LITHUANIA

Between December 2023 and March 2024, members of the Institute of Bankruptcy and Restructuring Law and Research on Insolvency of the Lazarski University in Warsaw undertook scientific internships at universities in Vilnius.

The scientific cooperation with Lithuanian researchers was initiated on December 11, 2023, by the director of the Institute, associate professor Anna Hrycaj, through a week-long scientific internship at Mykolas Romeris University (MRU). As part of the preparation for the internship, Anna Hrycaj delivered an online presentation on the Polish bankruptcy and restructuring law on December 6, 2023, for Polish and Lithuanian academic teachers, students, and practitioners. The presentation aimed to familiarize Lithuanian academics and practitioners with relevant issues and facilitated the preparation for another presentation delivered on December 13, 2023, during the scientific internship and stay in Vilnius under the EU-funded project "InsolEUPro" - "InsolEUPro" Enhancing proficiency of insolvency practitioners in applying of EU law and fostering trust and understanding of judicial culture via participatory training approach and blended learning. During the internship, Dr. Anna Hrycaj held fruitful meetings with Prof. Salvija Muleviciene, the head of the Justice Laboratory at MRU, to discuss the differences and similarities between the Polish and Lithuanian bankruptcy and restructuring systems, as well as the possibilities of cooperation in joint scientific research. During her stay at MRU, Anna Hrycaj conducted research on Lithuanian bankruptcy law, particularly seeking solutions similar to the provisions of Polish composition approval proceedings. The result of the established cooperation was a research project focusing on comparative legal studies of Polish and Lithuanian regulations regarding the legal status of bankruptcy trustees, trustee remuneration, and bankruptcy proceedings costs. The culmination of the joint scientific research was a Polish-Lithuanian seminar held on February 26, 2024, during the next visit to Vilnius by scholars from the Institute of Bankruptcy and Restructuring Law - associate professor Anna Hrycaj and Dr. Bartosz Sierakowski.

The aforementioned subsequent visit to Vilnius was associated with an internship undertaken by Anna Hrycaj and Bartosz Sierakowski at Vilnius University from February 26, 2024, to March 4, 2024. Apart from the members of the Institute of Bankruptcy and Restructuring Law, the internship also involved associate professor Aneta Łazarska from Lazarski University, associate professor Joanna Mucha from the Faculty of Law and Administration at Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, and Dr. Monika Strus-Wołos from the Allerhand Institute in Warsaw. As part of the internship, the members of the Institute of Bankruptcy and Restructuring Law held meetings with Prof. Vytautas Nekrosius to discuss the differences and similarities between Polish and Lithuanian civil procedural law. Anna Hrycaj and Bartosz Sierakowski also met with Dr. Neringa Gaubiene to discuss research issues related to the digitization of the judiciary system, particularly in the context of bankruptcy and restructuring proceedings. The same issues were the subject of a meeting with Dr. Rimantas Simaitis, during which structural issues of ICT systems supporting Polish and Lithuanian judicial proceedings were discussed. The meeting addressed issues related to access to justice, efficiency, and effectiveness of digitized proceedings, as well as research challenges associated with the potential use of artificial intelligence in the judiciary system. This meeting was followed by a meeting between Dr. Bartosz Sierakowski and Dr. Natalija Kaminskienė, the director of Lietuvos Teismai (National Courts Administration), focusing on issues related to the computerization of the judiciary, particularly in the context of Lithuanian civil proceedings and Polish electronic payment order proceedings. The meeting with Dr. Neringa Gaubiene also covered scientific issues related to the sale of digital assets in bankruptcy and enforcement proceedings. During their stay at Vilnius University, Anna Hrycaj and Bartosz Sierakowski conducted research on Lithuanian bankruptcy law, civil procedural law, alternative dispute resolution, and mediation, especially in search of solutions similar to Polish regulations. In addition to doctrinal and legal research and scientific meetings, visits to the Supreme Court (meeting with Judge Andžej Maciejevski) and the District Court in Vilnius (meeting with the Vice President of the court - Judge Janas Maciejevski) were made to analyze the operation of specific solutions in the practice of Lithuanian judiciary and the Lithuanian civil procedural system and mediation.

The aim of the research internship at Vilnius universities is to initiate constructive discussions on mutual cooperation and potential joint actions. The scientific internships of Anna Hrycaj and Bartosz Sierakowski were a unique opportunity to explore ways of international cooperation between Lithuanian universities and Lazarski University in Warsaw.

Apart from scientific activities, employees of Lazarski University met with Sister Michaela Rak, the founder and director of the Blessed Michał Sopoćko Hospice in Vilnius. Sister Michaela Rak, in 2008, accepted the proposal of Archbishop Audrys Bačkis of Vilnius to organize the first stationary hospice in Lithuania. She initiated the renovation of the building where Father Michał Sopoćko, the confessor of St. Faustina Kowalska, lived before the war. The inauguration of the Blessed Michał Sopoćko Hospice took place on February 11, 2009. The meeting was an opportunity to discuss the value of human life and human dignity, including the dignity that should be protected as a supreme value in judicial proceedings and administrative procedures.

During their free time from scientific activities and meetings, members of the Institute of Bankruptcy and Restructuring Law visited Vilnius, Trakai, Klaipeda, and Neringa. Neringa, especially the Dead Dunes, turned out to be a particularly surprising discovery, a place little known to Polish tourists but definitely worth visiting.

NORWAY

From January 15 to January 31, 2024, the Director of the Institute of Bankruptcy and Restructuring Law and Research on Insolvency of the Lazarski University in Warsaw, associate professor Anna Hrycaj, undertook a two-week scientific internship at the University of Bergen (Norway). During the internship, Anna Hrycaj met with faculty members of the Law Faculty and participated in a scientific seminar with a guest from the Faculty - Professor Sjur Swensen Ellingsæter from the BI Norwegian Business School in Oslo. During this seminar, Anna Hrycaj presented a paper on the Polish bankruptcy and restructuring law, with particular emphasis on the arrangement approval proceedings. Professor Sjur Swensen Ellingsæter presented solutions of Norwegian law. Subsequently, there was a discussion involving researchers from the Law Faculty, focusing on the similarities and differences between Polish and Norwegian law regarding insolvency, as well as the social conditions affecting the effectiveness of specific solutions.

During the internship, Anna Hrycaj conducted research on solutions in Norwegian bankruptcy and restructuring law, particularly those conducive to rebuilding constructive and trust-based relationships between debtors and creditors.

Apart from academic activities, during the first week of the internship, Anna Hrycaj explored the charms of unusually snow-covered Bergen, while during the second week, she grappled with Bergen in its typically overcast and rainy appearance.