CURRICULUM VITAE

 

Maria SERKEDJIEVA

 

Date of birth: 14. February 1956

 

Education:

October 1975 – January 1980: Sofia University “St.Kliment Ohridski” –
  Law Faculty, Bulgaria, LLM;

September 1971 – May 1975: Humanitarian Language High School-Pazardjik ;

 

Specializations:

1993 - Law Firm “Redecker, Schoen , Daas and Sellner”Bonn, Germany;

2000 – Max-Plank – Institute for International Private Law – Hamburg;

2001 and 2002 – European Institute for Public Administration – Maastricht;

2002 – Max-Plank – Institute for Intellectual and Industrial Property Rights – Munich;

2001 - Certificate of Achievement on Mediation (ABA-CEELI and Bulgarian Supreme Bar Association Council);

    

Key qualifications :

·    Experienced in the general process of  European Integration , focused on the enlargement matters; Experienced in the  approximation of the national Bulgarian legislation with the European acquis communautaire and in the challenges of the implementation and enforcement into the national legislation of the candidate countries, with main fields ADMINISTRATION AND JUDICIARY; LEGAL CO-OPERATION;

·    Administrative experience and team work;

·    experienced as a project-leader of a lot of projects on European integration matters;

·    experience as a lecturer on EU-Integration towards different audiences on the governmental and non-governmental compass;

·    experienced in speciality of the South-East region in respect of the political changes and developments, European Integration process – peculiarities, needs and weak points;

 

Professional Experience:

·    November 2001 – present: Attorney at Law- Sofia Bar Association.

Main fields of activity: International private law, company and commercial law, intellectual and industrial property rights, NGO – legislation; Mediation and Arbitration;

·    October 1997 - May 2001: Deputy Minister in the Ministry of Justice in charge of the European Integration and International Legal co-operation – leader of the Bulgarian team composed the First Bulgarian Programme for the Adoption of the European Acquis Communautaire into the National Bulgarian Legislation (NPAA) - 1998; Co-chair from Bulgarian side of the Sub-committee on Approximation of Legislation (1997-2000); International bilateral and multilateral legal co-operation on civil and penal matters, incl. the fields of international private law, of justice and home affairs, organised crime and anti-corruption measures.

·    1992 – 1997:  Attorney at Law - Plovdiv;

·    1980 - 1991: Legal Advisor in “Technosnab” - Plovdiv and “Bioinvest”- Plovdiv;

 

Others:

1. President of the Eurointegration Association – NGO with 29 regional clubs in the country;              Strategic goal: Establishing The” Eurointegration Association” as a broad public forum for promotion of the European – and NATO integration by means of creating practical-oriented public interest and personal responsibility of the Bulgarians;

Creating a good environment for cooperation between the governmental and non-governmental sector, translating the EU-matters into the practical language for understanding and implementation.

2. Vice-President of the ”Legal Interaction Alliance” (NGO, uniting all legal professions to achieve co-operation and  interaction for  promotion the principles of the Rule of Law; Legal Interaction alliance is a member of the European network of lawyers associations dealing with the matters of protection of the financial interests of the EU-Member States;

3. President of the Mediator Association – Sofia;

4. Lecturer on German Company Law in Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”.

 

Publications: 

·  “Approximation of the Bulgarian Legislation with the Requirements of the European Law (Acquis    Communautaire)”, Published by   the Institute of Public Administration and European Integration –Sofia, 2003.

·  “The Approximation of the National Bulgarian Legislation with the Requirements of the Acquuis Communautaire” - Magazine “Contemporary Bulgarian Law”, Sofia – 2001;

·  “The Process of  European Legal  Integration as a Specific Component of the Entire Integration Process”- issued by the Economic  Policy Institute ,Sofia – Bulgaria, 1998;

·  “The European Association Agreement between The European Communities and their Member States and Bulgaria” - WIRO (German Magazine on Business and Law in Eastern Europe), Beck – Verlag, Munich, 1994;

·  “Approximation of Legislation and European Legal Integration – the Example of Bulgaria” - issued by East-European Institute, Munich and South - East Institute, Munich, 1998;        

·  Great number of publications in the Bulgarian periodicals on the EU-Integration and International  legal co-operation–matters.

 

Languages: Bulgarian, English, German, Russian