Lund Conference Report
The first meeting of the representatives of European International Law Journals, organised by the Raoul Wallenberg Institute of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law together with the European Society of International Law, took place on 18 February 2005 in Lund, Sweden. 19 participants took part, representing 12 journals. The journals present were:
 
 

• Baltic Yearbook of International Law
• European Journal of International Law
• Finnish Yearbook of International Law
• Human Rights Law Journal
• International and Comparative Law Quarterly
• International Journal on Minority and Group Rights
• Italian Yearbook of International Law
• Leiden Journal of International Law
• Netherlands Yearbook of International Law
• Nordic Journal of International Law
• Revue generale de droit international
• Ukrainian Journal of International Law

The main conclusions of the meeting were as follows:
1. It was agreed that journals would display links to other journals on the basis of reciprocity. Both the journals represented at the meeting, and those who were invited but could not attend, were invited/encouraged to participate.
2. It was suggested that, to avoid unnecessary competition, journals notify the network of upcoming thematic issues. It was left at the individual journals’ discretion as to whether they would notify other journals by email or by displaying it on their own website.
3. It was agreed that a network, consisting of the contact details of the participants (and those who could not attend but wished to be part of such a network), be created.
4. It was agreed that another meeting of journals would be beneficial, however the precise details of such a meeting were not decided. It was agreed that the forthcoming ESIL conference (Paris, 18th -20th May 2006) would be an ideal opportunity to bring together editors and an occasion to build on the conclusions of the 18 February meeting.
Anyone interested in joining the network of journals should contact Miles Hogan at miles.hogan@rwi.lu.se
Lund Conference Announcement
The European Society of International Law is pleased to announce a forthcoming meeting of European international law journals held under the auspices of the European Society of International Law in cooperation with the Raoul Wallenberg Institute. The aim of the meeting is to share and learn from the experiences of all those involved in publishing international law journals in Europe, to establish a network of editors and to build personal contacts. Specific issues to be addressed include working methods, selection of contributions, relations with other journals or supporting institutions, marketing, existing concerns, general trends, and future opportunities. The meeting will take place on 18 February 2005 at the Raoul Wallenberg Institute in Lund, Sweden. For those interested in attending or requiring more information please contact:
Ineta Ziemele
ineta.ziemele@rwi.lu.se
0703881232
or
Miles Hogan
miles.hogan@rwi.lu.se
miles.hogan@rwi.lu.se
+46 046 222 1248
Lund Conference Description
Meeting of Representatives of European Journals of International Law and/or Human Rights organized by the Raoul Wallenberg Institute of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law in co-operation with the European Society of International Law, 18 February 2005, Lund, Sweden
The meeting begins at 9:30 and the agenda is as follows:
9:30 Opening by Professor Gudmundur Alfredsson, Director of the RWI, and Judge Bruno Simma, ICJ, President of ESIL.
9:40 Introduction to journal representatives and their respective journals. Approval of the agenda.
10:30 Coffee break
10:45 Working methods of journals, including the selection of contributions. By exploring the various working methods of the journals each journal will have the opportunity to learn from the successes achieved and obstacles encountered by the other journals. Such information will aid journals wishing to evaluate their methodological processes in the hopes of identifying areas which could be made more efficient while still producing a high quality product. The discussion would provide examples of ‘real world practices’ used by other journals to remedy such inefficiencies and allow journals to apply these practices in the context of their own particular working environment.
11:45 Marketing. As government funding and funding from other bodies becomes scarcer journals are increasingly required to economically justify their existence. In this respect readership is crucial and successful marketing is often required to attract readership. In this vein it is hoped that a free flowing discussion on marketing strategies and their practical implementation in the digital age will provide participants with new ideas with which to increase the exposure of their journal to their target audience and to attract more subscribers.
12:30 Lunch
13:30 Introducing the Raoul Wallenberg Institute of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law
14:30 Contractual relations with the publisher and/or supporting institutions. In the free market system the potential relations between journals, publishing houses, academic institutions and other bodies is almost infinite. It is anticipated that an exploration of these contractual relationships will identify areas of potential concern and how these concerns can be avoided or minimised.
15:30 Coffee break
15:45 Relations with other journals or supporting institutions. The creation of an informal or formal network between European journals will facilitate the flow of information between these journals and create an atmosphere in which mutually beneficially partnerships can be created and explored. Potential areas of cooperation include the creation of a network of journals where each journal provides the other with a copy(ies) of their respective journal at cost, or at a substantially reduced price, the creation of a ‘submissions’ network whereby articles can be exchanged between journals so they are published in the most appropriate forum, etc.
16:30 Problems and future plans. Although the specific peculiarities are often unique, generally the problems experienced by one journal are shared by several. This part of the substantive debate is designed to allow the respective journals to raise specific problems they are experiencing for discussion in the hopes of finding solutions based on the experiences of other participants. General trends, future opportunities and potential concerns will also be discussed.
17:15 Other matters
17:45 End of Session
19:30 Dinner hosted by the Raoul Wallenberg Institute