The team of students representing the University of Belgrade Faculty of Law took part in this year’s Manfred Lachs Space Law Moot Court Competition organized at the Sapienza University of Rome, under the auspices of the European Center for Space Law from 8 to 12 May 2013. The Faculty of Law was represented by our students Boško Vojkić and Igor Radovanović, while the coaching of the team was vested within the competent hands of a former moot participant Ms. Adriana Minović – winner of the first place at the Monroe E. Price Media Law Moot Court in Oxford in 2011.

Manfred Lachs Space Law Moot Court Competition is one of the most prestigious global moot court competitions that has been organized for over 20 years in Europe, North America, Africa and Asia. The European regional rounds in Rome accepted 15 teams this year, including the team of our students, while other participants came from Russia, Poland, Germany and Benelux countries. The students from the Master of Law program in Aerial and Space Law from the Leiden University in Netherlands were the overall winners of the regional competition and qualified themselves for the world finals to be held in Beijing.

The competition encompasses two parts: oral and written. The students are expected to prepare the written memorials for both Claimant and Respondent and then argue orally before the renowned experts in space law, in a mock trial before the International Court of Justice. The Problem this year encompassed pending issues of Public International Law and Space Law, including the legal regime of space, adoption of international documents in this area and issues of utilizing and exploring space objects and correlated issues of damages and liability.

Despite the fact that the Faculty of Law took part in this Competition for the first time this year and that our undergraduate students were up against their colleagues attending specialized graduate programs in Space and Aerial Law, the team achieved great success. Aside from the fifth place in the overall team ranking, the oral arguments of our students were graded as the best in all of Europe, while only a point of difference would have placed them in the very finals. Moreover, Boško Vojkić who won the title of the best oralist on the competition received both a monetary award and selected publications in the field of Space Law from the organizers while some of the professors from renowned European universities scouted our students for taking part in the graduate courses in the field, after completing their studies at the University of Belgrade Faculty of Law.

The Faculty of Law would like to use this opportunity and give special thanks to the City of Belgrade and the European Center for Space Law (ECSL) who financially supported our team in attending the competition in Rome, while students would like to thank Assistant Professor Dr. Ivana Krstić for her kind help and invaluable instructions that contributed immensely to the success achieved at the Competition.