MARKOVIĆ: SCIENTIFIC CONFERENCE BRINGS TOGETHER MORE THAN 270 AUTHORS AND CO-AUTHORS FROM 40 COUNTRIES

PALE, OCTOBER 24 /SRNA/ - The Faculty of Law at the University of Istočno Sarajevo is hosting its 15th scientific conference, held in observance of the Faculty Day, in Pale today.

The conference is centered on the theme “Law Between Truth and Security.”

Faculty of Law Dean Goran Marković stressed that this year’s conference, held to mark the Faculty Day, is particularly significant because the faculty is celebrating its 80th anniversary, continuing the tradition of the Faculty of Law in Sarajevo.

According to Marković, the conference has attracted a record number of participants - more than 270 authors and co-authors from 40 countries across all continents. More than 100 have arrived in Pale, while the others will take part in the conference online.

"We expect to learn about developments in legal scholarship around the world, critically exchange views on all aspects of how the legal system functions, and offer a range of practical proposals to our legislators and those in other countries, in the hope that legislators and other policymakers will hear some of these proposals and take at least some of them into account," Marković stressed.

Speaking about the role of law in contemporary society, Marković warned that the legal system was suffering the consequences of general social and political instability and stressed the need to preserve its autonomy.

He said that law must not become a servant of politics and that critical reflection on social reality, as well as on the strengths and weaknesses of the legal system, must be maintained.

"We must be the critical conscience of this society," Marković concluded.

Conference Scientific Committee Chairman Professor Milenko Kreća stressed that the conference has been demonstrating its significance for years through the number of participants and their academic reputations.

Kreća, a former judge of the International Court of Justice, emphasized that the exchange of legal views is particularly important at a time when international and national societies are facing numerous challenges.

"One of the best ways to overcome these tensions and conflicts is through the rule of law," Kreća stressed.

He added that law and politics often come into conflict, but that the legal profession must continue to emphasize the importance of legal principles and rules.

"The rule of law is an ideal that legal professionals strive for. I am confident that the findings of this conference will resonate both in academic and scientific circles and among political decision-makers, encouraging them to give greater consideration to legal principles and rules," Kreća stressed.

Miloš Stanić, acting director of the Institute of Comparative Law in Belgrade, which is co-organizing the conference, said the event was valuable not only from a scientific perspective but also for bringing people and institutions together.

"Science knows no borders. One of the greatest strengths of this conference is what remains after it is over. This is a legacy that these wonderful people will leave behind, and it is an honor for the Institute of Comparative Law to be a co-organizer of such an event," Stanić added.

One of the conference participants is Vasil Gonashvili, Vice Dean for Research and Science at the Faculty of Law of Tbilisi State University in Georgia, who will also use his visit to Republika Srpska to establish institutional cooperation between the universities in Istočno Sarajevo and Tbilisi.

"I am glad to have the opportunity to initiate cooperation with this university and take new steps forward in the future. We want to develop exchanges of students and academic staff, summer schools, and joint research projects. Upon my return to Tbilisi, we will prepare a memorandum of cooperation between the two universities," Gonashvili said.

Authors from Russia, Greece, China, Italy, Spain, Hungary, Malaysia, Poland, Georgia, Bulgaria, the United Arab Emirates, Türkiye, Moldova, Canada, the United Kingdom, Portugal, Cyprus, Brazil, Slovakia, France, Iran, Chile, Mexico, the Philippines, Kazakhstan, Saudi Arabia, Peru, India, Romania, Uganda, Angola, the Czech Republic, Morocco, Vietnam, Slovenia, North Macedonia, Serbia, Montenegro, Croatia, the Federation of BiH, and Republika Srpska submitted 215 papers for today’s scientific conference.

The conference is organized by the Faculty of Law at the University of u Istočno Sarajevo, with the International Union of Lawyers, based in Moscow; the European Public Law Organization, based in Athens; and the Institute of Comparative Law in Belgrade serving as co-organizers. In terms of the number of authors and countries represented, as well as the number of papers submitted, it is the largest law conference being held in Europe this year.