Introduction
The Summer School has been carefully designed and developed to provide participants with a comprehensive understanding of the immigration and asylum policy of the EU from a legal perspective. The programme is organised by the Odysseus Network for Legal Studies on Immigration and Asylum in Europe, which was founded in 1999 with the support of the European Commission and is coordinated by the Institute for European Studies of the Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB).
In addition to the content of the taught classes, the course also provides an excellent opportunity to spend an intellectually stimulating fortnight among a group of around one hundred fellow participants specialised in the area of asylum and immigration from all over Europe. The setting of the Summer School in Brussels, the home of the European institutions, creates a unique environment that facilitates participants’ deeper engagement with the institutions. Participants in the Summer School typically include PhD and graduate students, researchers, lecturers, EU and Member State officials, representatives from NGOs and International Organisations, lawyers, judges, social workers and more. The classes are taught by academics from the universities cooperating in the Odysseus Network, which is represented in all EU Member States, and by high-ranking officials from the European Institutions, particularly the European Commission. The Summer School programme is offered in English or in French. Classes are taught separately, with participants able to indicate their language preference in advance.
Languages
Participants can choose to follow either the English-language stream or the French-language stream of the Summer School. Participants will attend all classes in the language indicated in their application, with the exception of courses given by high officials of the EU which will be exclusively taught in English. Both streams cover the same set of class topics, and participants from both streams will be able to socialise together during the extracurricular activities.
Subjects
PART I
Introductory Lectures
Opening lecture
Migration flows and statistics
Free movement of EU citizens
European institutional framework
Implications of human rights
External relations and European migration policy
European databases (SIS, VIS, Eurodac, etc.)
PART II
Specialised Lectures
IMMIGRATION
External border control
European visa policy
Immigration for purposes of work or studies
Family reunification
Legal status and integration of third country nationals
Regularising irregular immigrants
Tackling irregular migration
Return and readmission policy
ASYLUM
Status of asylum seekers and of protected persons
EU concepts of refugee and of subsidiary protection
Member States responsibilities and distribution of asylum seekers (“Dublin mechanism”)
Asylum procedures
The position of UNHCR on the European asylum policy
Facilities
Participants will have access to the Summer School’s private electronic platform containing all documents used during the classes, including the presentations used by the speakers. Participants are therefore encouraged to bring a laptop if they have access to one.
Participants will also be able to use the various university facilities (WiFi, libraries, cafeterias, medical and sports facilities, etc.).
Certificate
The programme does not require any written work to be submitted or exams to be taken, but some prior reading is recommended. Participants who sign the attendance register for each class, thereby demonstrating their full participation throughout the two weeks, will receive a certificate of attendance specifying each of the classes followed. The certificate will be delivered at the closing cocktail.
Admission Requirements
Applicants should have some legal background. They must have either completed a University degree (at least a BA or equivalent with 3 years of studies) in Law, Political Science or International Relations (graduates of other disciplines will be considered depending on the courses they have followed) or have an equivalent professional experience in a relevant field, for example as civil servants or in NGOs. Successful candidates will have to submit a copy of their university degree before the start of the programme.
Registration Fees
| xxxxxx | Student (25 years max) |
NGO/ PhD | Professional |
| Application fee | 100 € | 100 € | 100 € |
| Registration fee | 500 € | 650 € | 850 € |
| Total | 600 € | 750 € | 950 € |
To apply for the Summer School, please register using the registration form before 10 June 2016.
The programme finances itself through the fees paid by the participants, and does not receive any other financial support. The speakers and lecturers provide their services voluntarily and are not remunerated for their support of the Summer School.
Applicants to the Summer School must pay an advance of €100 when submitting their application in order for their application to be considered. This sum will be reimbursed if the applicant is not selected, but will not be returned if the applicant withdraws his/her application.
The fees cover the cost of classes, access to the electronic platform, university facilities, visits, receptions and daily coffee breaks. Fees do not include travel, food and accommodation. Participants requiring accommodation should state this in their application form in order to receive further information about the possibilities for arranging accommodation during the stay in Brussels.
Payments should be made by bank transfer to the account below before 15 June:
Account name: Réseau ODYSSEUS
Bank: BNP Paribas Fortis Bank
Branch: Pesage Branch, 16 avenue du Pesage, 1050 Brussels, Belgium
IBAN: BE63 0012 1223 8908
BIC: GEBA BEBB
Mandatory reference: “2016 Summer School – Your name”
A number of scholarships for refugees are made available by the Odysseus network and through a public crowdfunding campaign.
This opportunity has expired. It was originally published here:
http://odysseus-network.eu/2016-summer-school/about-the-summer-school/