The China-EU School of Law (CESL) held an orientation meeting for master’s students who chose elective courses in Europe in the afternoon of 8 April 2017. The Chinese Co-Dean Professor Liu Fei, the European Executive Co-Dean Dr Clemens Richter and administrative staff took part in the meeting. Elective courses will last between three weeks and two months. The first batch of students will already fly to Germany on 10 April.

The Chinese Co-Dean Professor Liu Fei spoke first. He emphasised the importance of security in Europe. He expressed his hope that students help each other while staying abroad. He also said that when communicating with European students, it is important to learn to respect each other. Professor Liu Fei also expressed his hope that everybody will cherish this valuable learning experience and return to China with exciting  memories.

Subsequently, the European Executive Co-Dean Dr Clemens Richter made a brief statement, explaining that the European Union is made up of many countries and the China-EU School of Law’s elective courses in Europe offer the rare opportunity to get to know the culture of these different countries. He also said that learning about European law is also a process of learning about European culture. He expressed his hope that students could practice their spoken English more, participate in classroom discussion and feel comfortable at the CESL partner institution.

Finally, academic programmes administrator Ma Anna, administrative staff Chen Yingfang who will travel to Madrid, Spain, and administrative staff Li Xiaolu who will accompany students to Strasbourg, France, made a brief speech. Ma Anna highlighted what students should pay attention to when beiing abroad in order to avoid unnecessary trouble, and she also expressed her hope that everyone will have a successful study tour and return with good memories. Chen Yingfang explained to students how to deal with the situation when passports are stolen or lost. Li Xiaolu spoke about travelling to France. This year's elective courses are held at CESL’s partner schools in Madrid, Vienna, Maastricht, Lund, Strasbourg, Hamburg and Hungary. CESL will bear the cost of accommodation, travel medical insurance and personal liability insurance, and provide Chinese students with scholarships. The remaining expenses are borne by the students.

By Wang Guanhua and He Shuang (CESL double master’s student from the 2016 intake)