Students gathered in Dublin last week for the Model Council of the European Union. All that was missing were the limousines.

It was all very professional. A conference hall in Dublin Castle was taken over last week for the 2008 Model Council of the European Union. The room was set up exactly as it might be in Brussels, with nations facing each other across the hall and the chairman of the council, Ruairí Quinn of the Alliance for Europe, sitting at the top. You couldn't turn your head without seeing a European flag.

Transition- and fifth-year students from across Ireland were taking part in a discussion on a proposed EU-wide directive to "ban the advertising of alcohol in association with sporting events and organisations". Before the debate, schools were assigned a country or group to represent. The 27 European Union member states, as well as the European Parliament, European Commission and alcohol and sports industries, were all represented.

The schools had been in touch with their corresponding embassy, so that diplomats could gather information and give advice; some also sent representatives along on the day. "Most of the embassies were delighted to take part," says Ruth Deasy of the European Commission in Ireland. "It gave them a chance to get off the cocktail circuit and speak to people under 50 for a change."

But the project is more than just a good day out. It has very beneficial effects for students. Most of us would have some understanding of how the EU works, but there's no better way to learn than by doing. "We have a very good spread of participants," says Deasy. "We make contact with as many schools as we can, but it is up to them to take part. Those who are participating this year began by submitting a project on alcohol advertising in sport. They then come along and take part in the debate, which is executed exactly as it would be were it a real Council of Ministers meeting."

The rights and wrongs of alcohol advertising in sport have already generated plenty of debate at senior levels of government. Thankfully for those of us in the gallery, the students were just as fired up about the issue. Council began with an address from Dick Roche, the Minister for European Affairs, then each member state put its case for or against an EU-wide ban, which was being proposed by Slovenia (as represented by Alexandra College), the current holder of the EU presidency. Heated rebuttals were common, and the number of schools for and against the directive was surprisingly even.

Although schools did not have a choice about which country they were to debate on behalf of, they could choose whether to support the proposal. For most, attitudes to alcohol and alcoholism in their member state had some effect on their arguments. So students from Loreto Secondary School in Clonmel, Co Tipperary, who were representing the UK, raised the problem of binge drinking and argued in favour of curtailing advertising that may encourage young people to drink. On the other hand, students from Gonzaga College, representing Sweden, took a very liberal Scandinavian approach, arguing that people should be able to make their own decisions. Education rather than prevention, they said, is what was needed to reduce irresponsible drinking.

"The way in which affairs are conducted was explained throughout by Ruairí Quinn," says Deasy. "So they are learning how the political system in Europe works. It is not just a government-and-opposition system, like in national parliaments. Consensus must always be found among member states, and small and large countries are treated equally."

Nevertheless, some are more equal than others, and the final decision is arrived at through a qualified-majority vote - a system that requires a motion to be carried by more than 50 per cent; usually two-thirds - with the largest states, such as Germany, having more influence than the smallest, such as Luxembourg. In the end the directive was rejected: 255 votes in favour would have been required to pass it, but only 157 were obtained.

At this point Quinn made his final comments and explained what would happen at this point in the real council. "With such a massive rejection," he said, "the EU president, Slovenia, would probably shelve this issue and hope that the next presidency brings it up again with some amendments."

Students from Gorey Community School, in Co Wexford, representing Luxembourg, opposed the proposal to ban alcohol advertising from sport (see below).

"We decided to oppose it, although not everyone in the group agreed," says Evin Fitpatrick. "We're all in either transition year or fifth year and members of our student council." Strong opinions, therefore, were not lacking among this group. "We took part in last year's EU council debate and the Forum on Europe debates as well," explains 16-year-old Niamh Tobin. "The debate was very good, although I wish we had more time to respond to some of the comments made by other member states."

Students from Drumshanbo Vocational School, in Co Leitrim, representing Greece, supported the motion (see below). "It was a fairly even split between those who supported and those who opposed it," says 16-year-old Elaine Wynne.

"We decided there was a need to move towards a total ban on all alcohol advertising, and sports events were the first logical step. We didn't get the result we wanted, but it was still a very enjoyable experience. There were some very good points made by both sides."

The debate was a great success, being both enjoyable and educational. There was a competitive element to the event, however. The students were competing to win a trip for their school to Strasbourg in October. The trip is a must for anyone with an interest in the EU, as students get to see the workings of the European system up close and personal. Each school had already contributed a 500-word project on alcohol and advertising for the Euroscola prize, given each year by the European Parliament. All of the projects were on view in the hall outside the council meeting.

In the end the judges couldn't decide between Schull Community College and Carrick-on-Shannon Community School, so they will share this year's award.

See www.euireland.ie

Should drink firms be allowed to sponsor sport?

Greece argued in favour of a ban at the Model Council of the European Union. The students representing it, from Drumshanbo Vocational School, in Co Leitrim, argued: "We would like to see a total ban on alcohol advertising, and not just in sport. As tobacco advertising is banned, we see no reason why alcohol should be treated any differently. The last decade has seen unprecedented growth in alcohol consumption in the EU, with corresponding increases in all of the indices of alcohol-related consequences.

"Although alcohol brings benefits in terms of employment, tourism and revenue, the negative human costs are intolerable in a caring society. Alcohol abuse has caused extensive damage to individuals, families and communities: alcohol dependence is one of the highest causes of admissions to psychiatric hospitals, the endless number of car accidents linked to drink driving, the bad treatment of our doctors and nurses from aggressive drunks in A&E.

"It is already widely available in bars, restaurants, supermarkets and petrol stations, so there is no need to further extend its availability or its promotion. We cannot watch sport without reference to alcohol - the Carling Premiership [ as it used to be], the Budweiser Irish Derby, the Heineken European Rugby Cup. But there is a distinct contradiction between sport and alcohol. Sports play a vital role in the maintenance of physical and mental health. Overconsumption of alcohol does the reverse.

"If we can achieve even small changes, like this ban, it would result in great benefits to the health and welfare of the nation."

Luxembourg opposed the ban. Its representatives, from Gorey Community School, in Co Wexford, argued: "Allowing alcohol companies to support sports on a local, national and international level is beneficial to the company and the sport. The revenue generated for sports clubs, as well as the alcohol companies, is huge. Banning such advertising would severely damage sports clubs, as well as cost Europe thousands of jobs.

"What are the aims of the advertising industry? When you are at a football match and you see a poster or board saying 'McDonald's', do you automatically want a Big Mac? No. But when you are choosing between fast-food restaurants that poster may be the difference between choosing McDonald's over Burger King, because it supports your sport. The same can be said for alcoholic beverages. They are merely trying to encourage loyalty.

"Alcohol advertising never shows drunken people acting inappropriately. The majority of advertisements show alcohol being enjoyed responsibly, in a positive, safe and socially accepted manner. We see nothing wrong with responsible advertising and sponsorship of sport by alcohol companies, as we believe naivety and ignorance regarding alcohol are so much more dangerous than the alcohol itself."

Suits EU: How it works

The European Union's success owes a lot to the unusual way it works - unusual because the countries that make up the EU remain separate sovereign nations but pool some of their power in order to gain a strength and world influence that none could have on its own. This stops short of being a federation, like the United States, but is much more than an assembly of countries, like the United Nations.

Pooling power, or sovereignty as it's often called, means that the member states give some of their decision-making powers to shared institutions they have created. Then decisions on issues of joint interest can be made democratically at European level. Some examples are the single market, the euro, freedom to travel across borders, environmental- protection laws and workers' rights.

These European-level decisions are made using a unique method, involving three separate bodies, each of which is meant to balance the other. These institutions are:

the European Parliament, which represents EU citizens - and is directly elected by them (you have a local MEP, just like you have a TD);

the European Council, which represents the member states. It consists of each country's head of state or government; there is also a ministerial version, the Council of Ministers;

and the European Commission, which represents the interests of the union as a whole. Departments are headed by commissioners, who come from a mix of countries.

The commission proposes laws, but it is the parliament and the council that decide to accept, reject or change them.

The commission and the member states then implement the laws, and the commission enforces them.

Another EU body, the European Court of Justice, is the final arbiter in disputes about European law.