Think Global, Act Local
Unbelievable combination of winter & Greece, the IFP & ELSA Law School
WINTER ELSA KOMOTINI LAW SCHOOL on ENVIRONMENTAL and ENERGY LAW
Mastoridou Christina Head Organiser, Vice President for Seminars and Conferences, ELSA Komotini 2016/2017
In order for humanity to survive, we need a safe environment. In order for the environment to be safe, we need to manage the energy resources wisely. In order to achieve both, we need law. In December 2016, the participants of the 2nd Winter ELSA Law School of ELSA Komotini had the chance to em‑ brace our Moto and discuss the environmental and energy issues that mankind faces. As two of the hottest topics and law fields that are being discussed all over the world, ELSA Komotini seized the opportunity to organise an international event, while including it in the current subject of the Interna‑ tional Focus Program (IFP). ELSA Komotini is one of the three local groups of ELSA Greece. Between the 3rd-10th of December 2016 it success‑ fully organised, the 2nd edition of the Winter ELSA Law School on Environmental and Energy Law (WELS), in the town of Komotini, which is located in the north-eastern part of the country. The WELS was an intensive legal course of seven days, which hosted 42 participants, while having the honour to host as lecturers, professors from Greek and Euro‑ pean well-known universities. The academic programme com‑ bined nicely with an enjoyable social and cultural programme, introducing participants to the Greek traditional culture and hospitality. The participants who took part in the winter course were mostly students, post-graduates and trainee lawyers from Greece and Europe. In particular, they came from Turkey, It‑ aly, Spain, Czech Republic, United Kingdom, Sweden as well as one student, who came from Colombia. They were really
interested in the topics of the courses, while many of them are aiming to focus later on, in their legal activity in these specific fields. Moreover, there were also students who came across these subjects for the first time, having the opportunity to learn about the legal issues that have emerged and gaining useful experience and a different perspective in these two law fields. As for the academic programme of the law school, it included introductory courses in the beginning of the conference and consequently, elaboration on the different aspects of the top‑ ics, presenting a spherical overview of the topic. Specifically, ELSA Komotini was very delighted to host lawyers, profes‑ sors and experts, giving their lectures. Namely, Ms. Charikleia Aroni, Adjunct Lecturer and Tutor in International Law, in the Department of Law, in Democritus University of Thrace, gave an enlightening lecture on "General Principals of En‑ vironmental and Energy Law", as well as Ms. Emmanouella Doussis, Associate Professor in National and Kapodistri‑ an University of Athens, who gave her lecture on "Interna‑ tional environmental cooperation to global environmental governance: a post-Paris overview". Furthermore, combin‑ ing Environmental law with fundamental human rights, Mr. Stylianos-Ioannis G. Koutnatzis, Lecturer in Public Law in Democritus University of Thrace, Law School, LL.M. (Har‑ vard) and Ph.D. in Law (Freie Universitaet Berlin) gave a great speech on "Environmental Protection as a Fundamental Right: National and European Perspectives". Focusing on the Energy sector also, Dr Efthymios Pa‑ SYNERGY Magazine | 43