Winners of PEP IV 2017: Mark Etzel and Miri Muntean – (c) DK Wien

Vienna Z (Miri Muntean, Mark Etzel) has won this year’s PEP IV, debating the motion ‘This House Supports the EU backed Western Balkans Customs Union, even at the price of terminating the free trade agreement with Russia and joining the EU sanctions on Russia’ in Opening Opposition against the Opening Government St. Gallen University A (Jan-Gunther Gosselke, Katarina Kuzman), Closing Government CEC A (Kristina Georgieva, Monika Naydenova) and Closing Opposition Bard College Berlin A (John Kay, Matt Caito).

Best speaker of the tournament was Djordje Jovicevic (Belgrade B), averaging 78.4 points; best novice speaker was Matt Caito (Bard College Berlin A), averaging 77.8 points.

Amongst the novice teams, Deree 2017 (Olga Kyriazi, Mostafa Hussein) has achieved the highest number of team points with a total of 8.

PEP IV 2017 took place in Belgrade from April 7th to April 9th in Belgrade. The tournament was chief-adjudicated by Monica Forman, Stefan Siridzanski, Etsuko Lim, Alex Moise and Ilija Ivanisevic. The conveners were Tamara Vesic, Riza Bajram and Jovan Petronijevic. Mastering five in-rounds of debate on one day, it differentiated itself through both locally-themed motions as well as local Serbian food. PEP IV 2017 was also characterized by wide-spread support for Budapest-based demonstrations to preserve Central European University, expressing itself in group pictures and buttons labeled #IstandwithCEU and discussions and updates on the topic.

The Break:

1. Vienna A (Vinicius Bremer, Dariusch Klett) – 15 points
2. Belgrade A (Milos Marjanovic, Teodora Resetar) – 12 points
3. Vienna Z (Miri Muntean, Mark Etzel) – 11 points
4. DK Wien B (Paul Reiter, Katja Schager) – 11 points
5. Bard College Berlin A (John Kay, Matt Caito) – 10 points
6. St. Gallen University A (Jan-Gunther Gosselke, Katarina Kuzman) – 10 points
7. Belgrade B (Djordje Jovicevic, Aleksandra Mihajlovic) – 10 points
8. CEC A (Kristina Georgieva, Monika Naydenova) – 10 points

Also on 10 points but not breaking was Istanbul Meridyen A.

The Semi Finals:

SF 1: Vienna A (OG), DK Wien B (OO), Bard College Berlin A (CG), CEC A (CO)

SF 2: Belgrade A (OG), St. Gallen University A (OO), Vienna Z (CG), Belgrade B (CO)

The Final:

St. Gallen University A (OG), Vienna Z (OO), CEC A (CG), Bard College Berlin A (CO)

The motions:

Rd 1: This House Would fully subsidize gender reassignment surgery for pubescent teenagers regardless of parental consent.

Rd 2: Info Text: All theaters in Israel receive huge governmental subsidies. Theater companies are required to tour the entire country.

This House Believes that Israel should fine actors who refuse to perform in settlements.

Rd 3: Info Text: China’s ‘Social Credit System’ intends to use data to measure each citizen’s pro- or anti social behaviour (as decided by the Chinese government). China intends to use it to reward and sacntion its citizens.

This House Believes that the U.S. should hack China’s ‘Social Credit System’ in order to disrupt it.

Rd 4: Info Text: Republika Srpska is an entity in Bosnia & Herzegovina. It is populated mostly by ethnic Serbs, while the rest of Bosnia is populated mostly by ethnic Bosniaks and Croats. The majority of Republika Srpska’s population wants to secede.

This House Believes that Republika Srpska should be an independent state.

Rd 5: This House Believes that Mexico should allow neighbourhoods and cities in North Mexico to form armed militias in order to combat drug cartels.

Semi Final: This House Would impose criminal laws to crimes committed by users of avatars in virtual worlds (such as ‘Second Life’)

Final: Info Text: The EU backed customs union is a unified trade space for Serbia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Montenegro, Albania and self-proclaimed state of Kosovo* (sic!)

This House Supports the EU backed Western Balkans Customs Union, even at the price of terminating the free trade agreement with Russia and joining the EU sanctions on Russia.

jgg./jm.