"Pupils from across the continent will participate in a realistic Plenary Session. This initiative will show them that Europe is not just about politicking but about involving people in deciding about their lives", said Mario Sepi, EESC President. "This exercise will give these pupils a taste of how Europe works and introduce them to the difficult art of compromise", added EESC Vice-President Irini Pari.

Participating schools were selected at random from almost a thousand applications.

Participants will be welcomed by President Mario Sepi, Vice President Irini Pari and Secretary General Martin Westlake and addressed by EESC Group Presidents, by the Head of the European Commission Representation in Belgium, Willy Hélin, and a number of other stakeholders and experts, including Mariann Skar, Secretary-General of the European Alcohol Policy Alliance, Pierre Olivier Bergeron, Secretary-General of The Brewers of Europe and Pieter De Coninck from the European Commission's DG for Health and Consumers.

In the run-up to the event, the participating schools received a draft opinion to which they were allowed to table up to three amendments. These amendments will be discussed at the plenary session and, if approved, will feed into the final text of the opinion.

Furthermore, in order to prepare for the event, in February and March all participating schools were visited by EESC members who discussed European affairs with the students, answered their questions and outlined how EESC Plenary Sessions are run.

The students will be in Brussels for two days and their itinerary will also include a visit to the European Parliament and a tour of the city.