Dear reader,

• Author: Peep Pruks
• Pages: 1-1

Dear reader,

Juridica International is a special edition of Juridica, a journal of the Faculty of Law of the University of Tartu (founded in 1632), and was first published at the end of 1996. The purpose of the first special issue, directed primarily at foreign readers, was to give an overview of the current legal system in Estonia and to reflect on its past and current changes (legal reform). With this issue, I would like to stress that this time around the focus is on in-depth academic articles, depicting both integration into Europe and the current state of Estonian jurisprudence.

The strategic objective of Estonia today is to join the European Union. Thus, it is understandable that European Union law influences the Estonian legal system on the whole more and more. The approximation of current Estonian legislation to European Union law is of primary importance, followed by the harmonisation process.

Estonian lawyers must understand the principles of European Union law and be prepared to acquire a deeper understanding in specific areas. Judges need to understand how and under what conditions European Union law affects their judgements. Advocates and lawyers also must keep up with the changing legal system and be competent to provide appropriate legal assistance. To the best of its ability, the Faculty of Law of the University of Tartu has tried to be of assistance in this environment of change. It is important to provide a basic common knowledge of Estonian national law and of European Union law in order to harmonise the former with the latter. One example of this is the development of a course concerning European Union law and the Estonian legal system from the perspective of Estonian national law, which was prepared in co-operation with the Estonian Law Center.

The need to improve knowledge of European law is especially valid with regard to the students of the University of Tartu who must acquire the fundamental concepts, principles and...