficult. Our appetites for the EEC game even whetted, when we learnt we were France this time. We started the negotiations in good moods, confident of our position. Being France was a responsible and challenging role to play, since the standpoint of our delegation often determined the shape of the negotiations as a whole. The successive sets of instructions from the national governments coming during the negotiations made the talks even more complex and diverse, causing many deadlocks. The game helped us realise that being a diplomat and carrying out negotiations in real life is not an easy task. The game was great fun as well. We had to respond quickly to the changing (and sometimes unpredictable) conditions in the "external world". Above all, we learnt how to cooperate with one another within our team and how to work under time pressure. The game also helped us discover our personal strong and weak sides." (Marzena, France)

"One would be forgiven for thinking that emulating negotiations which lasted for weeks over the period of many months in just one day is impossible. Well, we did it anyway and it allowed us to get a much better feel for the positions of the countries negotiating, and the pressures they were under, than by simply reading a textbook. Add to that the training of cooperating and public speaking skills and you can only conclude that it has been a very useful day." (Edward, Germany)

"Our group enjoyed the EEC game. We had to work closely together and brainstorm on how we would tackle the given information. The second game was more enjoyable because by this time we got the hang of it and knew how it worked. This time we represented Italy which had a nice role in the game often agreeing or being against a point strongly. Being in these games felt like going back into time and it also helped us to review the history. All in all we thought it was a nice experience." (Chantal Marie, Italy)

"As in the previous game, the EEC negotiation helped us to understand the political and economic motives for pursuing the negotiation, as well as the of the ECSC member states. More political and economic issues were considered than during the previous negotiation. For this reasons, the course of task for reaching an agreement was very intense and long lasting. Playing Belgium was more relaxed that playing Germany, because Belgium held rather neutral position whereas Germany had more issues for bargaining and for barter. Again, the game contributed to the reading materials and lectures. It was also a good exercise for our communication, negotiation and decision making skills. " (Magdelena Belgium)

"The Dutch delegation went into the negotiations with the aim of forming a common and modernised market in order to further the European integration process. However, this proved to be more complex than expected. Our delegation found it especially challenging to deal with the three new sets of instructions, given to us by the government during the negotiations. Nevertheless, we found that teamwork is the key to deal with it, and by dividing the workload we were able to push forward our agenda and achieve our goals. Overall, it was an amazing experience that gave us an insight into the day-to-day policy and decision-making processes of a supranational organisation. As well as that, it enabled us learning more about it in an exciting and unique way. The problems that occurred during the negotiations show that a consensus in these kinds of multilateral negotiations is mostly way more complicated to be achieved as it may seems; and therefore the positive outcome that they brought about should not be taken for granted! " (Janine, Netherlands)

The design of the game was to encourage students to argue their positions, rather than adopt rigid positions, and especially to argue based on their domestic "win-sets" or room to manoeuvre. Another aspect was to force delegations to assimilate new issues while still trying to dispose of those still under negotiation. The original negotiators didn’t manage that aspect to well, either, which is why some policy areas were left to the Commission to design later! An exhausting day ended with a celebratory banquet (well, a very nice Chinese!)