A Landmark Academic Contribution: The International Volume “The Black Sea at a Legal Crossroads”

A Landmark Academic Contribution: The International Volume “The Black Sea at a Legal Crossroads”

The Faculty of Law of “Titu Maiorescu” University in Bucharest is proud to announce the publication, in May 2025, of the international scholarly volume The Black Sea at a Legal Crossroads: Perspectives from International Law, European Union Law, and National Law, released by the prestigious international publishing house Scientifica, Naples, and sponsored by European Union funds. This volume is a rara avis in Romanian higher legal education: it is the first editorial project of this scale coordinated abroad by a member of our academic team, with predominantly international participation.

The volume brings together contributions from 15 academics across five countries – Spain, France, Italy and Japan – including contributions from Romanian researchers, faculty members of “Titu Maiorescu” University in Bucharest and “Ovidius” University in Constanța. The strong and balanced presence of Romanian specialists confirms the increasingly solid position of Romanian legal research in the international academic circuit.

The work meets the highest international academic standards, benefiting from peer review, bilingual editing (English and French), thematic coherence, and methodological rigor. It is structured into three major sections: international law applicable to the Black Sea, the role of the European Union in the region, and the legal specificities of regional (national) actors.

Among the topics addressed by the Romanian authors are: Romania’s cooperation mechanisms in the Black Sea region, Challenges in civil and procedural civil law. Considerations regarding the seizure and enforcement of ships, Special procedural rules applicable in criminal proceedings regarding maritime and river offenses, The unified framework of maritime transport contracts, and Characteristics of the arbitration clause in maritime transport contracts in the Black Sea. These contributions reflect a genuine concern for aligning national rules with international and European norms in a region at the confluence of legal, geopolitical, and economic challenges.

The volume also includes a remarkable contribution from Italian professor Tullio Scovazzi, who offers an original interpretation of the Latin poet Ovid – exiled to Tomis – seen as an “unintentional forerunner of the freedom of the seas.” This symbolic perspective reinforces the connection between cultural heritage and legal reflection on the maritime space.

The publication of this volume is the result of sustained international institutional cooperation, being both preceded and followed by a series of high-impact international events for the Romanian legal landscape:

• In October 2022, the international conference Rule of Law after the Pandemic, in Times of War and Economic Crisis (Three Years Later) was organized in collaboration with the European Public Law Organization (EPLO), with the participation of approximately 15 foreign guests – renowned legal scholars who responded to the global challenges and transformations in the legal community, focusing on the Rule of Law in the European Union, Constitutional and Administrative Law, and Private Law.

• In June 2024, the international conference The Black Sea at a Legal Crossroads was held under the aegis of the International Association of the Law of the Sea, in partnership with the University Institute for European Studies “Salvador de Madariaga,” the University of La Coruña, “Ovidius” University – Faculty of Law and Administrative Sciences, and, of course, AssIDMer. (the volume being co-financed with EU funds), the event gathered 20 specialists from Romania and abroad (France, Spain, Greece, Italy, Japan, and Romania), who explored the interaction of international, European, and national legal frameworks in the Black Sea region.

• In May 2025, the 13th edition of the International Conference on Law, European Studies and International Relations was organized under the theme Mapping Law Between Legislative Gaps, Normative Excess, and New Legal Frontiers in the Digital Era, by the Association of Latin Law Faculties (AFDL), the University Institute for European Studies “Salvador de Madariaga,” the University of La Coruña, in partnership with “Ovidius” University – Faculty of Law and Administrative Sciences, “Lucian Blaga” University of Sibiu – Faculty of Law, “Transilvania” University of Brașov – Faculty of Law, and, of course, the Faculty of Law of “Titu Maiorescu” University in Bucharest. A new international volume is expected to be published as a result of this traditional conference, by a prestigious foreign publishing house.

We emphasize that faculty participation in such international projects is based on specialization, promotion needs, research objectives, and other criteria meant to serve each academic’s professional interests. Our faculty actively encourages consistent involvement in international conferences and scientific publications, promoting excellence and academic visibility.

The Black Sea at a Legal Crossroads is not only a prestigious editorial achievement, but also an expression of scientific maturity and transnational collaboration in the field of law. It confirms the ongoing commitment of the Faculty of Law of “Titu Maiorescu” University in Bucharest to promoting legal research, academic dialogue, and international integration.

Link open access: Link

Prof. Gabriela A. Oanta

(University of La Coruña, Director of the Institute for European Studies “Salvador de Madariaga,” Jean Monnet Chair)

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Manuela Tăbăraș

(Dean of the Faculty of Law, “Titu Maiorescu” University of Bucharest)