Round Table Conference on The Mediation – Ways, Issues, Challenges

Wednesday, 18 January 2017 17:55

Round Table Conference on the Mediation – Ways, Issues, Challenges was held at the Small Conference Hall of the university. The event was part of activities on the project for strategic partnership Erasmus+ Online Educational Platform on Mediation. Partners in it are the UNWE, University of Genoa, Italy, Turiba University, Latvia, Mikolas Romeris University, Lithuania, University of Graz, Austria and the University of Economics in Prague, Czech Republic.

At the Forum dedicated to the future of mediation and its application in Bulgaria attended Assoc. Prof. D.Sc.(Law) Jivko Draganov, Dean of the Law Faculty, the Vice Dean Assoc. Prof. Dr. Gergana Boyanova, Eliza Nikolova, Chairwoman of the Professional Association of Mediators in Bulgaria (PAMB), Yulia Radanova, mediator and managing partner at the Legal Solutions Partners, members of judiciary, representatives of the Ombudsman of the Republic of Bulgaria, approved mediators from the country and abroad. Via Skype in the event took part with reports and comments Dana Rona, mediator and lawyer as well as lecturer at the Turiba University of Latvia, Thomas Valenti, arbitrator and mediator from Chicago, USA, Sabine Walsh, mediator from Ireland, etc.

Assoc. Prof. Jivko Draganov is opening the Round Table Conference. On the left: Assoc. Prof. Gergana Boyanova and Yulia Radanova

It is the first Round Table Conference of the Law Faculty in 2017, pointed at its opening Assoc. Prof. Jivko Draganov who outlined to participants the importance of the discussed topic.

What is successful mediation and is the mediation certified enough to guarantee its quality as well as the theory and practical skills of mediator were commented by Eliza Nikolova. She examined the online platform, the legal frame, procedures and ethical rules emphasizing on the education in mediation. She also specified what should be the education in mediation at the secondary schools and universities – as free elective disciplines, facultative disciplines, lessons in mediation, master`s degree programmes, postgraduate qualifications, etc.

In the Small Conference Hall

The experience in teaching mediation at the Law Faculty was commented by Yulia Radanova in her presentation on the Comparative Analysis in Mediation. She spoke about the online educational platform pointing out the project objectives – educational process digitalization and organizing, administration and implementation of academic mediation. The long term project objectives were defined by Radanova as “practice in the widest environment”.

Eliza Nikolova

The mediation is an effective interdisciplinary method for solving the arguments in which the legal sciences, entrepreneurship, administration and psychology are closely interweaved. Over the last years the European Union has accepted these alternative ways for solving the arguments because of their basic advantages - efficiency of time and expenditure. The legislation applicable at national and European level is entirely prepared to implement the objectives for the effective use of methods for alternative solvation of arguments. However, the process of application in its practical dimensions has not been developed yet in most and even in all member-states.

Participants in the Forum

In September 2016 the Turiba University of Latvia in cooperation with five other universities – University of Genoa, Italy, Mikolas Romeris University, Lithuania, University of Graz, Austria and the University of Economics in Prague, Czech Republic started implementing the Erasmus+ project for strategic partnership. It unites experts and professional mediators from six countries.

The project objective is to create, develop, maintain and incorporate in the academic programme of partner universities an online educational programme serving as data base of information and materials in mediation which can be used as an instrument for organizing simulative sessions in mediation between students. The platform in mediation will be opened and available in March 2019 for all universities or educational institutions teaching mediation.

The partners will organize also educational activities for lecturers and students. There will be developed an academic paper in methodology and a handbook of useful practices for helping the lecturers in organizing their simulative sessions and competitions in mediation.

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