Summer Schools Archive
The summer schools form a core component of the European Law School. They are supported by the Franco-German University. The partner universities take turns organising the summer schools and each academy is shaped by the organising institution’s own style and scientific focus.
Summer Schools are multilingual, multinational, with teachers of different subjects. Students of the European Law School should take part in two to three such Summer Schools. These aim not only to offer a wide understanding of Law Traditions in Europe but furthermore to allow the students to root their knowledge in society and intelectual history. For this reason the respective topics are chosen for their interdisciplinary potential.
Last but nor least, the Summer Schools are the perfect occasion to network with fellow students.
2018 Summer School in Rom on the Topic “Europe, Protection Area of Individual Rights, Private Autonomy, Fundamental Rights and Freedom”
This year's Summer School took place from 10th to 15th September at the University of Rome - La Sapienza.
We made the best out of the four days to have a closer look at the important role of the European Union in Law and Economics.
2016 Summer School in Amsterdam on the Topic “Private Law and Democracy”
In 2016, the Summer School took place for the first time in Amsterdam and was organised by the local partner university. Thematically, the curriculum wound around the topic “Private Law and Democracy” in all its facets and profited considerably from the involvement of the “Centre for the Study of European Contract Law” in Amsterdam. The academic programme was supplemented by a varied extra-curricular programme: students visited the Foam museum of photography, went to a concert together, and took a boat trip on the Amstel river.
2015 Summer School in Berlin on the Topic “Comparison in Historical and Legal Studies”
In 2015, the Summer School of the European Law School was organised by the Humboldt University and took place in Berlin and at Schloss Blankensee. The event gave rise to a productive collaboration between the doctoral college and the European Law School Network: At the start of the summer school, the doctoral students organised a two-day conference on the topic “Diversity and/or Unity in Europe? Renewable Energies on the EU Internal Market”. On the one hand, students and alumni of the European Law School presented the legal situation in Germany and France; on the other, some of the programme’s young scholars presented the findings of their research. Finally, experts in the area of renewable energies also participated: for example, Thomas Schulz from the partner law firm Linklaters LLP and Dr Martin Geipel from the partner law firm Noerr LLP.
The Summer School of the European Law School was devoted to the topic of comparison in historical and legal studies. The highly diverse programme included both cultural events – for instance, a visit to Potsdam and the park around Sanssouci Palace as well as seeing a play at the Schaubühne theatre – and academic events and museum visits that approached the topic from the most varied perspectives. The praxis workshops with the partner law firms CMS Hasche Sigle, represented by Dr Gerd Leutner and Dr Tobias Teicke, and Linklaters LLP, represented by Dr Kai Pritsche and Matthew Devey, were a highlight for the students. We would like to take the opportunity here to express again our sincere thanks to all those who participated.
2014 Summer School in Florence on the Topic “Hermeneutics”
In 2014, the Summer School of the European Law School was hosted by the University of Paris 2 Panthéon-Assas and took place from 1-6 September in the university’s branch location in Florence: the fabulous “Villa Finaly”. The topic “Hermeneutics” served as the academy's guiding thread. The topic was considered from the perspectives of European law and comparative law and developed in the framework of lectures and workshops. In addition, students were invited by Prof. Joseph H.H. Weiler, the th
en president of the European University Institute, to participate in his master class at the EUI. The scholarly part of the summer school concluded a couple of days later with an equally stimulating lecture by Prof. François Ost (Brussels) on “L’interpretation dans le droit et la litterature”. The host city was not neglected either: Apart from various museum visits, Professor Stefan Grundmann’s guided tour of Florence’s cultural and architectural history was surely a highlight.
2013 Summer School in Rome on the Topic “Efficiency and Justice (Machiavelli)”
In 2013, the Summer School of the European Law School was hosted by La Sapienza University in Rome and took place from 30 August to 7 September.
The topic “Efficiency and Justice (Machiavelli)” served as the school’s guiding thread. The topic was considered from both a scholarly and a practical perspective and developed in the framework of lectures and workshops. A guided tour of Rome’s cultural and architectural history by Professor Stefan Grundmann was a highlight of the cultural programme. We look back on a stimulating and eventful week of lively exchange with students, who for the first time came from all four universities.
Resoconto in Italian
2012 Summer School in London “The Concept of Citizenship in Europe"
The 2012 Summer School took place in London at King’s College London’s freshly renovated Somerset House and took “The Concept of Citizenship in Europe” as its theme. In retrospect, one can only view the summer school as a tremendous success. Once again, students from all three partner universities took part in great number. 
The idea of covering both theory and practice, and both transmitting knowledge and stimulating discussion, worked just as planned. Despite the great heterogeneity of the participants – or perhaps precisely because of it – both the lecture courses and the seminars gave rise to lively discussions, which often continued well beyond the individual events. Precisely the mix of prominent, seasoned scholars like Sir Francis Jacobs, Koen Lenaerts, Piet Eeckhout, and Alexander Turk, with young scholars and doctoral students provided students with a deeper and multi-faceted insight into the subject matter. Thus, the topic was not only viewed from the point of view of positive law, but also in terms of philosophy, legal theory and European law. Besides the legal-theoretical aspects, the rich jurisprudence of the ECJ on the subject provided an additional focal point. The ECJ rulings were critically illuminated and explained, both from an academic and a practical perspective, by former Advocate General Sir Francis Jacobs and ECJ judge Koen Lenaerts. Another aspect of practice, viz. the practice of law firms, was examined in the second part of the summer school.
2011 Summer School at Schloss Kröchlendorff near Berlin on the topic “Governance in Law, Social Theory and Literature”
The fourth Summer School took place from 9 September to 16 September 2011 at Schloss Kröchlendorff near Berlin. The topic was: “Governance in Law, Social Theory and Literature”
Like in previous years, the summer school was distinguished by the diversity of viewpoints from which experts in law, sociology and philosophy illuminated the meaning of “governance” along with the international students. In addition to texts in economics and legal theory by authors like the Nobel Prize winners Elinor Ostrom and Oliver E. Williamson, as well as by John Rawls and Michel Foucault, literary texts also provided a basis for the discussion of “governance”: namely, Shakespeare's “Merchant of Venice” and the Berlin play “Death of an Intern” by René Pollesch. Students, moreover, rehearsed and performed scenes from the latter. The idea was that a concept of “governance”, if what we are talking about is an overview of societal phenomena and decision-making situations that is a socially-driving force, should be demonstrable by way of all its forms of expression – including philosophy and literature. In fact, precisely in Pollesch's case, the concept of each individual – including, for instance, interns and employees – as his or her own “entrepreneur of the self” was palpable. The organisers were particularly pleased about the large number of students from Paris and London, who greatly enriched the discussions. This made an intensive contribution, beyond national borders, to cohesiveness and to the group dynamic.
2010 Summer School in Paris, also on the Topic “Europe and Energy”
In 2010, the Summer School again took place in Paris at the University Panthéon-Assas. Like in 2009, the topic of the Summer School was “Europe and Energy”. In keeping with the programme of the school, during the morning sessions, students heard lectures by scholars and practitioners on subjects like alternative/classical energies and nuclear energy. During the afternoons, seminars were held in which students had to give their own lectures, which were then discussed.
2009 Summer School in Paris on the Topic “Europe and Energy”
The second Summer School took place in Paris in 2009 and had “Europe and Energy” as its theme. It lasted ten days, brought together practice and theory, highly different areas of law, and also law and other disciplines...including even technical disciplines and the natural sciences. Lectures of the most different sorts were combined with some panel discussions, but, above all, with the students’ own work. And for the first time students from all three countries came together in considerable number.
2008 Berlin Summer School on the Topics “Max Weber: From Legal Dogma and Legal History to the Sociology of Law” and “Negotiations in 18th Century Bourgeois Drama and in Contemporary Law”
From 7-13 September 2008, the first Summer School of the European Law School took place – and one can say it was a complete success. French and German students, teachers and partners were all enthusiastic about the event.
The Summer School was held under the two broad headings:
“Max Weber: From Legal Dogma and Legal History to the Sociology of Law” and “Negotiations in 18th Century Bourgeois Drama and in Contemporary Law”.
Under the first heading, a historical personality was examined who was trained in law, but then went far beyond it. Max Weber was indeed the last polymath whose knowledge ranged from the study of societies to philosophy. He is regarded as the founder of sociology – and, in particular, of the sociology of law – and, at the same time, as the author of the thesis according to which the particular ethical-religious stamp of certain countries is of central significance to their economic orientation and for the development of capitalism.
Under the second heading, the plays “Minna von Barnhelm” and “The Broken Jug” were discussed first from a literary and philosophical perspective and then from the point-of-view of a mediator.
German and French students from all years of study in the European Lawyer programme took part.