CIEEL conducts studies and researches independently or within the framework of research projects funded by the EU or by Greek and foreign public and private sector entities.
Academic associates follow up on the theory, legislation and jurisprudence of European law.
CIEEL’s research activities include:
a. Basic research work;
b. Research concerning current and crucial legal issues;
c. Applied research concerning legal and economic projects of practical interest;
d. Participation in national and international research projects; and
e. Cooperation with Greek and foreign academic institutions and international organisations active in similar academic fields..
II. Advisory support
One of CIEEL’s main activities lies in the field of advisory support for the State, legal public entities and public agencies. “NSRF 2007 – 2013”, “Partnership Agreement (PA) 2014 – 2020” and “Partnership Agreement (PA) 2021 – 2027” have funded two projects that have supported CIEEL to establish three Units.
Public Procurement Monitoring Unit (PPMU)
It has been operating within CIEEL since 1997. It constitutes a national system to monitor public procurement and to provide legal advisory support to national contracting authorities (written legal opinions, help desk, newsletters).
It has been operating within CIEEL since 2002. It provides advisory support to public administration on the proper application of state aid rules and assists public authorities when granting aids.
Since 2013 the State Aid Unit of CIEEL is a part of the Decentralized State Aid Units’ network that fully supports the Central State Aid Unit based on Law 4152/2013.
Energy Law Unit (ELU)
It operated for four years (Dec. 2007 – Dec. 2011) and provided expert advisory services concerning energy matters to the General Secretariat of Ministry of Development. This project provided the opportunity for the first collection of energy legislation.
Implementing European Projects is always a priority for CIEEL. Acting either as a coordinator or as a partner, CIEEL has carried out more than 70 projects funded by the European Commission or by national public and private sector entities.
As a result of CIEEL’s great experience and the outstanding work of its associates, in 1998 the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs appointed CIEEL as an intermediary agent for the Twinning programme in the judicial sector, and later the European Commission has appointed CIEEL as a mandated body for Twinning projects.
CIEEL has a significant publishing activity on studies, articles, reports, newsletters, periodicals.
Current periodicals
- “Hellenic Review of European Law” is a trimestrial Greek periodical that is being published since 1981 in cooperation with the Bar Association of Thessaloniki. Its founder and first director was Dimitrios Evrigenis. Since 2004 an extra – fifth issue is being published in English.
- “Public Procurement – State Aid and Agora” is a four-monthly law review that is being published since 2004 by the Public Procurement Monitoring Unit and the State Aid Unit. In 2010 it became an electronic periodical which is uploaded on our website www.diske.gr free of charge.
The library’s collection consists of about 70.000 volumes of books and 60 active subscriptions of periodicals in Greek and foreign languages that cover all of CIEEL’s research fields. Additionally, the library receives on a regular basis all the official publications of the EU in Greek, French and English as part of its capacity as a European Documentation Centre.
Since 1991 “Horizon Library management system” is being used in order to facilitate the research of both external and internal users. Today CIEEL’s library has the largest and most complete collection of publications in European Law in Greece.
CIEEL operates research databases via the internet that provide information in Greek about:
a) The national implementation of EU directives from years 1981 – 2009 (HELC – Hellenic European Law Concordance);
b) The European legislative texts concerning state aid updated until 2015 (State Aid Legislation);
c) The European and national jurisprudence concerning state aid updated until 31.12.2014 (State aid Case – Law)
VIII. Cooperation Agreements
Cooperation with Société de Législation Comparée, a prominent French Comparative Law Association academic company in order to organize the bilateral “Journées Juridiques Franco-Hélleniques”. These conferences had started being organized in the early 1980’s until the mid 1990’s mainly by the Faculty of Law of AUTH from the Greek side. A conference took place every two years alternately in Greece and in France intending to offer Greek and French academics the opportunity to exchange views on critical issues and to grow familiar with the host country by participating in cultural activities.
After having expressed a great interest for the reactivation of this institution from both Greek and French academic communities, CIEEL and the Faculty of Law (AUTH) in cooperation with Société de Législation Comparée, organize the 8th “Journées Juridiques Franco-Hélleniques” on 10 -11 October 2016 in Thessaloniki.
Agreement signed in 2012, with the Academy of European Law (ERA) in Trier (Germany), aims to organize seminars to legal practitioners in Thessaloniki.
In 2017 we are looking forward to organizing a seminar on “Better applying the EU on Family and Succession Law: Development of training materials and organisation of interactive seminars”.
Agreement signed in 1994 with Capital University Law School, in Columbus, Ohio, USA, provided the exchange of material and researchers, common activities, seminars and conferences.
In the framework of the above agreement, a four-week Summer-school took place in Greece with the collaboration of CIEEL, Capital University and Democritus University of Thrace (1997 – 2005). Twenty five law students from Capital University and other U.S. Universities came to Greece and attended courses on Comparative constitutional law, Comparative electoral systems, and current issues in international law, European Union law and International business law.
Agreement signed in 1990, with the European Institute of Public Administration (EIPA) in Maastricht, provided the exchange of experience and information, joint activities especially on research projects, mobility of researchers.
IX. Training and Education
Centre of European Professional Training (CEPT)
Centre of European Professional Training (CEPT)
In 1998 CIEEL in collaboration with the Centre of European Constitutional Law established the “Centre of European Professional Training” (CEPT) which had been certified as “Centre of Continuous Professional Training”. CEPT undertook training projects for three years (1998-2000) that were addressed to young jurists and funded by the Ministry of Labour and the Region of Central Macedonia (1998 -2000):
“International Sales Contracts”, 1998 (300 hours)
“European Legislation and Case Law”, 1999 (250 hours)
“European Legislation with emphasis on the Euro and the regional policies of the European Union”, 2000 (300 hours)
Scholarships
CIEEL has established two memorial Scholarships that are awarded annually:
In memory of its founder, the “Dimitrios Evrigenis” Scholarships aim to further the education of young researchers with a master’s degree in law. Two scholarships are granted from funds donated by the Bar Association of Thessaloniki.
In memory of its Chairman who had been a Judge of the Court of Justice of the E.U., the “Krateros Ioannou” Scholarship is awarded to graduates of the Faculty of Law of the Democritus University of Thrace.
Internships
Law students and graduates Greek and foreign, are welcome to apply for a volunteer internship opportunity in CIEEL for a duration of one to three months. Application and CV are sent to [email protected].
CIEEL also accepts participants from other internship/ trainee programmes, domestic and foreign such as:
“Students’ Internship of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki”
“European Law Students Association” (ELSA) which is an International Student Trainee Exchange Programme where its members have the chance to live and work abroad in the best law firms and organizations in 43 European countries.