Students from secondary schools across London made decisions on some of the most pressing issues facing the European Union during a mock meeting of the Council of the European Union.

In the historic Locarno Rooms in Whitehall, groups of students represented each of the 27 EU Member States, as well as the European Commission and Secretariat-General of the Council. They came together to debate and cast votes on issues around climate change - a current EU priority in the lead up to December's UN climate change conference in Copenhagen - and universal broadband access for Europe.

The event provided insight into how EU Member States work with each other and the Commission in order to debate and shape policy which will have global impact. The event was an excellent opportunity for potential future leaders to hone their debating, diplomacy and language skills.

Students were selected from British Council school-linking programmes and this event was part of the organisation