International Law Week 2021

This annual event involved partner institutions from different member states including Belgium, France, Finland, The Netherlands, Italy and Spain.  The University of Abertay was the only British institution involved in the week, with 6 second year students participating.

The primary purpose of the International Law Week is to research, discuss, compare and contrast different perspectives and ultimately present draft legislative amendments in an area of European law.  However, this year, due to the risks of coronavirus and various government restrictions on travel, the event took place on MS Teams. This created a different dynamic to past events, but nevertheless allowed students to engage interactively with colleagues from different countries and institutions, benefit from coaching sessions from European legal experts, and attend lectures from prestigious guest speakers.

The workshop sessions were linked to a series of assignments which challenged the students to apply their newly acquired skills. These assignments ranged from discussions of the political and ideological constitution of the European Parliament, and analysis of the use of directives and EU legislation, and a forum to discuss the operation of amendments and proposals within the EU.

The students benefitted a great deal from their ability to attend International Law Week. There are three key ways in which this benefit manifests: first, the students increased their knowledge and understanding of key ideas in EU Law; secondly, students honed key transferable skills in legal research; thirdly, students built a network with students and academic staff from diverse backgrounds, enhancing their perspective and cultural understanding.