From the 19th to 22nd February the Law Faculty of Charles University hosted a number of participants and judges from various countries for the Prague Regional Finals of the European Law Moot Court Competition (ELMC). Representatives of the following 12 universities participated in the Prague Regional Finals: Leiden, Torino, Columbia University (New York), Tartu, Turku, Université Paris 2 Panthéon-Assas, French-Romanian College of European Studies, Lund, Nijmegen, Louvain, Osnabruck and Ljubljana.
On Thursday 19th February, Dean Jan Kuklík and Vice-Deans Milan Damohorský and Michal Tomášek were pleased to host a Reception for the visiting competitors in the Atrium of the Law Faculty. The Dean and the members of the ELMC Society introduced the judges: legal experts with a collective background in various aspects of European Law. They wished success to the participating students, and welcomed all guests to enjoy their stay in Prague. Tereza Kunertová, Master of the Moot for the Prague Regional Finals, encouraged the continuing participation of international and European students in this prestigious competition.
Created in 1988, the ELMC is an annual event held for law students from across the globe on matters of European Union Law. The format of the competition requires that teams prepare detailed written submissions for both the appellant and respondent on a topic published by the ELMC Society each year. Successful participants then proceed to oral pleadings in front of a panel of judges at the next round: a series of Regional Finals held in four locations. In addition to Prague, this year's Regional Finals were held also in New York, USA; Pisa, Italy; and Bremen, Germany. This competition is the ultimate test of European Union Law for the litigating participants.
The participants in the Prague Regionals Finals faced challenges to their submissions by a tough panel of judges. Spectators hailed from a number of countries across Europe, and will hopefully increase participation in the ELMC in their home countries in the coming years. The sponsors of the Prague Regional Finals included the law firms White & Case, Giese & Partner and Allen & Overy.
The winners of the Prague Regional Finals, the team from Leiden University, advanced to the final round of the ELMC, which will be held at the Court of Justice of the EU in Luxembourg between late March and early April 2015.
By: Rachael Jane Ruth is a third year Law student from the University of Glasgow, Scotland, studying for one year at Charles University in Prague. She chose to write for iForum in order to augment her European exchange experience and to further her interests in literature, music and international affairs. |
