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Spring School 2025: Exploring Good Governance of Raw Materials Across Europe

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Offenes Buch

From 21 April to 1 May 2025, the Europa-Institut hosted the Spring School on Good Governance of Raw Materials, welcoming twelve selected Ph.D. and Master’s in Law students for a unique academic and cultural exchange. The program, a collaboration with the Tashkent State University of Law (Uzbekistan), offered participants a rich and intensive learning experience that blended academic excellence with real-world insight.

Over the course of ten days, students immersed themselves in a wide-ranging curriculum led by distinguished faculty, including Prof. Dr. Marc Bungenberg (Director of the Europa-Institut and Jean Monnet Chair for Sustainable and Secure EU Raw Materials Law and Policy, Prof. Dr. Robert Frau, Professor of Public Law, in particular Energy and Environmental Law at the Technical University Bergakademie Freiberg, Dr. Philipp Reinhold, Europa-Institut, and Dr. Mareike Fröhlich, Europa-Institut. The interactive lectures invited discussion, critical thinking, and student-led presentations—turning theory into dialogue and encouraging active engagement.

But the Spring School went far beyond the classroom. Participants explored the practical dimensions of raw materials governance through a series of targeted excursions. Highlights included a visit to Strasbourg, where students toured the European Parliament and the Council of Europe, as well as excursions to the Völklingen Ironworks—a UNESCO World Heritage Site—and to Frankfurt, where they visited the German Stock Exchange and the renowned law firm Herbert Smith Freehills.

The program also offered space for cultural exploration, with a free day for students to discover a nearby city at their own pace—blending professional development with personal discovery.

This multi-faceted approach gave participants not only a deeper understanding of governance in the raw materials sector but also the chance to connect with professionals and institution shaping the future of European and international resource law.