The North Atlantic Council Simulation held in Lisbon, at the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences facilities between April the 25th and April the 28th gathered around thirty youngsters, half of them coming from NATO and Partnership Countries.

The crisis scenario that they faced and upon which the participants worked concerned a security threat located in a northern African country. More specifically, it involved the production and supply of energy resources to European countries.

Before coming to Lisbon the participants were asked to inform themselves about the following issues that were essential to a proper knowledge of the situation:

The political environment of the north-African region;

Energy goods, mainly oil and gas and their importance to the North-Atlantic security environment;

The supply of such goods to European countries.

Teams, representing the countries of the NAC, debated conflicting interests and discussed issues such as: European energy dependencies, intervention, and the role of state sovereignty. At the end of the simulation, despite last-minute diplomatic efforts, the teams were unable to reach a consensus. Despite this, SIMOTAN served as an important lesson on the mechanics of the North Atlantic Council – particularly highlighting the diplomatic intricacies which exist in the area of crisis management and conflict resolution.

Events such as SIMOTAN are important because they allow participants the opportunity to learn about the values of other allied countries. As such, this seminar played a key role in strengthening the transatlantic bond.