‘Balkan Criminology’ One Week Intensive Course [cancelled until further notice]
[canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic until further notice]
BASICS: Between 2014 and 2019 the Balkan Criminology Course was one of the annual highlights of the Max Planck Partner Group’s events throughout the region and far beyond. It has been part of the scientific programme of the Max Planck Partner Group (2012-2019), jointly established between the MaxPlanck Institute for Foreign and International Criminal Law in Freiburg/Germany and the Faculty of Law – University of Zagreb/Croatia, funded by Germany’s leading research foundation – the Max Planck Society. Its aim has been to provide in-depth and up-to-date knowledge about the state of art in crime research in the Balkans, while introducing its participants to the basics of criminological methodology, phenomenology and aetiology. Continuing with this tradition, as of spring 2020 the Balkan Criminology Course shifts its focus back to some of the most pressing security threats and crime challenges of the region: organised crime and criminal state capture. The course as of 2020 also takes a much more practical and “hands-on” approach, while keeping its high academic standards. The course is a non-profit academic/training event, financially supported by the Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime through its new global programme aimed at incubating resilience in communities harmed or threatened by criminal governance, the Resilience Fund, and the Zagreb Law Faculty.
COURSE GOAL: The focus is on investigative journalism, civil society activism and their actual or potential interlinkages with criminal justice agencies countering organised crime, in order to build resilience in local communities of the Balkans. The basic idea behind the intensive one-week-course is to bring together reporters and activists, as well as criminal justice professionals and scholars, in order to jointly discuss their different approaches and targets when tackling organised crime, while identifying common ground and areas of overlap and cooperation. The week-long intensive program will not only provide participants with fruitful transdisciplinary and transprofessional discussions as well as a broadened view on organised crime, it will also equip them with access to a regional and international network of experts and colleagues, thus making them a part of a broader and seriously engaged community.
HIGHLIGHTS: The programme includes interactive key note lectures by leading figures from practice and academia with extensive exchange and discussion opportunity, participants’ presentations (impulse talks/papers), individual consultations and soft skills training. As a special feature the course offers: based on prior participant input and interest in a specific field, participants will have the opportunity to discuss individual topics one-on-one with renowned expert lectures in a very informal and open setting (so called consultation lunches).
CREDITS: The programme offers 4 ECTS credits based on an attendance certificate issued by the course director and IUC Dubrovnik. Precondition is the regular attendance of the course program and delivery of a participant presentation in oral and written form (so called impulse talk/paper).
SOCIAL PROGRAM: Welcome reception at the IUC Dubrovnik, Dubrovnik sight-seeing, movie night and joint dinner discussions etc.
COSTS: The course fee for participants is 150 Euro which include enrollment, participation in all course events and access to participant materials/infrastructure. In addition to the course fee, all participants are required to pay a 50 Euro fee to the IUC Dubrovnik upon arrival for usage of facilities. Participants are expected to make their own travel and accommodation arrangements and cover these costs – formal invitation letters for scholarship applications may be sent to dedicated participants. The fee must be paid in advance by wire transfer. Further information will be included in the course registration confirmation.
SCHOLARSHIPS: In 2020, due to the generous support of the Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime through its new global programme aimed at incubating resilience in communities harmed or threatened by criminal governance, the Resilience Fund, a limited number of scholarships are available to participants from the Balkan region. The scholarship covers the course participation fee, the IUC fee, as well as travel and accommodation costs. Interested participants should contact Ms Reana Bezić latest by 15th December 2019. The deadline for the scholarship application has been extended until 19th of January 2020.
ACCOMMODATION: There is a special rate for the Balkan Criminology Course participants at RIXOS Libertas hotel in Dubrovnik. The price for a single room occupancy is 105 Euro per night and person, for double room occupancy it is 75 Euro per night and person (150 Euro per night per room). Buffet breakfast is included, upgrade to half board with dinner provided is 10 Euro per day per person. Please contact Ms Reana Bezić for assistance with booking and/or travel arrangements.
Associated Press: 2003 Pulitzer Prize for investigating the cover-up of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church, as well as the George Polk award for National Reporting, the Goldsmith Prize for Investigative Reporting, the Selden Ring Award for Investigative Reporting, and numerous other honours Associated Press (tbc): 2016 Pulitzer Prize for an investigation of severe labour abuses tied to the supply of seafood to American supermarkets and restaurants, reporting that freed 2,000 slaves, brought perpetrators to justice and inspired reforms University of Zagreb, Croatia: founder of Balkan Criminology and Head of the Max Planck Partner Group for Balkan Criminology 2012-2019; Head of the Violence Research Lab; associate professor for criminology, victimology and criminal law, Faculty of Law, University of Zagreb; Guest Professor at University of Lausanne’s School of Criminal Sciences; Max Planck Institute for Foreign and International Criminal Law, Freiburg, Germany: Director emeritus and acting director of the Institute’s Criminology Department; honorary professor and faculty member at the law faculty of the University of Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime, Vienna, Austria: Permanent Observer Office of the European Public Law Organization (EPLO) to United Nations; Former Permanent Representative of the Republic of Serbia to the UN and other international organizations in Geneva; Adjunct Professor, School of Government, LUISS, Rome, Italy, Law School, University Rome III, Rome, Italy; Visiting Professor, Law School, University of Belgrade, Serbia former Top OCG Team leader of the EU Drugs and Organised Crime Unit at Europol, in charge of the Albanian speaking and WB OCGs, as well as other top level poly-criminal OCGs University of Zagreb, Croatia: President of the Independent Expert Group for Implementation of the Council of Europe’s Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (GRETA) (member 2009-2012 and 2017-2020; Vice President 2011-2012; President 2019-); Ad hoc judge of the European Court of Human Rights (2010-); Member of the Council of Europe Multidisciplinary Group for Combating Corruption (GMC, 2010); Member of the Council of Europe’s Counter-Terrorism Panel (CODEXTER, 2003-2004) Global Initiative, Geneva: Senior Fellow at the Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime; a Special Adviser to the Cooperative Security Initiative; professor at the Diplomatic Academy in Vienna. Formerly head of the Strategic Policy Support Unit at the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE); a head of “Peace without Crime” project between 2010 and 2016 at the International Peace Institute (IPI); spokesman and speechwriter at the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC); Senior Adviser to the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities and Senior Adviser to the Secretary General and OSCE Chairmanships between 1996 and 2006
MPPG contact for ‘Balkan Criminology’ Course: Reana Bezić Please fill in the form APPLY FOR THIS COURSE and send it to following e-mail: r.bezic@balkan-criminology.eu Please note that the program might differ due to the Course being postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Organised Crime & Criminal State Capture – Connecting the Dots Between News Headlines, Indictments and Scientific Research
COURSE LECTURERS:
Freiburg. He is a guest professor at the Centre for Criminal Law and Criminal Justice at the China University of Political Science and Law and at the law faculties of Hainan University, Renmin University, Wuhan University, Beijing Normal University, and Dalian Ocean University
