European Criminal Law Academic Network

 

The European Criminal Law Academic Network (ECLAN) aims at developing academic research and training in the field of EU criminal law by facilitating collaborations and synergies between universities and research centres. It was set up by the Institut d’études européennes (IEE, or Insitute of European Studies in English) of the ULB in December 2004 by Professor Anne Weyembergh and Mr Serge de Biolley. It initially received European Commission funding (AGIS Programme) and funding from the Luxembourg and Belgian justice ministries.

ECLAN has gradually been developing and is now a network of researchers and academics engaging in EU criminal law across 32 countries, including the 28 Member States of the EU and 4 non-EU countries (Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and Bosnia Herzegovina). It brings together almost 200 researchers and academics specializing in EU criminal law.

The network has developed a website containing, in addition to a list of members of the network, relevant information about the European criminal law sector: legislative texts, publications, academic articles, case law, events, etc. The network organises different activities (annual meetings of its 32 national contact points, annual conferences) and leads various projects in this area in partnership with other research institutions.

The network also organises every year a PhD seminar and a summer school in European criminal law.

 

Academic Network of Legal Studies on Immigration and Asylum in Europe

The Academic Network of Legal Studies on Immigration and Asylum in Europe (ODYSSEUS) was set up in 1998 with financial support from the European Commission’s programme at the initiative of Philippe De Bruycker, Professor at the Centre for European Law and at the Institute for European Studies of the ULB.

The network brings together legal experts from all EU Members States, including Schengen associated States (Norway, Switzerland, Iceland), as well as Turkey.

The network has created a pan-European community of researchers and experts in the field of EU immigration and asylum, and through this strengthened cooperation, it provides a comprehensive analysis of migration issues, both at the European and national levels. In particular, it provides support to the training of the European Asylum Support Office (EASO), the studies of the European Migration Network (EMN) and makes research for the European Parliament and the European Commission under specific contracts. The network is equally a platform for the exchange of knowledge and expertise between academics, policy-makers, practitioners and NGOs in the field of immigration and asylum law and policy.

Every year, the ODYSSEUS network organises a summer school.

Through the Omnia project, the ODYSSEUS network has been able to develop distance training and databases that are accessible online in order to centralise information covering, in particular, case law, legislation and ongoing or completed research. In addition, the EU Immigration and Asylum Law and Policy blog has been launched in October 2015 to provide a critical analysis of recent developments in the immigration and asylum law and policy of the European Union. Through a predominantly legal analysis of legislation and jurisprudence, as well as political developments and institutional considerations, this blog aims to enhance and deepen the debate on EU immigration and asylum.