Kristijan Ležaić and European Union Center Host EU Trilogue Simulation at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

On March 29, the European Union Center hosted its first EU trilogue simulation, moderated by Kristijan Ležaić, Seconded National Expert in the European Commission's Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport. Participants representing the European Commission, the Council of the EU, and the European Parliament debated and negotiated one recital and one article of a real-life Commission proposal on corporate sustainability due diligence.

(l-r): Rachel Simpson, Gabriel Doussard, Jessica Greenberg, Kristijan Ležaić, Eylül Begüm Saglam, Kelsi Quick, Aria Smith, Amanda Smith

In the EU context, a trilogue is an informal inter-institutional negotiation bringing together representatives of the Commission, the Council, and the Parliament to agree on a legislative proposal. Mr. Ležaić designed the simulation as an immersive educational activity aimed at demystifying the trilogue process, helping students better understand the roles of the EU institutions and their internal dynamics, and providing an arena for honing one’s negotiation skills.

The proposal in question seeks to standardize due diligence requirements for EU companies. While some member states already have legal frameworks on due diligence, they vary in scope and other details, which creates administrative challenges for companies operating in the EU.

Mr. Ležaić prepared instructions for each of the three institutions, with details on the institution’s objectives and priorities. To facilitate the negotiation, Mr. Ležaić provided color-coded versions of the draft proposal, indicating amendments each institution would like to make to the draft and their degree of importance. For instance, in the excerpt below from the instructions for the Parliament, the sentence in red is of crucial importance, and participants representing the Parliament are to avoid compromising on it, as this would jeopardize the mandate from the European Parliament Plenary. The text highlighted in yellow reflects an aspect that may be traded for something in return. The text highlighted in teal represents an aspect that, while desirable, may be freely traded. 

After each institution made its opening statement, the negotiation process was underway. The negotiation primarily took place between the Parliament and the Council. As the Commission’s objective was to see the proposal pass, it served as a mediator, encouraging compromise. Whereas the Parliament advocated for a stronger directive that would apply to a broader range of companies and define companies’ obligations in mitigating environmental or human rights violations, the Council argued for a more limited scope and to delegate more decisions to member states.

Council representatives Rachel Simpson and Gabriel Doussard pored over the draft proposal in preparation for negotiations. EUC Acting Director Jessica Greenberg provided legal counsel to all institutions.

The Commission, represented by Aria Smith and Amanda Smith, encouraged compromise between the Council and the Parliament and sought to get the proposal passed.

The Parliament, represented by Eylül Begüm Saglam and Kelsi Quick, refused to budge on their demand to apply the directive to a broader set of companies.

After more than two hours of heated negotiation, the group came to an agreement on the recital, which started at 55 words and ballooned to nearly 300. Alas, there was simply not enough time to agree on the article, which concerned the scope of the directive. It is no surprise that the overall process, from the proposal by the Commission to negotiations in the Council to finalization of the trilogues, as Mr. Ležaić noted at the start of the simulation, can go on for years. (This directive was originally proposed by the Commission in 2022 and passed in 2024.)

Kelsi Quick, a PhD student in Political Science who represented the Parliament, found the simulation to be a fantastic experience: “This really helps make institutional simulations accessible, especially for people who may be trying it out for the first time. Furthermore, it allows you to really focus on the politics involved in negotiation rather than getting caught up in the details of the deal. I think this aspect especially is something anyone can benefit from, as the art of negotiation touches a wide variety of applicability in our lives! I highly recommend it to anyone seeking to understand how deals are made, how to hold your ‘red line,’ and how to otherwise negotiate in good faith.”

If you are interested in participating in a future trilogue simulation, please write to eucenter@illinois.edu.