The 20th European Law Summer School ended yesterday. Several dozen students from the Vilnius University Law Faculty, the University of J.W. Goethe in Frankfurt am Main (Germany) and the University of Paris Nanterre (France) listened to lectures and held discussions on the topic “La durabilité en Europe – Que fait le droit, que pourrait-il faire et que devrait-il faire? / Nachhaltigkeit in Europa – Was tut das Recht, was könnte und was sollte es tun? / Sustainability in Europe – What does the law do, what could it do, and what should it do?”.
This year’s summer school explored the need for sustainability in Europe and possible solutions through the law. In between lectures, presentations, and discussions, there was enough time to admire the Lithuanian landscape while sailing down the Nemunas from Kaunas. Students got a closer look at the history of Vilnius through a guided tour of Užupis. They also had the chance to visit the European House.
At the end of the event, the students were greeted by the Dean of the VU Law Faculty, Assoc. Prof. Dr Haroldas Šinkūnas, and finally, certificates were awarded to the participants of the Summer School.
Opportunity for students to learn about other countries’ legal systems
The European Law Summer School, organised each year around a different theme, gives students the opportunity to deepen their knowledge on topics that do not get much attention during their studies. Greta Jaksebogaitė, a student at the VU Law Faculty, one of the participants, notes that what is taught in the university’s curriculum is usually pre-prepared and predetermined, while sustainability, which was discussed at the summer school, as a fairly recent topic and one that is constantly evolving, opens up a lot of new knowledge.
Alice Rieben Rius, a student at the University of Nanterre, says that during her summer school, she learned how to protect the environment and what everyone can do. “That’s why I think this summer school is important, because we look at things in a different way than in a regular university course,” says the student.
Students from different countries expand their knowledge of other countries’ legal systems through lectures and discussions at the summer school. “I learned a lot about environmental law and how it is implemented in Europe. It was interesting to hear about the PhD students’ research and to get to know different perspectives – from Germany, France, Lithuania, and other countries,” says Emma Dujardin, a student at the University of Nanterre.
“We have workshops, work in groups, and exchange views with other students. It’s very interesting to learn about the German and French approaches to sustainability, where there is a different legal system, different laws, which, of course, we don’t know. Finally, we put together our knowledge from a national law perspective, and we get an overall answer. So it’s very interesting to see how things are different, what is similar, and in the end, because European Union (EU) law is quite defined, we come to the conclusion that national law cannot violate the general provisions of the EU,” says Kristina Jakovleva, a student at the VU Law Faculty.
A tradition spanning several decades
For some students, this is not their first summer school – Lucas Ecker, a student at the J.W. Goethe University Frankfurt am Main, is attending for the second time, making new friends and keeping in touch with them. He likes the Lithuanian food and the rhythm of the summer school: “You can relax, have fun and learn a lot at the same time”, he says.
The first European Law Summer School was held in 2004. Each year, the topics covered have been of EU interest: EU members’ rights, privacy, democracy, artificial intelligence, and many others. This long-standing project was initiated by the Law Faculty of Vilnius University, the University of Johann Wolfgang Goethe, Frankfurt am Main, and the University of Paris Nanterre.
