General Information

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

BULGARIA

Prof.  Plamenka Markova, Sofia University

Ms. Markova is an associate professor in the Private International Law, Institute for Legal Studies at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences since 2009. She has worked as legal advisor for the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy, for the trade unions (CITUB) in Bulgaria and as national ILO correspondent/coordinator between 1994and 2008 (under the ILO Decent Work Technical Support Team and Country Office for Central and Eastern Europe in Budapest). She is member of the Board of Trustees of the Bulgarian Gender Research Foundation and participates in the training on employment discrimination at the Women‘s Human Rights Training Institute initiative. Ms. Markova has participated in many international projects-on the right to strike and trade union representation; on social dialogue and individual labour disputes resolution. The last research she has conducted is on the protection of the weaker contractual party (workers and consumers) in the European private international law (Regulation Rome I).

BELGIUM

Prof. Paul Schoukens, KU Leuven

Mr Schoukens is a Professor of Social Security Law (Comparative, International, and European) at the KU Leuven. He is head of the department of social law in the Faculty of Law. IN 2013, he became Secretary-General of the European Institute of Social Security, an international scientific network of persons professionally active in the fields of social security and social protection. Within the KU Leuven, he is working for the European section of the Institute of Social law, organised as the Research Unit on European Social Security (RUESS). After having been Academic Coordinator of the Erasmus Office (student exchange) of the Faculty of Law (2007-2013), he recently became assistant Vice-Rector Student and Staff Mobility of the university. He is involved in the organisation of the master in European Social Security and is programme director of the Summer School on Social Security, a specialised two-week course that gives a general introduction into social protection across Europe from a multidisciplinary perspective. Within these programmes he is developing (within the framework of the Erasmus+-project EFESE) a standard format for cross-university exchange of virtual courses.

CZECH REPUBLIC

Prof. Jan Pricht and Kristina Koldinská, Charles University in Prague,

Jan Pricht is an associate professor at the Faculty of Law and head of the Department of Labour and Social Security Law at the Faculty of Law at Charles University in Prague, where he began his career after graduating from studies in this faculty. He is an author or the head of the authors’ collective of numerous books and scientific papers focused primarily on issues of Labour Law. He also has significantly participated in many publications of textbooks and prestigious commentaries from the area of Labour Law. He mostly publishes with the publishing houses of C.H. Beck and Wolters Kluwer (in the Czech Republic) and Kluwer Law International. Besides publication and scientific activities, Jan Pricht has practised as a barrister for many years. He is an arbitrator and makes dispute decisions and is entered into the list of arbitrators of the Arbitration Court attached to the Economic Chamber and Agricultural Chamber of the Czech Republic. He is also a member of the Society for Labour Law and Security Law.

Kristina Koldinská is an associated professor at the Charles University Faculty of Law. Since 1997 she works at the Department of labour law and social law, where she teaches social security law and labour law and she guarantees and teaches courses on coordination of social security in the EU and on EU social law. She publishes extensively in Czech Republic as well as with various foreign publishing houses and legal reviews. Her research interests include gender equality, EU social law, coordination of social security and social assistance. She is a member of Commission’s Network of legal experts in the fields of employment, social affairs and equality between men and women and FreSsco (Free movement and coordination of social security), both long-lasting projects run by prestigious European universities and financed by the EU Commission.

ESTONIA

Dr. Gaabriel Travis, University of Tartu

Gaabriel Travis is associate Professor for Labour Law and Social Security Law. He is teaching and researching at the Faculty of Law University of Tartu. His main area of research concerns both International and European social security law (especially social protection of the foreign workers). Also the different aspects of labour law are his area of expertise. He has been involved in different networks (e.g. European Labour law Network). He has also actively published on labour law and social security law issues. Besides of the academic work, he is also acting lawyer and a training-expert for European social security law for EUREs advisers.

FRANCE

Ms Eliane Chemla, Conseil d’Etat

Eliane Chemla is a honourable member of the Conseil d’Etat (State Council). She worked for the French Ministry of Social Affairs. She graduated Ecole nationale d'administration (National school of public administration) in 1992 and started working for State Council. She was the director of the National school of public administration studies from 2000 to 2006. She has participated in various legislative processes. She is the author of numerous of publication mostly concerning criminal liability for unintentional offenses and pension reform in France. She is President of the National Court of Health and Social Pricing, President of the Supervisory Board of the National University Hospital of Three Hundred, a member of the European Committee of Social Rights.

GERMANY

Prof. Eberhard Eichenhofer, University of Jena

Eberhard Eichenhofer studied at the universities of Tübingen and Saarbrücken. He was  law clerk at the Federal Court for Social Law Kassel (1980-1982) and Researcher at the Max-Planck-Institut für ausländisches und internationales Sozialrecht Munich (1982 – 1989). He is a Professor for Civil Law and Social security law at the universities of Osnabrück and Jena. His author of numerous books including: Geschichte des Sozialstaats in Europa, 2007; Sozialer Schutz unter den Bedingungen der Globalisierung, 2009; Sozialrecht, 2012 (8th ed.); Soziale Menschenrechte im Völker-,Europa- und deutschen Recht, 2012; Recht des aktivierenden Wohlfahrtsstaates, 2013, Sozialrecht, 2015 (9th. ed)  and Sozialrecht der EU, 2015 (6th ed.)

GREECE

Prof. Petros Stangos, University of Thessaloniki

Petros Stangos is professor of EU law and holder of the Jean Monnet Chair on Human Rights' European Law at the Faculty of Law, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (Greece). He is Research Fellow at the Institute for Advanced Studies of Nantes (France). Since 2009 he is member of the European Committee of Social Rights in Strasbourg and vice-president of the Committee since 2013.

HUNGARY

Prof. Jósef Hajdu, University of Szeged

József Hajdú  was appointed assistant professor of the Department of Labour Law and Social Security at “József Attila” University, later the Szeged University in 1990. In 1998, the Szeged University conferred upon him the title of Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Political and Jurisprudential Sciences. In 2004, he committed his habilitation and the Szeged University conferred upon him the habilitation title in Jurisprudential Sciences. Professor Hajdú is a member of the Executive Committee of the International Society for Labour Law and Social Security. He is a member of the Committee of European Social Rights of the Council of Europe, in Strasbourg. He is the author of books and articles in the ¿eld of Labour Law and Social Security. Professor Hajdú is a former Vice-President of the International Society for Labour Law and Social Security. He is President of the Hungarian Society for Industrial Relations. At present, he is the Dean of the Faculty of Law, Head of the Department of Labour Law and Social Security and Director of the Institute of Industrial Relations and Social Security Education at the Szeged University.

IRELAND

Dr. Thomas Murray and Dr. Graham Finlay, University College Dublin

Thomas Murray is an Associate Lecturer in politics at the Institute of Public Administration, Dublin, Ireland, and a Visiting Researcher at the Instituto de Ciencias Sociales y Humanidades, Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, Mexico. His research interests include Irish politics, comparative politics, political theory and human rights. His recent doctoral dissertation, examining the role of socio-economic rights in Irish constitutional development, is entitled "The Politics of Economic Rights in Ireland: 1922-2008”.

ITALY

Prof. Fabrizio Proietti, University of Siena

Fabrizio Proietti is Associate Professor of Trade Union Law, Labour Law and Social Security Law at University of Roma 1 "Sapienza". He is a winner of CNR Scholarship at Max Planck Institut fur Internationales und Ausländisches Sozialrecht (1990-1991) and of Scholarship for PhD in Labour and Labour union Law (University of Modena and Reggio Emilia) (1990). Fabrizio Proietti is also a lawyer before the higher Courts. He is an author of numerous books and scientific publications, including: The social security relationship between transparency and confidentiality (revised edition) - Turin, 2000; Problems of revaluation of credits in the social security trial (final edition) - Rome, 2005; Revaluation of credit (Labour Law and Social security Law; Voice for the Update of the “Digesto” (Discipline Commerciali) - Turin 2007.

LATVIA

Dr. Kristine Dupate, University of Latvia

Kristine Dupate is an associated professor at the University of Latvia, Faculty of Law Department of International and European Law. She is a member (national expert) of the Networks of legal experts for the EU Commission in the fields of gender equality, labour law and free movement of workers. She has participated in various research projects for the International and the EU institutions as a national expert. Kristine Dupate is an author of numerous publications on gender equality, non-discrimination and labour law.

LITHUANIA

Dr. Vida Petrylaite, University of Vilnus

Vida Petrylaite obtained her Master of Law Degree at Vilnius University, Faculty of Law in 2006. At the same University she defended her PhD thesis “Main Principles of Social Security Law” in 2012. Since the beginning of her career as lecturer at the Faculty of Law (Vilnius University) and research assistant at the Institute of Labour Law, Vida Petrylaite has been focusing her research works on problematic issues of national and international social security law, reconciliation of social security, work and family responsibilities of the employees and issues of implementing social security for migrant workers.

POLAND

Prof. Marcin Wujczyk, Jagiellonian University (editor)

Marcin Wujczyk works as assistant professor at the Chair of Labour Law and Social Policy at the Faculty of Law and Administration at the Jagiellonian University. He has been a member of European Committee of Social Rights since 2013.

ROMANIA

Prof. Alexandru Atanasiu and Ana-Maria Vlasceanu, University of Bucharest

Alexandru Athanasiu is a Professor of Labour Law at the University of Bucharest, Faculty of Law. He received his doctorate in Law in 1989 from the University of Bucharest. He is author or co-author of 14 books and numerous articles. His recent publications include: Labour Code. Comments on articles, Vol. I (C.H. Beck Press, 2007) and Vol. II (C.H. Beck Press 2011); Labour Code. Comments on articles. Update to volumes I and II (C.H. Beck Press 2012); Aggregation of professional income with pensions. The case of Constitutional Court Judges. Review of legislation and case law, 2nd edition (C.H. Beck Press, 2013). Alexandru Athanasiu was member of the Executive Committee of the International Society of Labour Law and Social Security and member of the European Committee of Social Rights (2009-2014). Currently, he is the scientific coordinator of the Centre for Social Comparative Law, Faculty of Law, University of Bucharest. His current research interests include the scope of protection of pregnant workers; protection of posted workers in the framework of the provision of services; privacy and electronic monitoring of employees in the workplace; protection of social security rights in times of economic crisis.

Ana-Maria Vlasceanu received her doctorate in Law in 2014 from the University of Bucharest. She is co-author of 4 books, including Aggregation of professional income with pensions. The case of Constitutional Court Judges. Review of legislation and case law, 2nd edition (C.H. Beck Press, 2013, in collaboration with Professor Alexandru Athanasiu) and author or co-author of several articles, such as Considerations about the interpretation of provisions of GEO no. 111/2010 on leave and monthly child allowance (Judicial Courier no. 3/2014, in collaboration with Professor Alexandru Athanasiu); Categories of workers transferred under the TUPE Directive in light of the ECJ case-law (Judicial Courier, no 9/2014). Her current research interests include the scope of protection of pregnant workers; protection of posted workers in the framework of the provision of services; protection of employees’ rights in case of transfer of undertakings, businesses or parts thereof; protection of social security rights in times of economic crisis.

RUSSIAN FEDERATION

Prof.  Elena Machulskaya, Lomonosov State University, Moscow

Elena Machulskaya is Professor in the Department of Labour and Social Law, Lomonosov State University, Moscow. She is also a member of the Committee of Social Rights of Council of Europe. She is an author of number of books on social policy and labour law and member of the ILO Committee of Experts in Application of Conventions and Recommendations.

SLOVAKIA

Prof. Andrea Olšovská

Andrea Olšovská has been teaching labour law at the University of Trnava Law School since 2001. She completed her doctoral studies in law, receiving her PhD degree and was named Associate Professor in labour law in 2011. As an expert in labour law, she frequently lectures at seminars and conferences and is author of numerous publications in the area of labour law. She is also attorney and she joined PRK Partners in Bratislava in 2006 and has provided clients with expert advice on various aspects of labour law.

SLOVENIA

Prof. Grega Strban, University of Lubjana

Grega Strban is Professor of Labour and Social Security Law and Vice-Dean of the Faculty of Law University of Ljubljana. He is also President of the Slovenian Association for Labour Law and Social Security and was Vice-President of the European Institute of Social Security (EISS). He studied at the Universities of Ljubljana, Cambridge and KU Leuven, and performed research at Max-Planck Institute for Social Law and Social Policy in Munich (also as Humboldt Fellow), where he is also an external correspondent. He is active in several national and international projects (e.g. scientific manager of EU project FreSsco). He is author of many publications and member of several editorial boards.

SPAIN

Prof. Luis Jimena Quesada, University of Valencia

Luis Jimena Quesada has been Member and President of the European Committee of Social Rights of the Council of Europe (mandate 2009-2014). He is a Professor of Constitutional Law at the University of Valencia and, since 1997, has been substitute judge of the High Court of Justice of Valencia. He is also a member of the International Institute of Human Rights in Strasbourg, where he has been Director of Studies and Professor from 1993 to the present.

SWEDEN

Prof. Birgitta Nystrom and Lennart Erlandsson, University Stockholm,

Birgitta Nyström is professor of Private Law at the University of Lund. Her research and publications are mainly in the fields of Swedish labour law and EU labour law. She is a member of the European Committee of Social Rights.

Lennart Erlandsson is licentiate of law and Phd in sociology of law. He works as senior lecturer at the Kristianstad University, and as a researcher at Linköping University. His research area is Swedish welfare law and law in action.

THE UNITED KINGDOM

Ms Ellie Palmer

Ellie Palmer was a Trustee of the Children’s Legal Centre based at Essex from 2006-2010.  Between 2004 and 2008, she was legal expert on the Commissioning Panel for the ESRC Public Services Program. She has acted as legal consultant to leading human rights practitioners and NGO’s, including the Democratic Audit, Amnesty UK, British Institute of Human Rights, Interights and the Joseph Rowntree Foundation. In 2007, she participated  in the Second UK High Level Dialogue on an Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (OP-ICESCR) convened by Amnesty International-UK.  In 2010, she was appointed to an EHRC Expert Advisory Group to review the protection of socio-economic rights in the United Kingdom. Since February 2011, she has been Director of the Essex ESRC funded Project, “Access to Justice in an Age of Austerity: Time for Proportionate Responses” and the forthcoming, edited collection of expert papers “Access to Justice: Beyond the Policies and Politics of Austerity”, Ellie Palmer, Tom Cornford, Yseult Marique and Audrey Guinchard (Hart, 2015). For the past ten years much of her research has been conducted in the area of public law including administrative law, especially judicial review, comparative constitutions, UK public law/human rights and international human rights, especially socio-economic rights.

UKRAINE

Dr. Mykhaylo Shumylo, Institute of State and Law of Ukraine

Mykhaylo Shumylo is a senior fellow at the Department of issues of civil, labour and business law at the VM Koretsky Institute of State and Law named after, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine. In 2009, he completed his thesis for PhD ("Legal regulation of pensions for civil servants"). He has over 75 publications on issues of pension system, pension reform and pension relations in Ukraine. His publications include a monograph: "Legal regulation of pensions for civil servants" (2010), co-author of the monograph "Legal problems of pensions in Ukraine" (2012), "Pension relations in Ukraine" (2013). He is a co-author of the textbook "Social Security Law of Ukraine" (2012) and co-author of the handbook "Labor law and social security law in Belarus, Russia and Ukraine (the formation and development)" (2011).  He is a co-author and scientific editor of the book "The right to a pension and its implementation by the current legislation of Ukraine" (2012). He produced a number of scientific and practical articles and conference materials on social security. Mr Shumylo prepared 37 terms on social security and labor law for the "Great Encyclopedic Dictionary of Law" (2012). He is a member of the Association of Ukrainian labour law and social security law. He participates in meetings of the Committee of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine (the Parliament) on Social Policy and Labour on issues of reforming the labour and social legislation and prepares proposals for improving social security legislation. He is a member of the Expert Council on compliance with labour rights under the umbrella of the Authorized Representative of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine on Human Rights issues of socio-economic and human rights provision. He participated in a roundtable discussion on Ukraine's implementation of the European Social Charter (revised) organized by the Ministry of Social Policy of Ukraine.