European Universities Debating Championships


The European Universities Debating Championships is an annual debating tournament for teams from universities in Europe. The competition uses the British Parliamentary Debate format.
The championships as they are known today were first held in Rotterdam, Netherlands at Erasmus University from 8–11 April 1999. Subsequent tournaments were held at a similar time of year until Koc EUDC in 2007 when the tournament shifted to the late summer in order to accommodate all university examination periods across the continent. The competition has also become longer to accommodate the growth of the event.
The competition in 1999 involved 32 teams of two speakers, but has now grown to involve up to 200 teams each year. Institutions can enter more than one team based on the ability of the organisers to accommodate them. Some institutions also enter teams from more than one separate debating societies within their institution.
Participating teams are drawn principally from European tertiary education institutions, although teams from the Middle East and central Asian institutions are eligible pending the formation of similar competitions in their regions. Students at the Inns of Court are also eligible subject to some conditions.

Current Champions

The current European Champions in the Open category are Ian Wu and Trenton Sewell from Cambridge University.
The 'English as a Second Language' category was won by Tin Puljić and Lovro Šprem from the University of Zagreb.

Championships

These are the institutions that have hosted or will host the European Universities Debating Championships.
YearInstitution
2020 Astana Debate Union
2019 Debating Society of Greece
2018 Novi Sad Business School
2017 Tallinn University of Technology Debate Society
2016 Warsaw
2015 Vienna Debating Society
2014 Zagreb Debating Society and The Open Communication
2013 Manchester Debating Union
2012 The Open Communication
2011 NUI Galway
2010 Free University of Amsterdam
2009 Newcastle University
2008 Tallinn University
2007 Koç University
2006 Berlin Debating Union
2005 University College Cork
2004 Durham University
2003 University of Zagreb
2002 University of Haifa
2001 Za in Proti
2000 University of Aberdeen
1999 Erasmus University Rotterdam

EUDC Council and EUDC Committee

In 1999, the EUDC Council was formed as the highest decision making organ. Every competing nation has one vote. The council sits during the tournament. It decides on the constitution, criteria regarding eligibility issues, and about the hosts of future championships.
The EUDC Committee consist of a president, who also chairs the council, a secretary, a registrar, the hosts of the current tournament and the past tournament and regional representatives for central and eastern Europe, for Northern and Western Europe, South-East Europe, the middle east and the Islands of the North Atlantic.
Minutes of EUDC Council and the Constitution are published on the EUDC Council Website
The current chair of council and president of the committee is Jan-Gunther Gosselke from the Debattierclub St Gallen from Switzerland.