Synergy #33 Spring edition 2003 - European Law Students ...
Synergy #33 Spring edition 2003 - European Law Students ...
Synergy #33 Spring edition 2003 - European Law Students ...
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Academic<br />
Activities<br />
Academic Activities is different from<br />
the other key areas in that it aims to<br />
developing our members while producing<br />
a result that contributes to legal<br />
education in general. This is especially<br />
true of the two projects currently on<br />
our menu:<br />
For starters we have ELSA SPEL. A<br />
project that has been in ELSA has gone<br />
through many incarnations, developing<br />
in pace with the association. It is now<br />
an online publication that is freely<br />
available to everyone. The second<br />
<strong>edition</strong> has been published recently. It<br />
is the perfect outlet for ELSA Members<br />
to publish their academic works<br />
concerning <strong>European</strong> <strong>Law</strong>; allowing them<br />
to show their academic prowess to the<br />
whole world.<br />
The main course is the ELSA Moot<br />
Court Competition on WTO <strong>Law</strong>. It is<br />
quite a big meal – involving 38 teams<br />
from all over, but mostly from ELSA;<br />
over 20 academics and experts in<br />
WTO law; and one big budget. 5<br />
National Rounds are also spread around<br />
as a fancy side dish. The feast itself<br />
will be taking place in Geneva where the<br />
12 best teams will meet, argue and be<br />
grilled by the judges to find the best<br />
team of the competition.<br />
If these only serve to whet your<br />
appetite without satisfying you, no fear,<br />
we are working on preparing even more<br />
dishes. Everything for your personal<br />
satisfaction. It’s just that they take<br />
some time to prepare when there are<br />
soo few cooks helping in the kitchen.<br />
Oh well, with the number projects<br />
currently in the kitchen, cooking… we<br />
have something for all tastes - to make<br />
sure you won’t starve. So, please, if<br />
you really must insist on going hungry,<br />
please tell us why. Please. Nothing is<br />
more disappointing to the cook than the<br />
guest who won’t eat his food.<br />
All this talk of food has got me hungry.<br />
I’m going to eat, see you….<br />
12<br />
Mark Refalo<br />
Vice President<br />
Akademic Aktivities<br />
ELSA International<br />
Magazine of The <strong>European</strong> <strong>Law</strong> <strong>Students</strong>’ Association<br />
The end<br />
of the beginning<br />
Though it is yet too early to reflect upon the<br />
issues that have arisen while organising our ELSA<br />
Moot Court Competition on WTO <strong>Law</strong> (EMC2),<br />
it is about time to sum up the efforts channelled<br />
towards the implementation of this project. This<br />
article pays tribute to the members of ELSA,<br />
to the staff of various law faculties (schools)<br />
and their students who acknowledged the<br />
merit of EMC2, as well as to those academics<br />
and practicing lawyers who have undertaken<br />
a enormous task of Judging EMC2.<br />
Teams<br />
Once the final draft of the rules was approved<br />
and an approximate budget presented in Coruña<br />
the 2002 – <strong>2003</strong> EMC2 had a rough start.<br />
From the very beginning it was determined<br />
that 12 teams would participate in the Finals<br />
in Geneva, selected either by their written<br />
memorials or by competing in one of the 5<br />
National Rounds: Hungary, Norway, Malta,<br />
Portugal and Romania. The dream was to<br />
have 32 teams participating. Few people<br />
believed in this target… until enquiries<br />
began arriving from every corner of the<br />
world (even Australia!), which translated<br />
into 38 teams from Europe and 2 from US.<br />
Judges<br />
The year started out with an impressive list<br />
of experts providing their support and advice<br />
to the EMC2. This expanded even more<br />
impressively after the International and Local<br />
organising committees met in Geneva and<br />
things began to fall in place.<br />
The EMC2 requires a substantial<br />
commitment from judges - assessing teams’<br />
performances during both oral and written<br />
rounds are strenuous and time consuming<br />
tasks, not to mention all the work which has<br />
to be carried out in preparing from the case.<br />
ELSA will always be in debt to these judges<br />
who have devoted their time and effort in<br />
making the Competition possible in the first<br />
place. Further, there is no doubt, that ELSA<br />
could not have been able to ensure such the<br />
high quality of EMC2 in its launch year if it<br />
was not for the people listed herein.<br />
The mayhem in the ELSA House and in<br />
Geneva<br />
The astounding results of the EMC2 were<br />
extremely gratifying except for the fact that<br />
there was tons of work to be carried out by<br />
the International Organising Committee, Local<br />
Organising Committee and the ELSA groups.<br />
Ieva Zebryte<br />
Director for<br />
Moot Court Competition<br />
ELSA International<br />
The results of the work done by the various<br />
ELSA groups with their teams will only be seen<br />
after the EMC2 runs its course; however<br />
some groups have already arranged matters<br />
such that their teams would have most of<br />
their expenses covered and others are preparing<br />
in case of success during their National<br />
rounds.<br />
As regards the IOC… None at the<br />
ELSA House could fail to notice the sudden<br />
influx of emails, the hard copies of memorials<br />
blocking passage ways and the thousands<br />
of charts, tables, and systems trying to<br />
make the allocation of memorials a piece of<br />
cake. As the “outgoing” memorials and incoming<br />
marks had to be tracked, the deadlines<br />
were approaching fast, a conference was<br />
yet to be organised, judges’ schedules had<br />
to be coordinated and an ICM had to be<br />
survived.<br />
Prospects of the EMC2<br />
With all of the above in mind it was time to<br />
think of the future of the EMC2 as well. There<br />
have already been some concerns, expressed<br />
by the network, specialists and organisers,<br />
as to the structure of the EMC2. Being the<br />
pilot year of the EMC2 this was, of course,<br />
expected. Therefore new proposals based on<br />
the present experience started coming in and<br />
a number of possibilities are to be examined<br />
over the next two council meetings. For the<br />
EMC2 to develop into a flagship for the<br />
network however, greater commitment must<br />
be shown by the ELSA groups in planning and<br />
implementing the <strong>2003</strong> – 2004 Competition.<br />
In conclusion...<br />
The geography of EMC2 teams and judges<br />
illustrates the truly global nature of the<br />
competition, though only 12 lucky ones will<br />
enjoy the Swiss hospitality and the company<br />
of eminent lawyers in the field of WTO <strong>Law</strong>.<br />
All in all, in order to ensure both quality and<br />
popularity greater commitment of ELSA<br />
groups is expected in planning and implementing<br />
the <strong>2003</strong> – 2004 Competition. The<br />
EMC2 is an international project to improve<br />
the practical law skills and knowledge in international<br />
trade law for and by ALL OF ELSA.<br />
This will be most effective only if the global<br />
rather than <strong>European</strong> perspective is upheld.<br />
While some changes are inevitable and<br />
professionalism in the organisation is yet to<br />
be attained, it is not too optimistic to expect<br />
the success of the EMC2 worldwide.