Teachers' opinions

My Erasmus+ KA107 trip was almost called into question as,  at the end of January and beginning of February this year when I was making my travel arrangements, the coronavirus pandemic was just spreading across Europe. The classes for  the National University  in Tomsk were planned from 17-21 February and mine was one of the last trips of the UG employees this winter.

At the university in Tomsk I not only managed to hold classes  for its students but also take part in  a seminar/ scientific conference. It is often the case that teaching is combined with  other scientific activities during such trips.

My flight to Tomsk had also an added bonus in the form of a 10-hour stopover/change in Moscow. Even though there was not ample time, I did visit its main monuments.

A weekly stay in the capital of Kyrgyzstan, Bishkek as part of ERASMUS+ programme makes it possible to deliver a series of lectures  for ambitious students at the American University of Central Asia in Bishkek (AUCA) – the highest-ranking higher education institution in Kyrgyzstan. Its students show considerable interest in European affairs concerning competition, labour costs or equal treatment. This is the official part though the unofficial one is just as interesting.

To begin with, the delicious cuisine is  worth mentioning. Naturally, I dined in places the locals do. The food in Kyrgyzstan is fabulous! Central Asia is renowned for just a few dishes but each of them deserves attention. My favourite was lagman – meat consommé with vegetables and original, thick pasta. It is  widely available but the best I had was in a fast-developing restaurant chain Navat.  Apart from that lamb shashliks are a daily occurrence. Lunch with lemonade costs about 15-20 zl.

In addition to culinary delightal, the mobility of KA107 project offers an insight into the cultural context, which can  be easily  found in the National Opera. Although the city itself is not of a stunning beauty, the opera is presentable and the performance of ballet Cholpon turned out to be absolutely amazing.

The Kyrgyz people are ready to welcome newcomers and very tolerant towards tourists.  The dominant religion is liberal islam. Women can be seen with uncovered faces (though wearing headdress) even though they often eat separately. It is common for the Kyrgyz to spend time on a bench, watching the world drift by, often questioning inostrońcy. And yes, the Russian language is the best means of communication.

Kyrgyzstan is known  for its mountains as  they make up 94% of the country. Even around Bishkek, a National Park  Ala Archa is located.  Trekking ( e.g. to the turquoise lake Ala-Kul) is possible from May to October and if you happen to be there at the time, it is worth staying a bit longer and visiting the mountains. The best way to do so is on horseback as these animals are plentiful in this yet undiscovered country. All this can be done without a visa because for a few years now there has been no need for Polish citizens to have a visa to enter the country for less than 60 days. This is more than enough to experience the food, lectures, culture and trekking.

As part of ERASMUS+ programme, at the invitation of prof. Toshiyuki Kono, the President of International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) at UNESCO, prof. Kamil Zeidler  from the Department of State Theory,  Philosophy and Law of the Faculty of Law and Administration of the UG delivered a series of lectures at the Kyushu University in Fukuoce devoted to the right of heritage protection, culturural goods restitution, law aesthetics and the theory and philosophy of law. His research stay in Japan from 5 to 14 April 2019 was also aimed at developing constant cooperation between Gdańsk University and Japanese ones.

The immediate effect of such a cooperation will be the organisation of a Japanese Law Day at the Faculty of Law and Administration of the UG  on 5 June 2019 where open lectures will be delivered by, among others, prof. Toshiyuki Kono and prof. Ren Yatsunami of Kyushu University.

Between 25 September and 1 October 2017 the employees of Financial Law Department – dr Anna Jurkowska-Ziedler, UG prof. dr Edward Juchniewicz, dr Damian Cyman, dr Przemysław Panfil and Common Law Department  - dr hab. Dorota Maśniak, UG prof. served internships at universities and law schools in Kyrgystan.  

At the American University of Central  Asia in Bishkek, the highest-ranking higher education institution in Kyrgyzstan – at the Law Faculty between 25 and 27 September 2017 lecturers organised a 15-hour course “International and EU Financial Law” divided into five parts : part 1: : Introduction to EU Law, Part 2: The Architecture of the European Financial Market (prof. A. Jurkowska-Zeidler), Part 3: European Framework for the Protection and Reconstruction of Fiscal Sustainability (dr P. Panfil), Part 4: Insurance Contract Law (prof. D. Maśniak), Part 5: European Business Law (dr D. Cyman), Part 6: International Tax Law (dr E. Juchniewicz). They also took part in a panel with AUCA authorities and employees as part of the round table on the topic of “Challenges of Legal Education in Poland and Kyrgyzstan”.

In Kyrgyz-Russian Slavic University in Bishkek – a higher institution education with double accreditation both in Kyrgyzstan and Russia – prof. A. Jurkowska-Zeidler delivered a lecture ‘Changes in The International Financial Market Regulations’, and dr E. Juchniewicz “Международное налогообложение электронной коммерции”. Together with other lecturers of Law and Administration Faculty  prof.D. Maśniak and dr D. Cyman took part in the round table with the host university employees on the topic of “ Problems of Legal Education in Poland’.

During the internship many relationships were established both with research workers of Kyrgyz universities but also with cooperating American ones. The debates held while discussing legal education as well as the exchange of teaching experience were  highly inspirational for both parties. Also the possibility of undertaking studying in English in Poland, among others at the Law and Administration Faculty, aroused considerable interest.

At the invitation of the Law Faculty of Omsk F.M, Dostojewski State University, the Dean prof. dr hab Jakub Stelin and  three employees of our faculty  - dr hab. Dorota Maśniak, prof. UG and dr hab. Edward Juchniewicz from the Department of Financial Law  - delivered lectures and courses for Russian students and teachers.

As part of ERASMUS+ programme, between 24 and 28 September 2018, dr hab. Dorota Maśniak, prof. UG conducted a 15-hour course on the topic of ‘‘International and European Insurance Law’’ and dr hab. Anna Jurkowska-Zeidler prof. UG a fifteen-hour course on “International and European Financial Market Law”.

The research stay also included lectures at the Economics Faculty of Omsk F.M, Dostojewski State University. As a visiting professor , dr hab. Dorota Maśniak, prof. UG delivered a lecture entitled “Development Challenges in Insurance Distribution in EU” and  dr hab. Anna Jurkowska-Zeidler, prof. UG on  Financial Stability: “Prospects and Challenges for the International and European Financial Markets”.

The Dean and employees of the Law and Administration Faculty of the UG also initiated and participated in the International Scientific Conference “Integration Processes in Law’, which took place on 27 September at the Law Faculty. The papers delivered by  - prof. dr hab. Jakub Stelina on: Legal restrictions on work on Sundays and festive days in EU, dr hab. Anna Jurkowska-Zeidler, prof. UG on: Challenges faced by the European banking sector: completing the Banking Union, Brexit, FinTech, dr hab. Dorota Maśniak on.: New Rules of Insurance Distribution in EU, dr hab. Edward Juchniewicz on: New Tax Code in Poland means new challenges for taxpayers – and the following panel discussion as part of the round table were the springboard  for the exchange of views and experience between Polish and Russian science and practice  representatives.

The visit of the Dean as well as  Law and Administration Faculty employees  in Siberia, also consisted of a meeting  with the local Polish community  operating as ‘Polonez’ association.

As part of the implementation of the cooperation agreement, as well as the interagency agreement between institutions from the countries of the ERASMUS + programme and partner countries, Gdansk University and the Caspian Public University are actively cooperating in various areas of educational and scientific activity. The subject of these agreements is the promotion of academic cooperation in the field of research and teaching, by establishing relations between universities, namely the exchange of teaching staff, the creation of joint educational programmes, and joint participation in the development of research programmes, ensuring the access of teachers to scientific conferences, exchange of scientific publications and providing access to publications of scientific materials in scientific journals.

In September 2017, lecture courses were delivered by the following teachers in the following disciplines:

• Prof. Dorota Masniak discipline: “International and European Insurance Law”

• Prof. Anna Jurkowska-Zeidler discipline: “European Financial Market: Legal Architecture”

• Dr Edvardas Juchnevicius discipline: "European Tax Law"

• Dr Damian Cyman discipline: “European Business and Financial Law”

• Dr Przemyslaw Panfil  discipline: "The Mechanisms of Achieving Fiscal Sustainability in EU States."

In the framework of continuing cooperation between universities between 2020 and 2021, a number of scientific and educational events are planned. It is planned for the professors of the Caspian University to conduct classes in various legal disciplines  for students and undergraduates of the University of Gdansk. In addition, as part of PhD training, PhD students from the Caspian University will be sent to take advanced training courses at the University of Gdansk. Finally, in September 2021, it is planned to hold a joint international scientific-practical conference on the problems of international investment and financial law.

The programme was planned rationally: lectures, participation in the round table with teachers and students of the Faculty of Law and Administration  of Gdansk University.

I have gained useful experience in cooperation with the foreign university and a certain practice of communication with foreign students. It can be recognized that such a cooperation is useful for universities and should certainly be continued.