National conference on "Ten Years of the Republic of Bulgaria's Membership of the EU – Problems of Harmonisation and Application of EU Law" and the Seventh National Conference of Doctoral Students in the Field of Legal Sciences, organised by the Institute for the State

Two scientific conferences organised by the Institute for the State and the Law at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences began today at the "Frédéric Joliot-Curie" International House of Scientists near Varna: a national conference on the topic "Ten Years of the Republic of Bulgaria's Membership of the EU – Problems of the Harmonisation and Application of EU Law" and the 7th National Conference of Doctoral Students in the Field of Legal Sciences.

The scientific events were opened by Prof. Irena Ilieva, PhD, Acting Director of the Institute for the State and the Law at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences.

The national conference "Ten Years of the Republic of Bulgaria's Membership of the EU – Problems of the Harmonisation and Application of EU Law" also has international participation from the Polish Academy of Sciences, represented by Prof. Władysław Czapliński, PhD, and from the French Association of Comparative Law, represented by Prof. Sylvaine Poillot-Peruzzetto, Extraordinary Counsellor at the Court of Cassation of France and university professor.

Greetings to the participants were extended by the President of BAS, Acad. Julian Revalski, DSc; Ms Maya Manolova, Ombudsman of the Republic of Bulgaria; Assoc. Prof. Ana Dzhumalieva, PhD, Chair of the Commission for Protection against Discrimination; Prof. Plamen Ilieva, PhD, Rector of the University of Economics – Varna; Prof. Gabriela Belova-Ganeva, PhD, Dean of the Faculty of Law and History of South-West University "Neofit Rilski"; Prof. Petar Hristov, PhD, Dean of the Faculty of Law of Varna Free University "Chernorizets Hrabar"; Judge Marin Marinov, President of the Varna District Court; and by the Department of Legal Sciences of the Economic Institute, Varna.

Nearly 70 participants from both conferences attended the plenary session. So far, papers have been presented by Prof. Władysław Czapliński, PhD, of the Polish Academy of Sciences; Prof. Irena Ilieva, PhD, Prof. Stefka Naumova, PhD, Prof. Darina Zinovieva, PhD, and Prof. Ganeta Minkova, PhD, of the ISL at BAS; Prof. Gabriela Belova-Ganeva, PhD, and Assoc. Prof. Nikolay Marin, PhD, of the Faculty of Law and History of South-West University "Neofit Rilski"; and Prof. Maria Slavova, PhD, of Sofia University "St Kliment Ohridski".

The conferences will continue their work in panels this afternoon and tomorrow.