The team from People’s Friendship University of Russia took part in the European Round of the Manfred Lachs Space Law Moot Court Competition, which was held on 26th and 27th April 2012 in Bucharest (Romania). The team was composed of 5th-year students Alexandra Koneva and Ales Klyunya. The preparation for the Competition (writing of the memorials and oral pleadings) was guided by the team’s coach Deputy Head of the International Law Department, Phd. A. Solntsev. Moreover, The Honoured lawyer of the Russian Federation, Prof., Dr. G. P. Zhukov was consulting our team.
Each year the European Centre for Space Law organizes, together with the International Institute of Space Law (IISL), the European Round of the Manfred Lachs Space Law Moot Court Competition as well as the University of the country where the appropriate round is held. This year the Competition was hosted by the University of Bucharest.
Together with the team from People’s Friendship University of Russia the teams from the following universities took part in the European Round: Institute of Air and Space Law, University of Cologne (Germany),
Université Paris Sud, Faculté Jean Monnet (France), The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple (London), United Kingdom, Universidade Nova de Lisboa (Portugal), St. Petersburg State University, Law Faculty (Russia), National & Kapodistrian University of Athens (Greece), Universidad de Jaén,, Spain, Universitat Bremen (Germany), John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin (Poland).
The panel of judges was composed of the Professor of the University of Western Brittany Dr. Armel Kerrest, the Chairman of the European Center for Space Law Prof. Sergio Marchisio, the Head of the Legal Department of the European Space Agency Dr. Marco Ferrazzani, the representative of the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Prof. Ionut Galea, the representatives of the Faculty of Law of the University of Bucharest Ioan Luca Vlad and Ana Barbulescu. The finalists became the teams from the University of Cologne and the University of Athens. After the match between these teams the judges appointed the European Winner Team - National & Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece.
The winning teams from each Regional Round will meet in the international final rounds, which will be held in conjunction with the annual IISL Colloquium on the Law of Outer Space in Naples (Italy). This unique feature makes the Manfred Lachs Moot Court one of the most prestigious moot court competitions in the world.
The participation of our team in the Manfred Lachs Space Law Moot Court Competition will become a new milestone in the scientific activities of our faculty since the participation in such events promotes the interest of students for the issues of the international space law, contributes to improving the skills of taking part in moot courts, advances the knowledge of English, activates the searching and analytical skills by resolving the disputes between the States. The performance of the team from our faculty at this event will develop the continuity in the participation of our students in the moot court competitions.
