From 1 to 13 July 2024, the academic staff and students of the National University "Odesa Law Academy" took part in the annual Summer School of European Private Law, annually organised by the Dean of the Faculty of Law of the University of Salzburg, Doctor of Law, Professor Michael Rainer in cooperation with the European Law Institute.
The participants were offered a rich programme of lectures on the legal systems of England, Italy, Austria, Germany, Japan, Croatia, Slovenia, Brazil, France, Switzerland, Estonia, Turkey, Belgium, Luxembourg, Canada, Argentina, Portugal, South Africa, Malta, Scotland, Ukraine, China, Bulgaria, Poland, Spain, the Netherlands, Puerto Rico, Louisiana (USA), Hungary, Greece, Cyprus, Lithuania, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Other highlights included meetings with Austrian Minister of Justice Alma ZADIĆ and European Commissioner Johannes HAHN, lectures on Scandinavian law, OHADA Law (Africa), European tort law and European Union law.
The students participated in seminars on Transfer of Ownership, Breach of Contract, Family Law and Private International Law, where they solved tasks in accordance with the laws of their home countries and compared law enforcement, as well as in roundtables on the following topics: "Comparative Legal Methods", "Law and Language", "European Harmonisation of Private Law", "Mixed Legal Systems", "How to Create a New Civil Code". During the programme, the students also visited the Austrian Ministry of Justice and the Supreme Court in Vienna.
On 6 July 2024, the 25th European Private Law Summer School was officially opened in the presence of 170 students with the following keynote speakers: LORD THOMAS of Cwmgedd, former Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales, and Marko BOŠNJAK, President of the European Court of Human Rights. Judge Bošniak accepted the invitation of Daria Minchenko, Head of the International Relations Department, to meet with the staff of the National University "Odesa Law Academy" at the earliest opportunity.
For the second time, the Ukrainian Law School is represented at the Summer School by the Department of Civil Law consisting of Professor Kateryna NEKIT, Associate Professor Daria MINCHENKO and Associate Professor Yurii ORZIKH, who revealed the peculiarities of the civil legislation of Ukraine, recodification of the Civil Code and the judicial system of Ukraine during the martial law period and the mechanisms of compensation for damage caused by the war.
Under the ERASMUS+ programme, Kateryna Bryniuk, a postgraduate student of the Department of Political Science, and Olena Chvankina, a master's student of the Faculty of Civil and Commercial Justice, took part in the summer school. Upon completion of the programme, the students were awarded certificates.
During the Summer School, students are introduced to more than 35 different legal systems, as well as European law in the context of private law. In addition, students analyse and discuss practical examples from a comparative perspective during seminars conducted in English, French and German. Roundtable discussions are held with legal experts and students on such topical issues as law and language, European harmonisation of private law, consumer protection, law reform initiatives, etc. Judges and lawyers participate in the school every year, as special attention is also paid to the role of the judiciary and the differences in the style of judgments in different legal systems.
