China-EU School of Law
China-EU School of Law opening ceremony in Beijing
20 October 2008, by Internetredaktion
Photo:
European Commission President Barroso and China's Vice Premier Li inaugurate the law school
The President of the European Commission, José Manuel Barroso, and representatives of the People’s Republic of China will officially open the China-EU School of Law (CESL) in Beijing on 23 October 2008. The President of the China University of Political Science and Law, Prof. Xu Xianming, and the President of the University of Hamburg, Prof. Dr Monika Auweter-Kurtz, will also attend the ceremony
The opening takes place on Thursday, 23 October 2008, at 6 p.m., in the Auditorium of the China-EU School of Law, c/o China University of Political Science and Law, No. 27, Fuxue Lu, Changping District, 102249, P.R. China
An international consortium of institutions of higher education, led by the University of Hamburg, successfully competed against competitors from Italy and France in an EU funding call by the European Union and was selected to establish the Sino-foreign law school in November 2007. With a total volume of 35 million euros of funding, CESL will be one of the most outstanding EU projects in the field of European-Chinese legal cooperation for years to come. The Project Manager is the Dean of the University of Hamburg’s Faculty of Law, Prof. Dr Hans-Heinrich Trute.
The most important programme at CESL is a double master's degree in Chinese and European Law, which will lead to a Chinese as well as a European LL.M. degree. The first students enrolled today, on 20 October, and were welcomed by Serge Abou, the Ambassador of the European Union to China. In a second field, professional training courses will be organised in the area of legal dialogue for Chinese judges, prosecutors and lawyers. In addition, a Chinese-European research and consultancy institute will be set up to accompany Chinese legal reform with research and consultancy.
President Prof. Dr Monika Auweter-Kurtz: “I am pleased that CESL will now start its work. The opening of CESL is a milestone in the European-Chinese legal dialogue. It highlights the outstanding importance of the University of Hamburg and the Faculty of Law as an internationally-renowned center of excellence in China.”
Prof. Dr Hans-Heinrich Trute: “I am very proud that the Faculty of Law has been able to succeed in such a strong international call. The fact that CESL is now being opened with the participation of high-ranking politicians shows its international importance. I am confident that we will be able to turn CESL into an internationally-renowned university and an excellent center for Sino-foreign academic exchange.”
The international consortium includes the Universities of Hamburg (Germany), Madrid (Spain), Bologna (Italy), Strasbourg and Sciences Po (France), Lund (Sweden), Leuven (Belgium), Manchester (UK), Krakow (Poland), Maastricht (the Netherlands), Central European University and Eötvos Lorand University (Hungary), and Trinity College Dublin (Ireland). On the Chinese side, the two Beijing universities China University of Political Science and Law (CUPL) and Tsinghua University will participate.
In addition, CESL is supported by the expertise of major research institutes such as the Max Planck Institutes (Hamburg, Heidelberg, Munich and Freiburg) and the Netherlands Institute for Human Rights in Utrecht. Professional training at CESL is realised by integrating internationally-renowned law firms such as Clifford Chance, CMS Hasche Sigle, Lovells LLP, Taylor Wessing, Nörr Stiefenhofer Lutz, Uría Menéndez, Garrigues, Cuatrecasas, de Brauw and Bonelli Erede Pappalardo.
Journalists are asked to accredit themselves for participation at the opening ceremony.