Young lawyers from UWB have the door open to the European Court of Justice

The UWB Faculty of Law's Dept of Constitutional and European Law is now a contact point for those interested in working at the Court of Justice of the EU. The aim is to motivate students and young lawyers to pursue careers at the CJEU and other European institutions.

A career at the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) is not an unattainable dream, but a highly realistic opportunity for graduates of Czech law faculties. This was the key message brought to the Czernin Palace in late April by a delegation from the European Court of Justice. The institution handles thousands of cases annually, but currently faces a shortage of lawyer-linguists. Therefore, the main agenda of the pilot meeting in Prague between the Luxembourg delegation and representatives of all four Czech departments of European law was to motivate law students to pursue careers not only at the CJEU but also at other EU institutions.

"We are doing our best to make it as easy as possible for new colleagues to join us and to remove unnecessary barriers," the CJEU representatives stated at the meeting. For instance, they have recently significantly reduced the French language requirements for applicants. Instead, the Court now offers a several-month French course directly in Luxembourg, ensuring that newcomers are sufficiently prepared to reach the required level of proficiency in this official and diplomatic language of the EU.

Department representatives also shared what they are doing to increase student interest in working for EU institutions, highlighting relevant lectures, courses, seminars, and summer schools. Furthermore, the Department of Constitutional and European Law at the Faculty of Law of the University of West Bohemia in Pilsen has newly become a direct contact point for all vacancies at the Court of Justice of the EU in Luxembourg. "Students from the Pilsen Faculty of Law can approach the department with questions, a specific interest in employment opportunities in Luxembourg, or to expand their knowledge and experience in the field of EU law," said Monika Forejtová, Head of the Department, at the Czernin Palace.

In addition to Forejtová, Tomáš Křivka from the Department of Constitutional and European Law attended the meeting on behalf of the UWB Faculty of Law. The delegation from Luxembourg to Prague included Alfredo Calot Escobar, Registrar of the Court, alongside Human Resources Director Paola Sabou and Director for Research and Documentation Celestina Iannone. Katarína Andová, Attaché to the Registrar, also joined the delegation.