nccr – on the move Summer School 2017, Fribourg

From 20 to 25 August 2017, the nccr – on the move Summer School was organized and hosted by the University of Fribourg. This year’s overarching topic was “People on the Move in an Evolving Europe”.

During the five days of interdisciplinary lectures, presentations and discussions, 14 doctoral students and PostDocs from all over the world (Poland, Lithuania, Austria, Scotland, the US, Turkey, Italy, Spain, Belgium, and Switzerland) were able to learn about and exchange views on the latest developments in the area of migration law and policy in Europe. In the mornings, distinguished international lecturers provided precious input that the participants discussed afterwards. In the afternoons, the fellows had the opportunity to present their research projects, which were commented on by the lecturers and the peers.

Faculty members were professors Hildegard Schneider (Maastricht University), René de Groot (Maastricht University), Dagmar Schiek (Queen’s University Belfast), Catherine Barnard (Cambridge University), Paul James Cardwell (Strathclyde University Glasgow), Kees Groenendijk (Radboud University Nijmegen), Yukari Ando (Osaka University) and Sarah Progin-Theuerkauf (Fribourg University), as well as Constantin Hruschka (Swiss Refugee Council, Bern). Their lecture topics ranged from EU citizenship, Asylum Law, Brexit, to mobility and non-discrimination as well as forced return and integration. It was particularly enriching from a comparative perspective to get some insights about Japan’s migration law, which was presented by Prof. Ando from Osaka.

Prof. Paul James Cardwell, Strathclyde University Glasgow, discussed the EU’s relationships with partner countries

Finally yet importantly, the participants also had the possibility to discover some cultural aspects of their host town: On Thursday night, the group gathered around a delicious cheese fondue in Fribourg’s famous Café du Midi.

While saying good-bye on Friday, participant Katarzyna Templin-Ukleja from Warsaw expressed her full satisfaction:

“The Summer School was a great opportunity to deepen my understanding of the mechanisms in Europe seen from different angles and reflect on my interests in migration issues and the possibilities of their further development. I am very glad I had the possibility to come to Fribourg.”

Sarah Progin-Theuerkauf
nccr – on the move, Project Leader of the project “The Emergence of a European Law on Foreigners”