Adrienne, Ben and Belinda
A solid day of travel from Mannheim to The Hague has taken its toll on an enthused, yet weary group. A continental breakfast completed with bacon, eggs and sausages was a warm welcome.
We were set to meet at 8am followed by a ‘brisk’ walk to the train to Utrecht. After dodging bikes and weaving through cobblestone streets, we arrived safely at the train station.
As is the law student way, polite train conversation fluidly transitioned into philosophical debate, with topics ranging from Islam to voluntourism. As the travel Gods would have it, our discussion attracted the interest of a local train-goer Rudolf who, coincidentally, was working for Oxfam promoting fair trade in the private sector. He shared a rich insight having worked in humanitarian projects abroad in Tanzania and Pakistan.
Our first lecture of the day “Economics and Governance; European Co Operation” given by Dr Michiel van de Kasteelen at the Molengraf Institute for Private Law, a part of the Utrecht University Faculty of Law gave us an excellent overview of the Council of Europe. Dr. van de Kasteelen welcomed us, noting that Utrecht is one of the four largest of nine Universities in the Netherlands and ranked highly in world ratings.
He also drew our attention to two significant anniversaries this year; 300 years since the signing of the Peace Treaty of Utrecht, and 200 years of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. His comprehensive and informative lecture began with the history of the three major institutions; The Council of Europe, The Organisation for Security and Co Operation in Europe and The European Union. The session helped us understand the various organs of the Council of Europe, its goals and contemporary issues specifically regarding the Council and more broadly across Europe. This lecture was brought to life by Dr. van de Kasteelen’s deep knowledge and personal insights, his use of current examples and cases to illustrate his points, combined with his wonderful of humour. He kept us engaged and patiently answered a stream of questions to help us clarify what often seem like very complex and overlapping institutions.
Following a brief tour of the law school library we adjourned to a charming meeting room of the central law building. We crossed the square, past the soaring Dom cathedral tower, and enjoyed a delicious lunch of mushroom soup and baguettes topped off by a glass of milk.
Utrecht University
After a short coffee break and some meandering past quaint Dutch buildings, grand churches, canals and cozy cafes, we returned for our second lecture on the European System of Human Rights Protection. We had a brief overview of the Council of Europe and an in-depth look at (arguably the Council of Europe’s greatest achievement) the European Convention on Human Rights.
Coffee break between classes
