Professor Carmen Navarro Gómez, a distinguished political scientist from the Department of Political Science at Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, is visiting the Faculty of Law of the University of Zagreb from 12 to 15 May 2025. Her visit takes place within the framework of institutional cooperation between the two universities, and the host of the visit is Assoc. Prof. Jasmina Džinić, PhD, from the Department of Administrative Science.
On 13 May 2025, a central meeting with Prof. Navarro Gómez was held at the Dean’s Office of the Faculty of Law. The meeting was attended by Prof. Iris Goldner Lang, PhD, Vice Dean for International Cooperation and Quality Management, Assoc. Prof. Jasmina Džinić, PhD, from the Department of Administrative Science, and political scientist Martina Batistić from the Office for International Cooperation and Projects.
During the meeting, participants reaffirmed the long-standing, successful and substantial cooperation between the Faculty of Law and Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, developed through joint research activities and the exchange of students and academic staff. It was especially noted that students from Spain show strong interest in undertaking mobility periods at Croatian higher education institutions, among which the Faculty of Law of the University of Zagreb holds a prominent place.
Professor Navarro Gómez outlined a number of current challenges affecting international cooperation at her home institution, most notably the high cost and limited availability of student accommodation for international students, as well as the insufficient offer of courses in English. At the same time, Professor Navarro Gómez highlighted several advantages that the Faculty of Law in Zagreb offers to international students, including a broad selection of English-taught courses, affordable living costs, and an attractive cultural environment. She emphasized that these factors are particularly important given the declining number of incoming students to cities such as Madrid and Barcelona.
As part of her visit, Professor Navarro Gómez delivered a guest lecture to students entitled Urban Governance in Post-Industrial Spain: Strategies and Challenges from Madrid and Beyond, in which she presented contemporary approaches to urban governance.
During her stay at the Faculty, possible forms of further institutional cooperation were also discussed, including the potential formalization of relations through the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).
