FIRST TEN YEARS OF GERMAN-CROATIAN LEGAL SYMPISIUMS IN SPLIT

• Main Author: Zoran Pokrovac
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Pravni fakultet Sveučilišta u Splitu 2007-01-01
• Series: Zbornik Radova Pravnog Fakulteta u Splitu
• Online Access: http://hrcak.srce.hr/file/50000
• ISSN: 0584-9063; 1847-0459

The author presents the chronology of the idea of holding of the Croatian-German legal symposiums with important topics for legal professions of both countries. This was initiated in the Spring of 1996 and has been developed over the first 10 symposiums. Thanks to, first of all, the idea being supported by the Zagreb office of the Friedrich Ebert Foundation (Bonn), it was possible to start preparing the first symposium. From the very beginning, the collaboration between the Deutsch-Kroatische Juristenvereinigung (German-Croatian legal society, registered association) from Frankfurt on Main and the Faculty of Law of the University of Split as co-organiser, secured the necessary scientific and expert foundations for holding symposiums at the desired level. The idea of the Croatian-German legal symposium emerged from the realisationb that from 1990 to 1996 the reforms to Croatian legal system had brought about an important reception of law from the German speaking region, particulary of law from the Federal Republic of Germany. However, the process of the new shaping of the entire legal system cannot be complete by the introduction of new laws but rather, it has thereby just begun. Therefore, intensive excgange of experience among lawyers from countries included in the process of reception is necessary to make possible the mediation of necessary legal and practical know-how which goes beyond the wording of law. From the begining, the symposiums were not one-way streets. The considerably contributed to spreading knowledge of the contemporary Croatian legal system among German speaking lawyers. The author emphasies that the support and gratefulness of the numerous participants of the first symposiums have justified the desite that Split be the place for the traditional gathering of German and Croatian speaking lawyers in the last week of April every year. Hundreds of legal experts, judges, lawyers, bussines lawyers, taxation advisors, auditors, notaries, students of law and so on from Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Germany, Slovenia and Croatia have participated in the symposiums up to date. From the fifth symposium onwards, all the symposiums have regulary included the EU legal dimension of the problem area topic. At the first 10 sympisiums have not simply dealt with various aspects of the transfer of German and European Union Law in Croatia, but rather have already in some way themselves become a part of that process, the jubilee tenth symposium is actually dedicated to the topis, Transfer of Law. Problems of the transfer of law between the EU, Croatia and Germany in the area of private and public law (Split, 27-28. April 2006.). It has enlightened this topic, not only from general theoretical legal viewpoints and theoretical viewpooints of certain legal disciplines but rather has dealt with the experiences of individuals and of institutions which, in the transfer of law had, that is, have an important role.