On 31 October 2016 Riga Graduate School of Law (RGSL) launched the first session of its Intensive Programme in Law and Economics with a group of 18 participants from Central Asia.
At the opening ceremony, incoming RGSL Rector Professor Mel Kenny congratulated all participants on their selection and wished them well in their studies. Stressing the importance of collaboration with the United States, he added that this is a unique cooperation which hopefully will become a regular feature.
Programme director Peter Gjörtler explained: “RGSL has launched the pilot module of the Intensive Programme. This will have a total of three different modules. These may be taken either independently or as a continuing programme, all with a focus on the role of law, economics and policy in international relations.”
On 1 November at the official opening ceremony the US Deputy Chief of Mission Sharon Hudson-Dean encouraged the group to use this opportunity and build networking, which they could use not only during their studies here, but also in their homelands. As collaboration with the European Union has always been important, she stressed the importance of projects like these.
The Parliamentary Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Latvia Zanda Kalniņa-Lukaševica commended the high motivation of representatives from the Central Asian countries, their interest in gaining academic knowledge in law and economics, and tapping into Latvia’s reform experience gathered over the past 25 years with the view to applying their newly-acquired expertise in their home countries. The Parliamentary Secretary also outlined what has been accomplished during the Latvian Presidency of the EU Council by highlighting the initiatives important for Central Asia on the EU agenda.
The Intensive Programme lasts for six weeks and includes participants from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. The programme is financed by the United States.
The programme objective is to provide training that is useful with regard to relations between on the one hand the international community and the European Union and on the other hand Central Asia. The consortium partners include the European Institute for Public Administration (EIPA), the Latvian Institute for International Affairs, the Stockholm School of Economics in Riga and the University of Latvia.