Research

CEELES is a Centre for East European Law and Eurasian Studies acting in the tradition of the German East European Law Institutes. Eastern Europe is perceived in a very broad sense here: It includes Eastern European states in the narrow sense (Russia, Ukraine, Belarus), Central European states (Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, Hungary, the Baltic States) as well as the Southeast European states (from Slovenia southwards). Included are also states in the South Caucasus and Central Asia.

Methodological approach of the Centre involves, in particular, a dogmatic analysis form a comparative law perspective. Naturally, the analysis is not reduced to norms only; cultural, economic, political, and social background is given due consideration in the research. In essence, all traditional fields of law are of interest to the Centre. However, its focus lies within the questions of constitutional and public law. From a geographical point of view, Russia is the principal object of research; Ukraine is the second key country of interest.

Currently, the principal project of the Centre for the time frame of 2016-2018 is the translation of the Handbook of the Russian Constitution (http://www.verlagoesterreich.at/handbuch-der-russischen-verfassung-wieser-978-3-7046-6713-7) in the Russian language. The Director of the Centre Professor DDr. Bernd Wieser is the General Editor of this volume. The translation of this work, which will be funded by the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, the Volkswagen Foundation, and the IRZ-Faundation, aims to foster and promote the further development of the Russian constitutional dogmatic and to encourage intense knowledge exchange with the Russian constitutional law experts. Further, the translation of the Handbook enables the transfer of know-how to Russia in terms of the quality standards, characteristics, expert knowledge, and the methodology, which may be found in the German-speaking legal space, and which should be present in a commentary of the fundamental law of a state – a Constitution (constitutional order of a state).  

In principle, the Centre is open for all forms of scholarly work. It promotes and engages in individual research, e.g. publication of articles and monographies thematically related to the area of Eastern Europe. The Centre will promote publication of collective edited volumes; supervision of master theses and dissertations. Further, the Centre will hold lectures and organize conferences. Particularly welcome are guest researches and students wishing to cooperate with the Centre in a form of a short- or a long-term cooperation. Centre’s research staff members will continue to pursuit and maintain cooperation with related, in terms of scope and objectives, institutions and fellow scholars in Eastern Europe and participate in the research projects of the Law Faculty of the University of Graz. The Centre seeks to win third-party funded projects and is open to activities relating to providing legal consultation in its area of research.