Dear reader,

• Author: Peep Pruks
• Pages: 1-1

Page 1

Dear reader,

This fourth edition of Juridica International is by far the finest and most comprehensive of the series while also featuring articles with more depth and analysing power, at least I hope so. One should not undertake the publishing of an academic journal unless quality is the aim. The only thing to complain about, perhaps, is that Juridica International continues to be in Estonia the only outlet to summarise the current status of Estonian law.

The first special English-language issue of the journal Juridica International by the Faculty of Law of the University of Tartu (est. 1632) was published towards the end of 1996. That compilation of articles was primarily oriented to foreign readers and mainly reflected the ongoing and completed changes (legal reform) in the Estonian legal system of the time. The second issue concentrated on a scientific analysis of specific legal problems, a part of which reflected the current situation of European integration. The special issue of 1998 focused on Estonian applicable law and problems thereto through the Estonian Constitution in the context of European integration.

The subject matter of this edition Ð protection of personal rights and freedoms Ð is a key issue treated in a majority of its 23 articles. The editorial board of the journal feels that these issues should be of interest to other Central and East European countries and also to the developed Western democracies. We share many of the problems and therefore contribution to legal thought is always appreciated. Besides articles that analyse a certain topic in depth, one can find overviews of several areas in this Juridica International never before dealt with previously through the history of the journal (e.g. Problems of International Judicial Assistance from an Estonian Perspective; On the Development of Bankruptcy Law in Estonia; Church Autonomy and Religious Liberty in Estonia). Besides, treatments of...