Brady in Brussels

Now that it is spring in Brussels it is becoming increasingly difficult to concentrate in an office for 10 hours a day. Nevertheless, my residency has been an exciting place lately as we our older projects reach their maturity and we begin making plans for the future. We have hired a new intern, a law student from China who has come to do mainly translation but also to help us gain access to the Chinese market of legal professionals. We will also be receiving three more interns next month to help us get ready for the launching of our post graduate program, our mediation training, and our Conference on UNCITRAL. Because I have been here alone for some time, my boss has asked that I help him distribute work to all the interns and act as an assistant in supervising the other interns. I am very happy to have been given a leadership position in the office and will definitely have a more positive attitude towards my job from here on out.

Last week I finished an essay (and speech) for a conference in Kiev that AIA will be speaking at. The conference is on international law and politics in the age of globalization. Because I am more passionate and knowledgeable at this point on mediation I wrote on the subject of “Party-led disputes in the Globalized World.” The conference takes place in mid May but it is reassuring to have this out of the way already.

The most exciting news, however, is that the EU Commission has published another call for grant proposals, this time on the subject of Fundamental Right of EU Citizens. After meeting with the rest of AIA to discuss our options we came up with what I think is a very strong candidate of a project. I am particularly behind it because it relates to human rights issues in developing countries and how the EU can tie economic incentives to public international law. I am speaking in the broadest terms possible because there are still a lot of negotiations to take place (and you never know if a competitor is reading this blog!). However, I had a chance to have a business dinner with a member of the legal counsel of Ghana last week to discuss the proposal. He was enthusiastic about the idea, and after we talked “business” our discussion moved to international politics and eventually Obama. It was very, very interesting to hear his perspective.

Finally, I’ve recently had the opportunity to attend several conferences at the EU Parliament here in Brussels. It is a very nice building, though it is impossible to compare it to the White House because it is so new. It is funny to introduce myself to people and to watch their faces twist with confusion when I tell them I’m American. Still, by far the best thing about the EU Parliament building is that it is situated next to a big park and several small plazas filled with bars and restaurants with outdoor terraces. Thursday and Friday nights the streets are filled with EU Commission interns and bureaucrats and it is a really great environment to meet young people from around Europe and to talk (or avoid) politics.