Model European Parliament Limburg Foundation

What Model European Parliament Limburg Foundation does

Stichting Model European Parliament Limburg is a Dutch non-profit foundation established in 2005 in Maastricht that organizes annual simulation sessions of the European Parliament for upper-year HAVO, VWO, and (since 2021) VMBO secondary school students in Dutch and Belgian Limburg. The foundation operates under the motto 'for youth, by youth' and delivers a tiered program consisting of the Limburgse MEP Conferentie (the provincial conference), the Nationale MEP Conferentie (held in the Dutch House of Representatives in The Hague), and the Internationale MEP Conferentie (a biannual English-language simulation across 27 EU member states). Supporting products include the MEP On Tour mobile classroom program, three annual alumni trips to Brussels, Strasbourg, and Frankfurt, and a formal alumni network structured around personal development, networking, and business & politics pillars.

The foundation does not develop proprietary technology; its platform is the in-person conference and educational-trip infrastructure delivered through a network of 13 Dutch-Limburg and 3 Flemish Belgian participating schools, each operating school-level preliminary rounds coordinated by designated school coordinators and student ambassadors. Governance is provided by a youth board chaired by Elise Steinbusch, with the founder Guy Frints serving as honorary chairperson, alongside an Advisory Council and Committee of Recommendation of notable figures from Dutch and European politics.

The revenue model is donation-driven: individual supporters can become 'Vrienden van de Stichting' (Friends of the Foundation) with a €10 annual contribution that does not auto-renew, supplemented by corporate sponsorship (logos displayed on the website) and likely participant fees for trips and conferences. With 19 employees, undisclosed financials, no equity funding, and no parent organization, the foundation operates as a small, structurally regional non-profit whose growth is constrained by voluntary donations and the size of the Limburg secondary-school catchment area.

Name

Model European Parliament Limburg Foundation

Legal name

Stichting Model European Parliament Limburg

Website

https://meplimburg.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Stichting Model European Parliament Limburg is a Dutch non-profit foundation that organizes annual European Parliament simulation conferences and educational trips for upper-year secondary school students (HAVO, VWO, VMBO) across 14+ schools in Dutch and Belgian Limburg.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Civic Education

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (611310)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Model UN & Parliamentary Procedure Programs (Oratory-Focused) (EDAMAOAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Leadership, Debate & Model UN Camps (EDAMALAK), Debate (Policy, Lincoln-Douglas, Parliamentary, Public Forum) (EDAMAGAA)

Keywords

• Civic education programs
• Youth political simulation
• Model European Parliament
• Secondary school conferences
• European integration education

Headquarters

HQ city

Maastricht

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Friends of the Foundation (Vrienden van de Stichting): Individual supporters can become Friends of the Foundation with a one-time annual contribution of €10 per calendar year. There is no automatic direct debit, making each contribution a one-time payment that can be renewed annually. Supporters can choose to be listed on the website or remain anonymous.
2. Corporate Sponsorship: The foundation receives support from corporate sponsors, displayed on the website sponsors section. Companies interested in sponsoring can contact the foundation via email.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Stichting MEP Limburg organizes Model European Parliament simulations that allow upper-year HAVO and VWO secondary school students from Dutch and Belgian Limburg to act as 'Europarlementariërs' in committee work, resolution drafting, lobbying, press conferences, and plenary debates. The program progresses across school preliminary rounds, a provincial Limburg conference, a national conference in The Hague, and a biannual international conference, complemented by educational trips and alumni activities.

Product overview

Stichting MEP Limburg operates a multi-tiered educational program centered on Model European Parliament simulations. The core offering consists of three sequential conference levels: the Limburgse MEP Conferentie (provincial conference for Dutch and Belgian students), the Nationale MEP Conferentie (national conference in The Hague), and the Internationale MEP Conferentie (biannual international conference). Supporting products include MEP On Tour and MEP On Tour VMBO (mobile classroom programs), the Straatsburgreis, Brusselreis, and Frankfurtreis (educational trips), and alumni-activiteiten (ongoing engagement activities). The Schoolvoorrondes serve as the entry point where students compete at their own schools to qualify for the provincial conference. All activities are designed to educate youth about European integration, political awareness, and civic skills.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Limburgse MEP Conferentie (Limburg MEP Conference) Regional Model European Parliament simulation for secondary school students from Dutch and Belgian Limburg, featuring committee work, resolution formation, workshops, lobbying, press conferences, and plenary debates. The annual conference is the foundation's flagship provincial event.
• Nationale MEP Conferentie (National MEP Conference) National-level Model European Parliament conference where selected students from provincial delegations represent EU member states, with proceedings held in the Dutch House of Representatives in The Hague.
• Internationale MEP Conferentie (International MEP Conference) Biannual international Model European Parliament conference where students from 27 EU member states and candidate countries simulate European Parliament sessions in a rotating host city, debating cross-border European issues in English.
• MEP On Tour Mobile classroom program where third-year HAVO and VWO students engage in local political simulations at their own schools, learning about municipal politics through role-play.
• MEP On Tour VMBO Extension of MEP On Tour program targeting VMBO students, bringing political education to all educational levels in Limburg.
• Brusselreis (Brussels Trip) Annual day trip to Brussels visiting the European Parliament, featuring meetings with MEPs and discussions about EU resolution drafting.
• Straatsburgreis (Strasbourg Trip) Five-day trip to Strasbourg visiting the Council of Europe, European Parliament, European Court of Human Rights, and Court of Justice of the EU in Luxembourg.
• Frankfurtreis (Frankfurt Trip) Two-day trip to Frankfurt visiting the European Central Bank, Deutsche Bundesbank, and Stock Exchange to learn about the EU's financial sector.
• Alumni-activiteiten (Alumni Activities) Post-conference activities for former participants including workshops, lectures, networking events, and company visits, organized around three pillars: personal development, networking, and business & politics.
• Schoolvoorrondes (School Preliminary Rounds) School-level preliminary competitions where students debate current EU issues, with top performers selected to participate in the provincial Limburgse MEP Conferentie.

Quantifiable outcome

• 100+ students annually participate in Limburgse MEP Conferentie
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers14 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• MEP Nederland (Model European Parliament Netherlands)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational organization that coordinates the Dutch Model European Parliament program. Stichting MEP Limburg participates in national conferences and sends selected delegates to represent the Netherlands at international conferences organized under the MEP Nederland framework.
• European ParliamentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe foundation organizes simulations of European Parliament sessions. Alumni trips include visits to the European Parliament in Brussels and Strasbourg, with opportunities for interaction with MEPs.
• Council of EuropecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Strasbourg trip focuses on the Council of Europe, including visits to the Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) and the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), distinct from the EU.
• European Central Bank (ECB)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnnual Frankfurt trip includes visits to the ECB headquarters where alumni receive lectures and guided tours, providing insight into European monetary policy.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• THIMUN (The Hague International Model United Nations): The Hague-based organization running Model United Nations conferences for secondary students globally. Highly comparable simulation format, secondary-school audience, and conference-driven GTM, though topics center on UN rather than EU institutions.
• European Youth Parliament (EYP): Pan-European non-profit running European Parliament simulations for secondary-school students across dozens of countries. Directly comparable to MEP Limburg in format (EP simulation), target audience (upper secondary), and go-to-market (school-anchored, conference-driven).
• Stichting Model European Parliament Nederland (MEP Nederland): National umbrella organization coordinating the Dutch MEP program of which MEP Limburg is a provincial chapter. Direct peer in format and audience, with national-coordination scope rather than provincial scope.
• Stichting Model European Parliament (other provincial chapters, e.g., MEP Noord-Holland, MEP Zuid-Holland): Sister provincial MEP foundations across the Netherlands replicating the same school-anchored, conference-driven EP simulation format. Direct peers in audience and model, with each operating as an independent non-profit within its own province.

Broad incumbents

• JA Europe (Junior Achievement Europe): Europe's largest provider of education and entrepreneurship programs for secondary-school youth. Comparable audience and non-profit funding model, with broader civic/financial-literacy scope versus MEP Limburg's EU-political simulation focus.
• Euroscola (European Parliament): European Parliament's own program that invites secondary-school students to simulate plenary sessions in Strasbourg. Comparable in EP-simulation format and audience, but operated as a public-sector initiative rather than an independent non-profit.

Others

• European Movement International: Pan-European pro-European advocacy organization. Adjacent in EU civic-education mission and policy access, but operates as an advocacy/policy network rather than a school-anchored simulation program.
• AIESEC: Global youth-led non-profit focused on leadership development and cross-cultural exchange. Comparable 'youth-led civic engagement' positioning and similar reliance on volunteer/student governance, though programmatic focus differs (mobility vs. EU simulation).

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/meplimburg
• Facebookfacebook.com/stichtingmeplimburg
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/model-european-parliament-limburg-foundation
• Instagraminstagram.com/meplimburg

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Model European Parliament Limburg Foundation