The Scholarship Programme continues to constitute an essential pillar of ERA’s mission to broaden access to European legal education.

In 2025, the ERA Scholarship Programme supported 29 legal professionals from EU Member States and accession countries. The scholarships enabled early‑career lawyers to participate in high‑quality European law training, often making possible what would otherwise have been financially out of reach.

Experiences from Our Scholars: Expanding Legal Expertise Across Borders

During 2025, ERA received a total of 54 applications from 25 different countries. Thanks to the generous donations from the Friends of ERA Association and private donors, the Academy awarded 29 scholarships amounting to €27,000. These contributions made it possible for legal practitioners with limited financial means to participate in ERA’s open training programmes and strengthen their expertise in European law.
Scholarships were awarded to candidates from 13 European countries, including Albania (1), Bosnia and Herzegovina (3), Bulgaria (3), France (2), Georgia (1), Germany (1), Italy (2), Moldova (6), Malta (2), the Netherlands (1), Serbia (1), Spain (1) and Ukraine (4). The successful candidates represented a wide spectrum of legal professions, including members of the judiciary, lawyers in private practice, legal trainees as well as academics and researchers in European law.

Discover the experiences of former scholars and see how the ERA Scholarship Programme has supported their professional development: Meet our scholars – ERA – Academy of European Law

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

In 2025, the ERA Scholarship Programme benefitted from the generosity of donors, including the Friends of ERA Association and private contributors. Donations to the programme totalled €8,762.32, supporting the continued development of legal professionals across Europe.

Established in 2022, the ERA Fund for the Western Balkans, Moldova and Ukraine furthered its initiatives in 2025. With €3,740.31 raised, the Fund supported scholarships, capacity building, and the promotion of European law.

Individual donors (ERA Scholarship Programme)

  • Goran Selanec
  • Mealha Espera
  • Dory Reiling
  • Alvaro Oliviera
  • Kogovsek Salamo
  • Christina Hiessl
  • Suzy Houston
  • Andrea Giordano
  • Vanessa Knapp
  • Francois Alain
  • Mijke Houwerzijl
  • Intars Krumins
  • Stefan Clauwaert

Individual donors (for the ERA Fund for Western Balkans)

  • Vanessa Knapp OBE
  • Aileen Donnelly
  • Patrick Gielen
  • Rimvydas Norkus
  • Peter Vajda
  • Ninon Colneric
  • Edward Turtle
  • Christina Hiessl
  • Lars Schlichting
  • Lars Edfast
  • Nuno Perdigao
  • Daniela Amodeo Perillo
  • Andres Ceballos Cabrillo
  • Natasa Gaber-Damjanovska
A special mention goes to the donors of the ERA Fund for the Western Balkans, Moldova and Ukraine.