The European Youth Parliament’s National Selection Process is built on a long tradition as one of the most demanding school competitions in Germany. Since 1990 German school students have had the chance to discuss European politics with other young people from all over Europe, to shape the democratic decision-making processes, and experience Europe for themselves.

This year the competition promises many interesting discussions about current European topics, in-depth committee work, debates following the model of the European Parliament, and an extensive accompanying programme. Alongside the demanding discussions, the participants will have the opportunity to get to know each other and the cities, where the events will be taking place - an exciting experience that will be remembered for a long time!

Young people between the ages of 15 and 19, who are interested in politics and Europe, can apply either as a delegation consisting of seven people or as an individual delegate. Only one delegation per school can apply each year. Delegations don't necessarily have to consist of participants from one single school, after all.

The application process for the National Selection Process 2021 was open from May, 9 until December, 15, 2021.

An application includes a topic overview in English, which is written on a specific topic. This year's selection topic is:

"Safeguarding democracy: Following the introduction of the rule of law mechanism, reactions to the new legislation were divided. Some criticised that it would have the opposite effect. How can the European Union ensure democracy and the rule of law to keep Member States in line with the values the EU was founded on?"

Applications consist of a thematic proposal written in English, which tackles a given topic. Here you will find helpful documents:

Topic Rationale

Topic Overview Template

Example Topic Overview

Guide: How to write a topic overview

Question Overview Application Form

Once you have finished writing your thematic proposal you can upload in an following online form, where you also submit further personal information for all participants. The template including your proposal should be uploaded as a Word document (.doc/.docx). To make the following process easier the name of the contact person and the school should be clearly visible in the title of the document: "firstname.surname_school.docx"

The fee for taking part in a regional session is 25€, for the national session this fee is 60€. These include all accommodation and food during the event. Any travel costs need to be covered by the participants themselves. In the past many participants have been able to receive sponsoring for costs connected to their participation from local companies or MPs.

In addition there is the option to apply for our grant programme, which offers a partial reimbursement for travel costs and participation fees. If you have any questions you can contact our office using the following email address and telephone number: info@eyp.de and +49 (0) 30 629 383 28.

You can find an overview of the competition and help with frequently asked questions in the guideline, which is accessible here:

The applications are assessed by an independent jury. It works independently in that the majority of it is occupied by members who are not dependent on our organisation or the office. Together they examine the students' contributions and work open-ended. All applications are treated and assessed individually. The evaluation criteria announced to the participants also apply to the jury work. The jurors are also prepared for their work and assess applications without distinction of any kind, such as race or ethnicity, gender, religious beliefs, disability or sexual preference.