Testimonials

  The summer schools at the EUI give you a wonderful perspective for intensive education, research and discussions on contemporary legal issues. They are also a unique opportunity to meet and establish a network with lawyers from many different countries and of diverse backgrounds. The lectures, the research at the library, and the intercultural experience with all participants in the lovely ambience of the EUI in Fiesole can be very inspiring for young academics or professionals in the era of globalization and can open new horizons for future academic careers.

Dr. Nadia Ianeva (PhD, 2007), Lecturer at the University of Bremen, attended the 2011 Law of the European Union summer course.

I was very lucky to have the chance to attend the summer school on “The Constitutionalization of European Private Law” which was an amazing experience professionally and personally. Firstly, the topic is of great interest to me and of huge importance for my daily work. The course was very well structured and the topic well analysed; all the lecturers were experts in their field and their ideas and insights were extremely interesting and useful. Secondly, I truly enjoyed the work in class and the opportunity to exchange ideas, contacts and experience with participants from many different countries, all of whom had an excellent academic background or an impressive professional career; I am happy that we have kept in touch after the two wonderful weeks at the EUI were over. Last but not least, I would like to mention the perfect organisation of the summer school, before the course and during our stay in Florence.  

I remain grateful to the Academy of European Law for the unique opportunity I had to participate in this course which has made a significant contribution to my professional and academic career.

Ruta Bucinskaite attended the 2011 Law of the European Union summer course. She has an LL.M. in German Law and is currently working as Adviser to the Supreme Court of Lithuania in charge of EU law.

 The EUI's summer school on human rights law proved a formative experience in my academic and professional career, providing an unparalleled opportunity to engage in spirited discussion with visiting lecturers, faculty staff and graduate legal researchers. I especially appreciated the vigour and liveliness of debate, and the diversity of opinions expressed on a wide range of topics. The course gave me invaluable insight into contemporary human rights issues and provided a rich network of professional connections for my future career. Both the surroundings and the cultural experiences were of course fantastic too. Without hesitation I thoroughly recommend the experience to all!

Jonathan Andrew  attended the 2008 Human Rights Law course. He is currently a first year researcher at the EUI Department of Law, after having served as the Danish Refugee Council's senior legal protection officer and project manager in Dushanbe, Tajikistan.

The summer programme at the Academy of European Law was one of the most rewarding two weeks I have ever spent.  We were lectured by some of the world’s leading scholars and jurists – Philip Alston, Antonio Cassese, Susan Marks, Manfred Novak and Stefan Trechsel—presenting ideas that were, or would become, part of the intellectual canon of international law generally and human rights law in particular.  Somehow it was possible attend the lectures (with the occasional interruption from one of the peacocks that roamed freely around the Academy buildings), do the reading, make new friends amongst the fellow students, see something of Florence and other parts of Tuscany, and then prepare for and sit the Diploma exam, before being given a lift on the back of a fellow student’s scooter to the train station to make my way back to the UK via Pisa.  I cannot recommend the experience more highly, and feel immensely privileged to have been given it myself.

Ralph Wilde, Diploma in Human Rights Law 1997, is a member of the Faculty of Laws at University College London, University of London. www.ucl.ac.uk/laws/wilde 

I really appreciated the summer course held at the Academy in 2005. It was an excellent opportunity to significantly improve my knowledge on a subject that was relevant to my research, thanks to the brilliant lectures provided by renowned academic experts and the possibility to exchange ideas with them and other colleagues with solid scientific backgrounds and an open-minded attitude. You should also not underestimate the opportunity to access the well-furnished EUI library.

Giulio Bartolini, Diploma in Human Rights Law 2005, is assistant professor of international law, Department of Law, University Roma Tre