The first 26 participants of the Summer School on European Law. They are representatives of the new generation of advocates, post graduate law students and students of third and fourth year of the law faculties of the RA universities who had passed the tender and obtained the right to reveal the secrets of European Law in Aghveran with the help of Armenian as well as with the German experts of the sphere. Organizers of the Summer School on European Law are The Law Foundation of Armenia, Armenian Young Lawyers Association Non-Governmental Organization, and German Fund for International Legal Cooperation (IRZ).
“The Mission of the The Law Foundation of Armenia as well as of the Armenian Young Lawyers Association Non-Governmental Organization, provides a number of objectives. Among them activities directed to raise the educational level of the lawyers of young generation,” Mr. Karen Zadoyan, President of AYLA, and Head of Board of Trustees of the Law Foundation of Armenia said.
The 5 days’ program, which was aimed to provide maximum knowledge had been elaborated with maximum responsibility. German Fund for International Legal Cooperation (IRZ) had invited German experts to Armenia to deliver lectures.
“On the instruction of the German Government IRZ supports us in the development and improvement of the judiciary and legal spheres of the partner states,” Ms Rita Busa, IRZ Project Manager in Georgia said.
According to Ms Nelly Tumasyan, IRZ Armenian Coordinator, AYLA President Karen Zadoyan had provided the idea of the Summer School in 2012, “Indeed, it took us a long time to discuss and understand how efficient and realizable the idea was, and we decided to support and organize this event.”
Razmik Sargsyan, student of the Law Faculty of Yerevan State University, attaches importance to the fact that the Summer School provides opportunity to meet with different lawyers who have different approaches towards the discussed issues, “The main merit and peculiarity of the Summer School is that it is an alternative means of education. That is it does not include stereotypes. And naturally one can ask any questions, of course in the bounds of reasonability.”
Mary Movsisyan, graduate from the French University Foundation in Armenia had come across the announcement on the Summer School in Iravaban.net website. “I decided to fill in the application to participate, as I have a goal to complete my knowledge on the European Law, which I gained during my study at the University.”
Advocate Sona Harutyunyan attaches importance to the training on European law for the young lawyers. “Summer School on European law is a great opportunity for the young lawyers and law students to develop their knowledge and skills on the European Law,” she said.
On the first day of the Summer School, Mr. Zohrab Mnatsakanyan, Deputy Foreign Minister of the RA, spoke about the Cooperation of Armenia in the European Structures and about the Armenia’s EU Association Agreement. He emphasized that he had come to deliver lectures with great inspiration.
“Organization of this Summer School is a hint and opportunity for the students, young lawyers, as well as the future lawyers are able to establish the circles of questions, which further will be a basis for their future core studies,” the Deputy Foreign Minister considers.
Tatev Harutyunyan, graduate of the Law Faculty of the French University Foundation in Armenia was interested in Zohrab Mnatsakanyan’s lecture. “Just the first report was a new source of knowledge for me, because, though we had studied the European Law, however we had not studied the Association Agreement with Armenia.”
Mariam Antonyan is a student at the Magistrate of the Law Faculty of the Armenian Russian Slavonic University. She studies International and European Law. In this sense the Summer School is more useful for her, “I believe the themes are selected correctly, because initially we started from the study of the creation of European Law and the establishment of the European Union.”
The law faculties of the Armenian universities attach much importance to teaching of the International Law, rather than to that of the European Law. “Issuing from the External Policy of the Republic of Armenia, and on the assumption of the problems that Armenia faces, much importance should be paid to Europe as a whole and to the European Law,” Artak Torosyan, Master of Law of the Public Administration Academy of the RA. Haykuhi Sukiasyan, Master of Law of the law department of Yerevan State University agrees that the European law should be thought in-dept in the Armenian universities. “The European Law in Armenia is still in the development and establishment phase,” she says.
According to Mr. Heinz-Wilhelm Schaumann, Lecturer at the RheinAhrCampus Remagen of the Koblenz University of Applied Sciences, the Armenian lawyers need the knowledge of European Law. He delivered lectures during three days at the Summer School and was really impressed by the fact that the Armenian youth was very active and had good logic. “Though I was 10 days beforr suddenly told that I should work in such place, now I should say that I would never want to miss such an opportunity.”
In addition to the lectures, the expert of International and European Law played billiards with the youth during the free hours. He even confesses that one of the lawyers taught him to play long backgammon. The organizers of the Summer School had though over leisure time of the participants and organized tennis, football and intellectual games competitions. They organized visists to historical cultural sites, such as Noradus and Hayravank as well.
Mariam Grigoryan from Nagorno Karabagh was inspired with participation in the Summer School. She is a graduate of the Law faculty of Artsakh State University. “Especially in current situation, when the Republic of Armenia develops and improves relations with the EU and EC, the role and importance of the European law is considered more and more important, so that not in addition to the law students, lawyers the entire public becomes aware of the essence of the European law.”
“A am more than confident that I shall get the answers to a lot of questions, because the program is really saturated,” Raffi Gevorgyan, graduate of Yerevan Institute of Forensic expertise and Psychology said.
Mr. Norbert Koster, Judge at the Higher Regional Court in Hamm spoke about the Judicial System of the European Union and the Case Law of the European Court of Justice
“The young people were rather interest in the school, and regardless of whether a country is a member of the European Union or not, it is very important that the lawyers are aware of the European Law,” the judge said.
Hayk Ghazaryan, student of Khachatur Abovyan State Pedagogical University of Armenia was really impressed with Norbert Koster’s lectures. He was surprised that the judge was not aware of any corruption case in the judicial system of Germany during his 25 years of work practice.
“It is commendable that the German judge was convinced that there is no corruption there, and it seems to me that this is the reason that Germany is such a developed country today and we should strive to bring their experience to Armenia and fight against corruption here as well, especially in the judicial system,” Sona Danielian, a graduate of the American University of Armenia said.
AYLA Board Members, advocates Syuzanna Soghomonyan and Marat Atovmyan, with their lectures helped the lawyers to gain complete understanding of the European Law as well. In addition to the lectures they organized the work of the working groups, which were formed during the Summer School.
“I introduced to the attention of the participants of the Summer School the systems of the European Union, and the seven institutional structures, which have a great role and importance to ensure the natural operation of the European Union. Further I spoke about the function of each institution, their authorities and activity framework,” Miss Syuzanna Soghomonyan said.
“I referred to two topics in the framework of the Summer School. The first topic related the legal regulation of labor and social security spheres in the European Union, and the second to the mechanisms for the protection of human rights in the European Union,” Marat Atovmyan said.
Ashot Yesayan, Associate Professor, Chief of Staff of RA Prosecutor General’s Office, was invited to deliver a lecture on “Legal basis of European Union’s Policy in the Sphere of Education and Culture.” “After crossing a certain way in economic relations, the European Union passed to the issues of education and science. That is we are in better situation than the EU, because they have already passed this way and their shortcomings may be good examples for us,” Mr. Yesayan said.
Deputy Justice Minister of the RA, Ruben Melikyan, associate professor, PHD in Law met the students on the 5th day of the Summer School. He spoke about the Structure of the European Court of Human Rights and the application procedure and answered to the students’ questions. The second speaker of the day, Dr. Michael Kleine-Cosack, the German lawyer today held a lecture as well. In his speech Dr. Kleine-Cosack was delighted with the lecture of the RA Deputy Minister of Justice and said that it would be a pleasure for him to take Mr. Ruben Melikyan to Germany as an attorney. He was really impressed with the Armenian lawyers as well. “I positively appreciate the active discussions, they are really interested and more active than the young people from a number of other countries. I have to say that I was really delighted with the opportunity to work here,” he said.
After the course was completed the participants frankly said that they obtained more knowledge than they expected.
“Every lawyer must know the European Law, because it is one of the branches of the law, which establishes the fundamental human freedoms and rights,” Mr. Ara Gharagyozian graduate of the Law Faculty of “Progress” University of Gyumri said
On the last day of the Summer Scholl the participants gathered and discussed the obtained skills and spoke about their impressions.
The practical workshops, which were organized at the end of each day were rather efficient. “I gained the knowledge on the European Law and in future it will definitely be of greate importance for me to become an expert in my work,” Araz Saribekyan, magistrate student of the Law Department of Humanitarian Sciences of Gavar State University said.
Nune Sargsyan, the 3rd year student of the law department of Northern University said, “I believe the initiative will be Continuable, because the students really need such schools.”
Samvel Mkoyan, Master of Law student of the Law Department of Yerevan State University thinks that the program is well developed, “Me and and why not my friends as well, believe we gained more knowledge during the 5 days of the Summer School, rather than provides the formal education during several months.”
Gevorg Khachatryan, student of the LAW Faculty of YSU is impressed with the Summer School as well. In addition to the knowledge he gained good friends, “This was a rather good and highly qualified program.”
“Prior to this Summer School I attended different camps, but I was always dissatisfied from the organization level. In fact great efforts were made to ensure favorable conditions,” Mariam Nersisyan, student of the Law Department of French University Foundation in Armenia said.
Mane Simonyan, Lecturer at the law department of Mkhitar Gosh Armenian Russian International University has a good opportunity to share the knowledge gained at the Summer School. “I can give these to my students as exchange of experience,” she said.
“Distribution of the seminars was really interesting as it provided opportunity to refer to the establishment and development processes of all institutions and the legislative processes separately,” Yeranuhi Yandayan, graduate of the Law Department of French University Foundation in Armenia said.
Varduhi Badalyan, graduate of the Law Department of Gavar State University appreciated the schedule of the Summer School most. “Because it was built in correct sequence, phase by phase. It provides the students an opportunity not to confuse everything, but rather to obtain clear and classified knowledge. It seems logical that the schedule should be like that, however there are a lot of problems aand very often there are trainings where the seminars are conducted at the end of the course and this arises chaotic situation among the students.”
The participants of the Summer School are really impressed. Everything was organized perfectly; they gained good friends and sustainable knowledge. The Summer School is completed. It’s time to leave. However everyone is interested when the next event shall be organized. Karen Zadoyan mentioned that the most important thing was that own idea was implemented successfully and that the first was the most difficult. He promised that in the event shall become annual; however, first, the interested individuals should overcome the tender phase for participation.
