Over the years, Nanterre has developed innovative programs such as the double bilingual courses in French Law and Anglo-American, Spanish, Russian, German or Italian law; in Economics & Management (with half of the courses in French and half of the courses in another foreign language); and in History (with half of the courses in French and half of the courses in another foreign language). These programs have inspired many universities and grandes écoles throughout the country and are now renowned on a national level.
Nanterre Network The Franco-German Summer and Winter Universities with higher education institutions of third countries (
Nanterre Network) are an expression of the increasing internationalization of studies and research (
Erasmus program;
Bologna process, EU enlargement). In legal sciences, the management of the Franco-German studies at the University of Paris Nanterre plays a pioneering role in the establishment of Summer and Winter Universities. Thus, within the framework of its Europe-wide network for university cooperation (Nanterre Network), in collaboration with German and other foreign partners, Summer and Winter universities have been emerging since 2004 in Central and Eastern Europe, in the Balkans and in the Mediterranean region − with financial support from the
German-French University (DFH/UFA), the
Franco-German Youth Service and the French Ministry of Higher Education and Research (Parceco-Program). Since 2013, these tri-national Summer and Winter Universities have also extended to non-European countries.
Objectives, function and functional principles of the Summer and Winter Universities In September 2012,
Bernard Cazeneuve, France's Deputy Minister for European Affairs and patron of the 2nd Franco-German Summer University for Energy and Environmental Law at the University of Paris Nanterre, saw in this type of Summer University a “successful” approach to bridge the lecture-free period; approach which can even be “exported” and is therefore “conducive to the prestige of Franco-German cooperation in Europe”.
Lithuania The oldest trinational Summer University in
Vilnius, Lithuania, focuses on EU
legal harmonization. It was founded in 2004 by the University of Paris Nanterre, the
Johann Wolfgang Goethe-University in Frankfort on the Main and the
University of Vilnius in the year of EU enlargement to countries particularly in Central and Eastern Europe. With their accession, the Baltic States were obliged to take over the entire law of the EU (
acquis communautaire) and to implement the goals of the political Union as well as those of the economic and monetary Union. In the first few years, this Summer University was the joint end-of-year event for two binational law schools: the German-Lithuanian Law School (Goethe University of Frankfurt) and the Franco-Lithuanian Law School (Paris Nanterre).
Belarus The Summer University in
Minsk, founded in 2011 by the universities of Paris Nanterre,
Potsdam and the
Belarusian State University, is devoted to topics of general European relevance, such as “alternative dispute resolution”, “new information and communication technologies”, environmental issues and other current issues. As in the EU, in the post-Soviet
Community of Independent States (CIS) the tendency towards regional integration goes hand in hand with the attempt to harmonize national legal systems. Belarus is part of the
Russian-Belarusian Union and a member of the (2014 contractually agreed)
Eurasian Economic Union.
Balkan countries The Franco-German Summer University founded in 2014 by the University of Paris Nanterre and the
Westphalian Wilhelms-University of Münster with the Balkan region has (for the first time in the history of these Summer Universities) an
itinerant character. It takes place through several sessions with changing locations: starting in 2014 at the
University of St. Cyril and Methodius Skopje (North Macedonia), the
University of Pristina (Kosovo) and the
European University of Tirana (UET: Albania). Since then, the scientific and intercultural dialogue between universities from EU countries (Germany, France, Greece) and from countries in the Balkans has intensified and expanded to other destinations in the region, through the progressive inclusion of new partner universities (previously Montenegro, Serbia, Bulgaria). Based on the self-image of both – of Western Balkan states candidate to EU accession, as well as that of the EU member states - the prospects of development of North Macedonia, Kosovo, Albania, Montenegro and other Western Balkan countries are discussed. The
itinerant Summer University should determine to what extent the candidates already meet or will be able to meet the
Copenhagen criteria for accession to the EU in the various legal areas concerned (private law, public law, private international law, international criminal law).
Turkey Founded in January 2016 by the University of Paris Nanterre, the
Friedrich Alexander University of Erlangen-Nuremberg and the
University of Yeditepe Istanbul, this first German-French-Turkish Winter University in Istanbul is devoted to the theory and practice of
private law enforcement. Against the background of the hesitant negotiations between the EU and the permanent candidate Turkey (which so far has at best been granted a “privileged partnership”) since 2005, this issue is of great relevance for European Union law and the law of its member states, and for Turkish law (especially for consumer law, contract law, competition law, security regulations, constitutional law, labor law, arbitration or mediation). As a result of the tense domestic political situation in Turkey, the Winter University has not yet continued. After the failed coup against the Turkish president in July 2016, the state wave of cleansing did not omit the universities. The professors affected also included colleagues who were responsible for the cooperation with the French and German partner universities.
Maghreb states In April 2013, Paris Nanterre, Potsdam et El Manar University founded in Tunis a Franco-German-Maghrebinian Summer University on the subject of "State policy in a comparative perspective". In the context of the
Arab Spring, it takes into account the needs of the countries concerned in political, economic and geostrategic terms. It applies above all to the legal aspects of public policies to promote social and economic development, as well as the democratization of the state. In May 2014, at the 2nd (and provisionally last) Summer University at the Hassan II Mohameddia University in Casablanca/Morocco, the focus was on "Law versus Religion - Intersections and Possible Conflicts of Religious Norms for State Law and International Law". For the 3rd Summer University in June 2015 at the
Ecole de Gouvernance et d’Economie (EGE) at the University of Mohammed VI-Polytechnique in Rabat/Morocco, the topic "Citizenship/Citoyenneté" was envisioned.
South America In September 2013, Paris Nanterre, the
Technical University of Dresden and the
Pontifical Catholic University of Peru established in
Lima the first Franco-German-Peruvian Summer University on the subject of "Democracy and the rule of law". Given the reform policies in Peru since 2011, human rights issues and strategies to promote the
rule of law, the
welfare state and to fight corruption are at the center of discussions. The second trinational Summer University, organized in September 2014 by the universities of San Marcos and ESAN (the first graduate school of business in Latin America), was dedicated to the topic of "Economic and cultural foundations of the constitutional state". This Summer University is not limited to the university campus, but is open to civil society by including cultural institutions such as
Goethe Institute and
Alliance française in its program. Above all, this Summer University has a continuing education character because it specifically offers seminars for the officials of the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights.
Africa, Asia and Oceania Since 2015/2016, the Franco-German studies at the University of Paris Nanterre under the direction of Professor Stephanie Dijoux, also set up trinational Summer and Winter Universities with
higher education universities and
research institutions in countries in the Eastern hemisphere. == Rankings ==