Editorial Team

All submitted articles undergo a rigorous review process by the editorial board. Articles may be rejected for various reasons, including poor writing quality, outdated or irrelevant research, unclear research questions, insufficient methodological rigor, inadequate data to support interpretations, weak analysis or discussion, and failure to follow submission guidelines. Accepted submissions are then subjected to a double-blind peer review by two reviewers. Articles may also be rejected at this peer review stage if they do not meet the necessary scholarly standards.

Editors-in-Chief:

Nino Lapiashvili
Director of the Institute for European Studies at Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University, and the Jean Monnet Module holder Academic Staff. She is the Co-Founder of the interdisciplinary Doctoral and Dual Degree Master’s Programmes (with Vilnius University (MA in European Studies, EU Law and International Law), and with Vidzeme University of Applied Sciences (MA in European Studies, Strategic Communication and Governance)), as well as the Jean Monnet Bachelor’s Programs in European Studies at TSU. She also serves as the National Programme Director (Georgia) of the Regional Master’s Programme in Human Rights and Democratization / Global Campus / Caucasus. In 2023 she was elected as the Member of the Council, a ruling body of Global Campus, which is the consortium of more than 100 universities worldwide.

In the past during 2006-2010 she was the Head of the Unit of European and Euro-Atlantic Integration and a Chief Advisor to the First Deputy Minister of Interior of Georgia in the field of reforms in European affairs, and on human rights. During this period she was leading the reform in fight with trafficking in persons, as a result of which the US State Department upgraded Georgia to Global Tier 1 position (in 2007). Among the numerous responsibilities she was involved in the policy and legal analyses of the progress and was in charge of reporting to the EU, Council of Europe, NATO, UN and other international stakeholders.

She started her career as the Legal Advisor at the Ministry of Justice of Georgia in 2004, where she was part of the working group responsible for upgrading the standards of good governance, including the reforms to increase transparency in access to public information. Within the frames of the working group she was intensively involved in legal drafting, checking compliance of the administrative acts with the legislation of Georgia, harmonization of selected legislation with international instruments, legal expertise of the registration documents of non-for-profit organizations, legal advice to the Department of the State Registration and Licensing.

Her awards include EUVIP nomination by the EU Delegation to Georgia (2014), Chevening scholarship for the University of Edinburgh (2007), OSI scholarship for the Central European University (2005), OSI scholarship for the St. Anne’s College at the Oxford University (2002), EPLO/ELGS scholarship (2022).

Kerry Anne Longhurst

Professor Kerry Longhurst, Visiting Professor and the Member of the Scientific Council of the Institute for European Studies at  Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University, where previously she had been the External Advisor for the development of the Jean Monnet Undergraduate European Studies Programme. She is the Visiting Professor at the College of Europe, European Interdisciplinary Studies Department (Natolin campus).  She holds a PhD in International Relations from the University of Birmingham, UK and an MSc in Strategic Studies from the University of Wales. She is currently Jean Monnet Professor and Deputy Head of Department of International Relations and Sustainable Development at Collegium Civitas in Warsaw and also a consultant and team leader on projects for the EU (DG NEAR and DEVCO) and other International Organisations in the Eastern neighborhood and the Black Sea region. Prior to coming to Poland, Professor Longhurst held an Advanced Marie Curie Fellowship at Ifri in Paris and was also Senior Lecturer at the European Research Institute at the University of Birmingham. Professor Longhurst has published widely on European Neighbourhood issues as well as other topics in European Security. Her publications include:

(2016) ‘Implementing the DCFTA in the context of state capture: assessing the position of Small and Medium Enterprises’ Eastern Journal of European Studies, Vol.7. Issue 2, http://ejes.uaic.ro/articles/EJES2016_0702_LON.pdf 

(2016) ‘Curriculum on European Studies focusing on the Relationship between the EU and the Black Sea Region’. (EU Delegation, Georgia).

(2015) ‘Mapping Developments in the Post-Soviet Space’, Polish Political Quarterly Special issue (Editor) Spring.

(2013) ‘Foreign Policy Reconfigurations in Central and Eastern Europe’ in The Journal of Communist and Post-Communist Studies 04/2013.

'Forging a new Ostpolitik: An Assessment of the European Union's Eastern Partnership' (2010) Studia i Analizy (Collegium Civitas) Published in Polish and English.

‘Beyond Enlargement - The European Union and its New Eastern Neighbours’ in Thierry de Montbrial and Philippe Moreau Defarges (eds.) RAMSES 2010 - Crise mondiale et gouvernance globale (Dunod). (In French)

‘Recasting Relations with the Neighbours - Prospects for the Eastern Partnership’ an Ifri Europe Visions Paper written with Susanne Nies 

‘Injecting More Differentiation into European Neighbourhood Policy’ in Russia/NEI Issues

Contact: kerry.longhurst@gmail.com

Daniela (Pescaru) Urse
Key Contributor to the development of the Jean Monnet Undergraduate European Studies Programme at the Institute for European Studies at Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University, and Invited Professor. She also co-heads the Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Doctoral Programmes in European Studies, and serves as a Professor in the Department of Sociology at the University of Bucharest.

Members of the Board:

Natia Lapiashvili
Head of the EU Law Module at the Institute for European Studies at Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University, and Invited Professor. She co-heads the Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Doctoral Programmes in European Studies, and serves also an Associate Professor at Caucasus University, School of Law.
Prof. Natia Lapiashvili is also a the Solicitor of England and Wales, as well as the Advocate of Georgia. She holds a Doctoral degree in Comparative Contract Law, (from Basel University, Switzerland), LL.M. in International Dispute Settlement (from Geneva University, Switzerland),  LL.M. in Public International Law and EU Law (Riga Graduate School of Law, Latvia), MA and LLB in Law (Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University).

Vanessa Tinker
Vanessa Tinker is an expert in the areas of conflict analysis, conflict resolution and mediation, peacebuilding, peace education, international higher education, and gender mainstreaming in conflict-sensitive and post-conflict contexts. She has extensive research experience working in international environments–Türkiye, Poland, Republic of Georgia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina. She holds a Ph.D. in International Conflict Analysis from the University of Kent, UK. She has authored papers and book chapters relating to peacebuilding processes and peace-related education programs. Dr. Tinker is currently an Assistant Professor for the Department of International Relations at Collegium Civitas, Warsaw, Poland and provides trainings for the International Organization for Migration (IOM) on small-scale mediation. As a native English speaker, she has also acquired a strong command in French (B1), Italian (B2), and basic command in Turkish (A2) and Polish (A2). 
Contact: vetinker1114@gmail.com
Social media: linkedin.com/in/vanessa-tinker-ph-d-5468a1a

Tamaz Zubiashvili
Head of the Migration Module at the Institute for European Studies at Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University. He co-heads the Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Doctoral Programmes in European Studies, and is an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Business and Economics at Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University.

Besarion Bokhashvili

Human Rights Lawyer with more than 20 years of practical experience. Presently Besarion works for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in South Caucasus. For number of years Besarion was the President and a member of the Advisory Committee of the Council of Europe Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities as well as Focal Point of the COE Human Rights Education Program for Legal Professionals (HELP) in Georgia. He was previously the Team Leader of an EU Project to support Ombudsperson’s Office of Georgia, human rights and the rule of law in Georgia (2009-2013), and an Executive Director of the largest Human Rights NGO in Georgia,Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association (GYLA). Besarion also has an experience on working for the Government as the State Representative of Georgia to the European Court of Human Rights. Throughout his professional career Besarion served as an expert for the COE, EU, USAID, the German Foundation for International Legal Cooperation (IRZ), the German Agency for Technical Cooperation (GTZ), UN Development Programme, UNHCR, UN OHCHR, Open Society Institute and other organisations. He has an extensive experience as a lecturer and trainer and conducted more than 400 trainings for Judges of the Supreme, Appellate and first instance Courts of Georgia, Prosecutors, Members of the Parliament of Georgia, Administration of the Government of Georgia, Police, representatives of Ombudsperson’s Institution, Lawyers. Besarion is the Chair of International Steering Committee of European Human Rights Advocacy Center (EHRAC, London) and a member of the Board of Open Society Foundation (Georgia).

Translator and Corrector:

 Mariam Kveladze

Disclaimer:

The “Georgian Journal for European Studies” is a bilingual scientific journal established in 2015 with the support of the European Union within the frames of ENPI project. The contents of this publication are the sole responsibility of the authors and cannot be construed as reflecting the views of the European Union.