Coming from diverse backgrounds ranging from academia, NGOs, law practice and national public institutions, participants of the 2022 AEL summer courses on Human Rights Law and The Law of the European Union engaged in fruitful discussions on a variety of themes, which currently dominate the legal sphere in the European Union and worldwide.
The course on Human Rights Law took place from 20 June to 1 July and tackled the themes of migration, race and transitional justice.
The course on The Law of the EU, held from 4 to 15 July, dealt with topics linked to the legitimacy of EU environmental governance, while comparing national case law in the field of EU environmental and climate change legislation.
The participants’ feedback about the courses was very enthusiastic. Many appreciated the challenging learning experience, which connected theory and practice in an interactive way, as well as the comprehensive view of the topical subjects and the challenges the courses provided.
Originally from India, Pranav Ganesan is a PhD researcher at the University of Zurich and works for the 'Climate Rights and Remedies Project'. He says: “This course has surpassed my expectations! Since I did my legal education in India, I came into the course with a relatively shallow knowledge of EU Law. However, from the very first seminars, my concerns were allayed. Much to my pleasant surprise, all the course lecturers did a fantastic job tying discussions on nuanced legal issues back to fundamentals, in a manner that allowed me to fully participate in the course.”
Annamária Balogh from Hungary says that besides the quality of lectures and pedagogical approaches of the EU law specialists, she very much enjoyed the exchange of ideas among participants. “I learned much from my fellow participants,” she explains. She is convinced that the course on The Law of the EU will be beneficial to her professional career: “As a young lawyer working for a nature conservation NGO, I find it essential that now I understand the complexity of scientific knowledge and the challenges it poses to judicial and quasi-judicial bodies more thoroughly. From more of an activist perspective, I am genuinely inspired to work more on ensuring access to justice in environmental matters and be more involved in climate change litigation in my home country."
Many participants also agreed that the knowledge they acquired during the course was just one of the benefits of the course. Pranav Ganesan explains: “Getting to interact with the course speakers during coffee breaks and interacting with excellent young scholars from different backgrounds have been amongst the best moments during my time at the EUI. I would wholeheartedly recommend all aspiring lawyers, scholars, and researchers who are interested in EU law to apply for this summer course and attend it in person at the beautiful Villa Salviati campus.”
The summer course speakers were also positive about the experience. As convener of the EU Law course, Mariolina Eliantonio, Professor of European and Comparative Administrative Law and Procedure at Maastricht University, said that this year’s edition “was very successful. The EUI provided the perfect location to foster dialogue and discussions amongst participants. It was a true pleasure to discuss such topical issues with this group of passionate, engaged and curious students!”
Both summer courses were held in a hybrid format, which allowed the Academy to invite nine participants from Ukraine to join the courses online for free, as part of the EUI-wide initiative to provide funding opportunities to people of any nationality affected by the war in Ukraine.