ERA - Upcoming Conferences (September, October 2010)

ACADÉMIE DE DROIT EUROPÉEN - ACADEMY OF EUROPEAN LAW - EUROPÄISCHE RECHTSAKADEMIE - ACCADEMIA DI DIRITTO EUROPEO (ERA):

-25 Years Without Borders. Prospects for police cooperation and border control in the Schengen area today (Trier, 16 September 2010 – 17 September 2010): 25 years ago, in 1985, five EU member states signed the Schengen Agreement removing systematic border controls between their countries. Today, the Schengen area consists of 25 European countries, the latest entrant being Switzerland.
The enlarged Schengen area has given rise to numerous new challenges for the protection of the EU's internal and external borders including:

• the setting-up of a second generation for the Schengen Information System (SIS II) and the idea of an Agency for large-scale IT systems;
• the establishment of common centres of police and customs cooperation to assist with cross-border surveillance, hot pursuit, joint patrols and other joint operations under the Schengen Convention;
• the strengthening of FRONTEX operational capacities by introducing regional-based offices, Joint Support Teams, joint operations, return cooperation;
• measures for a ‘European Integrated Border Management’ such as an entry/exit system, a European Border Patrols Network, and a European Border Surveillance System (EUROSUR);
• new electronic technologies to ensure border control (ABC).

Together with representatives of the respective EU agencies, national police officers and border guards, this seminar will look at the development of the Schengen Acquis and present and discuss its challenges today.
More information: Academy of European Law (ERA)
Conference programme [here]

-Litigating European Union Law. Introductory course with preparatory e-learning modules (Trier, 22 September 2010 – 24 September 2010): The purpose of this course, which is aimed primarily at national legal practitioners, is to highlight the relevance of EU Law to the daily work of the national lawyer and to describe the various types of proceedings before the Union Courts (the Court of Justice, the General Court and the European Union Civil Service Tribunal) in which a national practitioner is likely to get involved.
The participants will be able to deepen their knowledge through workshops.
E-learning: Participants will be provided with the opportunity to prepare for the course online and test their knowledge via the ERA website.
The e-learning course is now available for registered participants.
Visit to the Court of Justice of the EU: The course includes a visit to the ECJ. The size of visitor groups to the ECJ in Luxembourg is strictly limited by the Court for practical reasons. Unfortunately we are therefore unable to guarantee that all participants will be able to attend. Places for the ECJ visit will be allocated to registered participants on a "first come, first served" basis.
More information: Academy of European Law (ERA)
Conference programme [here]

-Annual Conference on European Family Law 2010: Cross-border divorce - Family finances (Trier, 27 September 2010 – 28 September 2010): The 2010 edition of this annual conference on the latest developments in European family law will focus on both applicable law to divorce and matrimonial property regimes.
In March 2010, the European Commission published its proposal for a Regulation implementing enhanced cooperation in the area of the law applicable to divorce and legal separation ('Rome III', COM (2010) 105).
Participants will discuss the most topical issues of the proposed Regulation laying down choice of law rules in divorce matters:

• Enhanced cooperation of 10 (or more) Member States
• Freedom of choice and applicable law in absence of choice
• Application of a foreign law
• Consequences for non-participating and non-EU countries
• What happens next?

The second key topic concerns matrimonial property regimes and patrimonial aspects of other forms of union. A Commission proposal is expected later this year ('Rome IV').
Legal practitioners and academics will report on the current situation in several European jurisdictions. The discussion will include marital agreements and the proposal for an optional Franco-German matrimonial property regime.
Finally, the state of play in the drafting of new legal instruments in the field of European family law and law of succession will be presented.
More information: Academy of European Law (ERA)
Conference programme [here]

-Annual Conference on European Consumer Law 2010. Focus on consumer rights: towards targeted harmonisation? (Trier, 14 October 2010 – 15 October 2010): The objective of this annual conference is to analyse the current state of EU consumer protection law and the most important recent EU initiatives in this field. The focus will be on consumer rights and the conference will debate the perspectives for a future Consumer Rights Directive.
The European Commission in 2008 adopted a proposal for a Directive on consumer rights aiming at merging, updating, modernising and strengthening provisions in the key problematic areas of four existing EU consumer directives (consumer sales, unfair contract terms, distance selling and doorstep selling). According to the Commission, full harmonisation of all consumer rights in the EU would end the fragmentation of the single market, improve legal clarity, guarantee the same protection to all consumers and stimulate cross-border trade. Concerns have been raised, however, among member states, consumer organisations and Members of the European Parliament that a full harmonisation would in practice lead to a levelling down of certain consumer rights.
Commissioner Reding has announced that she will review the Commission's 2008 proposal to consider, where practical, the option of more targeted harmonisation.
Other current developments to be addressed include:

• enforcement issues, such as consumer collective redress
• guidance on the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive
• consumer data protection
• latest case-law of the ECJ on consumer matters

More information: Academy of European Law (ERA)
Conference programme [here]

-Annual Forum on Mutual Recognition of Judicial Decisions in Criminal Matters (Trier, 20 October 2010 – 22 October 2010): This three-day forum is the fifth annual event aimed at national judges and prosecutors on the subject of mutual recognition. This Europe-wide platform should enable judges and prosecutors to exchange experiences, discuss common problems and promote cooperation and best practice in the field of judicial cooperation in criminal matters.
The main topics will be:

• EU mutual recognition instruments in light of the Lisbon Treaty;
• The European Public Prosecutor Office (EPPO): state of play and initiatives taken so far;
• Implementation of mutual recognition instruments in Member States’ criminal law;
• Mutual recognition in practice (experiences to date with the European Arrest Warrant);
• Role of EU criminal justice institutions in promoting mutual recognition;
• Relationship between national criminal law and EU criminal law.

Proposals to improve the legal and/or practical functioning of EU mutual recognition instruments will be debated in light of the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty and the endorsement of the Stockholm Programme. The contribution of EU institutions will be outlined and concrete EAW cases presented and discussed in working groups.
More information: Academy of European Law (ERA)

-Annual Conference on European Migration Law 2010. Judicial protection in refugee matters (Malta, 28 October 2010 – 29 October 2010): This conference seeks to give professionals an overview of current developments in European refugee law. It will look at:

• case law of national and European courts on the question of qualification;
• current issues concerning the Dublin system;
• the role of the lawyer in refugee law proceedings;
• access to justice for refugees;
• the proposals to reform the existing EU instruments such as the Qualifications, the Procedures and the Reception Conditions Directives.

The conference will discuss the further development of the role of the courts in the application of the EU asylum acquis.
Level: The conference will offer an advanced level of discussion requiring knowledge of the EU refugee law acquis.
More information: Academy of European Law (ERA)
Conference programme [here]