Viviane Reding and Diana Wallis at the European University Institute in Florence to discuss the feasibility of a "EUROPEAN LAW INSTITUTE"

On 9 and 10 April at the European University Institute there will be a discussion on the feasibility of a “European Law Institute”; the leaders of the international law community will gather for the first time in Florence.

On Friday 9 and Saturday 10 April, some of the most authoritative voices of the national, European and international law community involved in the promotion of European integration in the legal sphere will meet at the European University Institute. Judges, lawyers, academics and members of European and international institutions will participate in this important and unique event. The topic of discussion will be the feasibility of a “European Law Institute”, an organism that would promote synergy between the various Courts, administrative agencies academics and practising lawyers, as well as function as a new institutional instrument for the drawing-up of principles and common guidelines.   Among the illustrious participants scheduled to participate are Viviane Reding, Vice President of the European Commission, and Diana Wallis, Vice President of the European Parliament.   The discussion will begin with a careful analysis of the European legal scenario, which in its current state is still decentralized and where the protagonists are the national legal systems. For this reason, in addition to the adoption of a common body of legislation where possible, it is necessary to harmonize the interpretation of the law, so as to construct integrated legal communities. A “European Law Institute” could therefore serve as a network of networks: a European institution that thinks globally by way of co-operation between institutions from all over the world, while at the same time promotes the diffusion of the European legal model in other jurisdictions.   The conference-debate, sponsored by the Department of Law and the Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies of the European University Institute, will provide the possibility for creative discussion on the benefit, structure, activities, financing and management of a possible “European Law Institute”.   The programme and other information can be found at the following link: http://www.eui.eu/SeminarsandEvents/index.aspx?eventid=56843

EUI communications & public relations unit Ana Aguado Cornago (Brussels) ana.aguado@eui.eu - Tel.: +32 2 227 11 31 Serena Bürgisser (Florence) serena.burgisser@eui.eu - euipress@eui.eu - Tel.: +39 055 4685 378 The European University Institute (EUI) in Florence is a post-graduate and post-doctoral university benefiting from the status of international organization. It currently hosts some 600 doctoral students and 150 fellows specializing in the Social Sciences. The EUI also offers the most important post-doctoral programme in Europe, and is home to the Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies, an interdisciplinary research centre focusing on European and international themes. Students, administrative and teaching staff are principally but not exclusively recruited from EU Member States. In 2008, applications were received from over 100 countries. This multicultural environment, unique of its kind, allows an integrated approach to both teaching and research and transcends national academic traditions. The EUI is also home to the Historical Archives of the European Union hosted in the splendid seat of Villa Salviati purchased and restored thanks to the contribution of the Italian Government.