The law of Baltic countries: A source of inspiration for legal scholars and practitioners

Abstract

While it is well established in the literature that legal science stricto sensu includes activities directed toward identification of the content of law, the legal science ampio sensu has a broader meaning, as also includes the set of disciplines that have in some sense the law as an object of study, such as the science of law, legal theory, jurisprudence, legal dogmatics, the sociology of law, legal anthropology, comparative law, history of law, and science of legislation.1 This broader approach is embedded in the very act by which the Institute of Comparative Law in Belgrade was founded2 in 1955, and is continually reaffirmed in its work and the work of its researchers. The Institute’s staple journal, Strani pravni život (Foreign Legal Life), bears the same hallmark. As one of the oldest legal journals in Serbia, initially conceived as a bulletin containing reviews of current achievements in comparative legal theory, legislation and practice, it has since grown to foster academic debate and publish original scientific research centring on international and comparative law, contributing further to contemporary legal science not just in Serbia, but also in the Western Balkans. Over the past decades, comparative legal research published therein seems to almost unequivocally include references to the still ongoing European integration processes, seen through the lens of various national legal systems. First and foremost, the current volume of Strani pravni život (Foreign Legal Life) standing before you aims to somewhat narrow down this approach and, addressing the proposal for introducing thematic volumes, voiced by the journal’s Editorial Board, showcase the law of the Baltic states – primarily Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. This was done for several reasons. The relevance of the European integration experience of the Baltic states for the Western Balkan countries is evident. The three Baltic States – Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania