EU and Legal Reform Summer School CCSDD
September 9, 2013
Each year, the Center for Constitutional Studies and Democratic Development (CCSDD), in cooperation with the University of Belgrade, organize the European Union and Legal Reform Summer School. This summer program hosts students, professionals, experts, and academics from countries across Central, Eastern and Southern Europe. The summer program's curriculum revolves around constitutionalism and EU expansion, including lessons about reform and the European Economic Community (EEC). This year marks the 10th Anniversary of the Summer School, with the return of alumni who have gone on to careers in international affairs, business, academia and other fields.
The Summer School celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2013, having served more than 300 students since its founding. This year's lectures tackled topics including "Minority Rights Protection in Serbia", "A Very Cosmopolitan Citizenship: But Who Pays the Price?", and "International and European Standards of Protecting Minority Rights in Montenegro and the Western Balkans".
The majority of participating students are drawn from Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. One of the program's goals is to create a network of jurists, academics, and legal professionals in the region who can work to harmonize European legal systems and initiate reforms in their home countries.
One of the interns at the Center for Constitutional Studies and Democratic Development, Sylvia Staneva, has served as the coordinator for this year's Summer School. The Center for Constitutional Studies and Democratic Development is now proud to present an interview with Sylvia, in order to learn more about the work she has been doing for the 2013 Summer School.
More information about the EU and Legal Reform Summer School can be found here
here.
1. In what capacity or position have you worked with the Center for Constitutional Studies and Democratic Development (CCSDD)? What have you been doing in that capacity?
I worked as a coordinator for the 2013 annual EU and Legal Reform Summer School in Montenegro. This year was a particularly interesting year to work in this capacity because of the special hype surrounding the School's 10th anniversary. My main obligation was preparing the Summer School's 10th anniversary newsletter, which compiles information about the CCSDD, the significance of the program for the Center and for Eastern Europe in general, the evolution of the program in the last 10 years, and the benefit of the program for past participants' careers. In addition, I drafted grant letters to reach out to potential donors in order to raise funds for students' scholarships. And finally, I edited essays of last year's students in preparation for the publication of original research of the School's participants.
2. What is the importance of the summer teaching programme to the work of the CCSDD?
The Summer program contributes to the Center's main objective to educate in constitutional studies and democratic development. It does that by educating people about legal reform in Eastern Europe, which is a particularly pertinent question today, considering EU's enlargement and Eastern Europe's legislation harmonization. The program stimulates the critical examination of these issues and fosters interaction of top students from Europe and the world so this is a part of CCSDD's overarching efforts to prepare tomorrow's leaders and decision-makers.
3. What benefits have you taken away from your time with the CCSDD?
First of all, I was solely responsible for a project from start to finish –the content, format, and printing of the Summer School's 10th anniversary newsletter. Therefore, I was given the creative freedom and responsibility to develop that project. So I learned how to be responsible for my own work, how to follow deadlines, and how to coordinate different stages and people in the process. I also had the opportunity to practice donor outreach and grant letter writing, which is an invaluable skill for any young person, looking for funding their own independent research projects, for example. And finally, I also learned about the existence of such a program as the Summer School in Montenegro. As a Masters student in European Studies at Johns Hopkins SAIS Bologna Center, but also as a native Bulgarian, it was fascinating to me that such a program in Eastern Europe's integration that educates young Eastern European professionals exists. In fact, my work for the CCSDD has inspired me to take part in the program this year myself!
4. Is there anything that you would like to say to students who are thinking about applying for a position with the CCSDD?
I would definitely encourage them to apply! The CCSDD team is young and vibrant and small enough that your work actually counts. Because of the small size of the team, everyone is expected to pull their own weight, which is great for students, looking to gain some real-world research experience. I particularly enjoyed my work with the CCSDD because I could tell that my opinion was appreciated and that I was trusted to pursue a project independently according to my vision.
Lead by CCSDD Director Dr. Justin Frosini, the Summer School brings together academics and legal experts from across the region to discuss the integration of new EU member states, with special attention focused on the Balkans as an area for future enlargement.
Another of this summer's 25 participants was CCSDD intern Jasmina Hodzic, a Bosnia native and a master's student at SAIS Europe. Below she details her experiences at Summer School, which served as a stimulating introduction to SAIS Europe and the CCSDD.
I was so eager to start my SAIS experience that in the spring before the start of the school year I decided to apply for a summer school organized by the CCSDD.
The Center embodies SAIS Europe's close ties to the University of Bologna and its host city, its commitment to policy research and the opportunities SAIS offers its students to broaden their horizons outside of the classroom.
I received good news a couple weeks after submitting my application when the CCSDD, in a note almost as enthusiastic as my motivation letter, admitted me to their week-long conference on the constitutional implications of European Union expansion in countries of East and Southeast Europe.
On July 14 I found myself in Igalo, a beautiful Montenegrin town in the picturesque bay of Boka Kotorska, squeezed between a tall, rocky mountain and the Adriatic Sea.
I was one of 25 participants from all over Europe – and I don't mean only the EU. There were students and scholars of constitutional law and political science from all over the former Yugoslavia, Eastern Europe and the Caucasus.
Together we engaged in a week of intense discussion about democratic transitions in the context of EU enlargement and the effect such tumultuous changes have had on the legal setup of the countries in question.
Such a diversity of ideas and experiences made this a very impressive and unique exchange.
Perhaps most impressive were the organizers, professors from the CCSDD and the University of Belgrade. We joined them in their celebration of the 10th anniversary of the summer school, co-directed by Prof. Frosini, CCSDD director and adjunct professor at SAIS, and Prof. Stevan Lilić of the University of Belgrade.
The combination of high spirits, warm July weather, and small-town Montenegro gave this academic conference a friendly and familiar feel. It is in such a mood that my time at SAIS has begun.
