Sustainable Europe
The topic of this year’s conference deals with pan-European problems, which often have a worldwide impact – for instance global warming, outdated pension systems, long-term unemployment and short-term thinking of politicians. With these problems in mind, SFM tries to incite a debate on how to make Europe and the world sustainable for future generations.

The conference will provide students with an extensive academic programme that will address issues like climate change, the European welfare system and corporate sustainability. Furthermore, SFM will advance solutions by which the European Union could alter its policy to act in improved correspondence with the nature of sustainable development.

Experiencing Brussels
SFM 2006 will involve 100 participants representing a broad spectrum of European students. During the Conference participants will follow a variety of lectures and debates aimed at providing them with background knowledge, which will then be developed further in the six working groups. An excursion to Brussels will offer the opportunity to visit EU institutions and meet and discuss with the actual policy makers on the European level. In addition to that, the participants will experience the policy making process of the European Union themselves by participating in a simulation game, which forms part of SFM 2006.

Aiming at a better understanding of EU-matters
With Student Forum Maastricht, Concordantia aims at creating an annual forum for students to research and exchange views on the current developments of the European Union. Moreover, one of the conclusions arrived upon during the previous conference was that there is insufficient knowledge about the EU and its policies, which causes irrational fears present in the public and lack of support for its activities. Therefore, Student Forum Maastricht 2006 will focus on the exchange of information between students from all over Europe, public officials, academics and representatives of NGOs in order to facilitate better communication between the different public groups. Student Forum Maastricht is a Committee of the non-profit study association Concordantia of the Faculty of Arts and Culture, composed of students from University of Maastricht.