The ECLAN PhD seminar provides a friendly environment in which research students can gain experience in presenting their research, learn from each other’s research and develop contacts with other researchers in their field.
It aims to gather together PhD candidates working in the field of EU criminal law and holding a degree in law, political science, or international studies.
Candidates present a topic of their choice (e.g., their envisaged PhD topic, a chapter of their PhD, a recent paper, etc.) before a panel of outstanding professors of EU criminal law and members of ECLAN. They then receive comments, feedback and suggestions on their research. Finally, the floor is open for debate.
Since 2010, ECLAN has organised PhD seminars in different universities across the EU. So far, PhD seminars have taken place at the Université Libre de Bruxelles (2010), the University of Luxembourg (2011), the University of Bayonne (2013), the Queen Mary University (2014), the University of Copenhaguen (2015), the University of Vienna (2016), the University of Basel (2017), at the University of Luxembourg (2019), and lastly at the University of Vilnius (2022).
The 11th edition of the ECLAN PhD seminar will take place in Liverpool, from 30 November to 1 December, 2023. The Seminar will be organised by the ECLAN and the School of Law and Social Justice of the University of Liverpool.
This year’s Seminar is specifically dedicated to the The Future of European Criminal Law. There is no doubt that the EU criminal law is an emerging field, both influencing and being influenced by national criminal law systems. Although the competence of the EU institutions to harmonise national criminal law is limited, its scope is being expanded. Over the last decade, various legal instruments concerning both substantive and procedural criminal law have been adopted at the EU level. Thus, the 11th ECLAN PhD Seminar will represent an opportunity to reflect on the development of EU criminal law over the last decade and to discuss the challenges ahead.
The Call for papers can be found below, in attachment and on the website of University of Liverpool: https://www.liverpool.ac.uk/law/research/eclan/
Topics of relevance for this PhD Seminar include:
- Key developments in European criminal law including harmonisation of substantive criminal law, mutual recognition, and the operation of EU criminal justice bodies and agencies;
- European criminal law from a theoretical, comparative or crossdisciplinary perspective, including the intersection of criminal law with other areas of law such as immigration law, internal market law, constitutional law and data protection law;
- European criminal law facing current challenges, including safeguarding the rule of law, upholding EU values in EU external action in criminal matters and the transformation of criminal law in the digital age and in the age of AI.
The deadline for submitting application is 15 September, 2023.
Applications must be sent to: slsjmret@liverpool.ac.uk
Some pictures and the programmes of the past editions are also available below.
Irene Wieczorek , PhD researcher, describes her experience of the PhD Seminar :
Participating to the ECLAN PhD seminars has meant to me much more than simply presenting my research and getting useful feedbacks. I felt I was progressively becoming part of a scientific community, of young and senior researchers sharing the same interest and passion for European Criminal Law. I created personal bonds and true friendships, which have stayed with me through out all my PhD, and have enriched me personally and intellectually. The debates did not stop at the presentations during the day, but continued throughout dinners and sightseeing moments. Every time it felt like a 2 days of non-stop intellectual interactions, which all the time resulted in true advancement for my research. I would recommend to anyone working in this field to join the ECLAN PhD seminar, as it is really a unique opportunity.
