Registration open: Environmental Law Course and Legal Clinic

The most effective way to protect the environment is through justice, well-crafted and properly enforced laws.  

We are laying the foundations of a legal clinic for environmental law! We aim to train 20 young students, law graduates or professionals in the field who want to discover how they can protect the environment in court. 

We are looking for participants interested in the Environmental Law Course, which we will organise between 24-26 September in Prahova Valley area. Participants will have the opportunity to learn the theoretical grounds of environmental law and to deepen their knowledge through case studies, together with international experts. Based on the course, we will set up a Legal Clinic for Environmental Law where participants will be able to apply practically, on real cases, the knowledge acquired during the course.

Trainer and coordinator of the legal clinic:

Cătălina Rădulescu, Lawyer

Lawyer specialised in environmental issues, with almost 20 years of experience in this field, Cătălina Rădulescu works with the largest environmental organizations, promoting numerous environmental disputes before the courts. Along with Cătălina, Bankwatch Romania managed to stop in court the expansion of energy projects in protected areas, illegal deforestation, the expansion of lignite mines or expropriations financed from public money for the benefit of energy producers.

Special guests:

Prof. Dr. Jerzy Jendroska

International legal expert, an important figure for environmental law, Jerzy Jendroska has been involved in the development and implementation of high-level environmental legislation, such as the Aarhus Convention (1996-1998), the SEA Protocol (2001-2003), and the Espoo Convention (2004-2017). He is currently a professor at the Opole University (Poland) and the Riga Graduate School of Law (Latvia) and Managing Partner of the law office Jendrośka Jerzmański Bar & Partners.

Dr. Jur. Csaba Kiss  

He is an environmental lawyer at the Environmental Management and Law Association (EMLA) in Budapest, a nonprofit organization that deals with environmental litigation and research in the field of environmental protection at national and international level. Csaba Kiss also coordinates the Justice & Environment network, which includes environmental organizations across  European Union. 

Mr. Ion Codescu

He is the Head of Environmental Implementation Unit of the Directorate-General for Environment at the European Commission since 2010, his goal being to improve the application of the EU environmental law across the European Union. Until 2008 he worked for the Ministry of Justice in Romania, holding various positions from legal adviser to secretary of state.

Activities of the Legal Clinic:

• Writing requests for information and following the websites of the institutions responsible, in order to identify potential situations of environmental law violations in the project area;
• Analysing the factual situation, the applicable legislation, and identifying legal methods to solve the legality problems found; 
• Studying incidental legislation, cases solved at the European Court of Justice or in national courts;
• The analyses performed will be uploaded on the website page of the project. 

Timing details:

Environmental Law Course: September 24 – 26 2021 (compulsory participation, Prahova Valley area) 

Legal clinic: at least October 2021 – March 2024 (bi-monthly physical meetings in Bucharest and / or online activities) 

Costs of activities – travel and accommodation with full board during the course; the costs of carrying out the activities of the legal clinic – are fully covered by Bankwatch Romania through the project “Pragmatic approach to environmental, economic, social and legislative challenges of the energy transition” funded by the Active Citizens Fund Romania program.

Those interested are invited to apply by filling out this form, no later than 22.08.2021. 

The applications will be evaluated by a commission, and the results will be communicated by 03.09.2021.