1. OUTLINING THE PROBLEMS

The following summarizes the current situation in higher legal education and research in Croatia:

a) there is no comprehensive strategy for HLER;

b) the model of division of higher education in a 2-cycle system is perceived as unacceptable and incompatible with the needs and conditions of professional education and training in law;

WHY ARE WE DOING THIS?

c) a part of faculty staff perceives Bologna developments as threats and directly opposes the changes and a large part of faculty staff remains passive in the process;

e) there is an information gap on a Bologna process itself and on the experiences of other European countries in adjusting their HLE to Bologna requirements;

f) curricula and teaching methods are partially outdated and in discord with EHEA;

g) curricula does not adequately follow needs of labor market and social needs especially in terms of harmonizing Croatian legal system with the acquis communitaire and mobility requirements and opportunities within EU;

h) a quality assurance and accreditation system are not in place, ECST system is neither fully implemented nor understood;

i) education and research are not sufficiently interconnected;

k) the possibilities for lifelong learning are not addressed at all.

2. THE OUTCOMES OF THIS PROJECT:

a) A network of Croatian Faculties of Law (teachers, staff and students), government bodies (Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Science, Ministry of European Integration), Judicial Academy, legal professional organizations, NGOs, civil society and foreign Faculties of Law built;

b) Expert teams created, 20 experts retrained, long-term working relationship between experts from Croatia and EU countries working on HLER established;

c) Report on the study of the experience of HLER in EU countries and current problems and needs in restructuring and reforming Croatian legal education with recomendations for a change is prepared and made available to all interested parties in Croatia;

d) International conference on "The impact of Bologna process on higher legal education reform" held in Croatia;

e) Instrument for national strategic planning of legal education and detailed AP for legal education reform based on NS generated and published;

f) Seminar material (handouts, visuals, readers, best practice);

g) Seminars on NS & AP for reforming Croatian legal education and on best practicies related to implementation of Bologna process at law faculties in EU countries held at all 4 Faculties of Law - 150 students, teachers and staff retrained;

h) Progress review and report.

3. ASSUMPTION & RISKS:

1. the interested parties actively take part in legal education reform
2. there is enough interested experts to work on legal education reform
3. the trained experts really apply their knowledge and experience
4. analyse can be carried out in such a short period of time
5. interest for dissemination results
6. Faculties of Law and Ministries show commitment through financial participation