The College of Europe would like to congratulate Ms Ellen PENNINCKX (BE) and Mr Gonzalo URBINA TREVIÑO (ES) for their recent success in the Concours René Cassin, a moot court competition on the European Convention of Human Rights. The team took home first prize, winning the final against Université de Paris II Panthéon-Assas. In addition, they were awarded the prize for Best Written Submission and for Best Speaker (Ms Ellen Penninckx).
The moot court, conducted in French, was based on a case addressing the role of the State in the protection of human dignity, in situations ranging from human trafficking to prostitution. The College team were amongst sixteen teams to qualify for the oral phase of the competition on the basis of their written submission. During the final, the two representatives of the College presented their arguments in the Grand Chamber of the Court in front of a jury composed of Judges of the European Court of Human Rights, eminent professors and established practitioners.
The success is all the more impressive in light of the fact that the team competed against students of specialised human rights Masters programmes. The College team, established in the framework of the Department of European General Studies, is a testament to the quality of the College’s study programme, with the members of the team being drawn from both the Law and the Politics Departments.
The College would also like to warmly thank their coaches, academic assistants Ms Chloé BRIERE and Mr Nicolas JONCHERAY from the Department of European Legal Studies.
Press release of the European Court of Human Rights