Dr Jaka Kukavica (Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Law, University of Ljubljana) is a Visiting Fellow at the ANU College of Law. In this interview, he discusses his experience at the College, his current research and what is next for him beyond his fellowship. 

What are your research interests?

My research interests are, for better or for worse, very diverse and about as spread-out as Canberra. My visitor’s seminar perhaps exemplifies it best: the book-to-be on which it is based touches upon areas of comparative constitutional law, constitutional theory, legal theory, human rights law, EU law, ECHR law, and I could keep on going. Previously I have also done some empirical work on judicial dialogue and the history of EU law, both of which I enjoyed profusely. Recently, I have begun slowly moving towards critical and sociolegal perspectives on EU law. While at ANU, I am working on developing my doctoral thesis into a monograph and writing a couple of doctrinal pieces on EU law.

What motivated you to come to the ANU College of Law as a Visiting Fellow?

It is a wonderful visiting program that allows you to get, quite literally, some distance from the usual day-to-day dose of admin, emails and whatnot, and truly focus on your research. Doing that in such a rich and diverse intellectual environment filled with brilliant researchers as the ANU College of Law made the decision to come here a no-brainer. I have thoroughly enjoyed meeting everyone at the College of Law and discussing our research interests, life, Australia, food, and rock climbing.

How have you found your time so far at the College? 

It has been brilliant! Everyone at the College has been very welcoming and kind, doing everything to make sure I have felt accepted as a part of the research community here at the College. They have certainly succeeded. Native Australian wildlife has likewise made an appearance to give me an authentic Australian welcome – from venomous spiders to lovely (but insistently swooping) magpies. I will also very happily return to Europe and tell all the naysayers that Canberra is not boring at all. It might not be the most exciting place to visit as a tourist, but it is a wonderful place to live, work, explore museums and galleries, eat amazing food, ride and race bikes, or just take leisurely strolls by the lake or up the mountains surrounding Canberra. 

Your visitor's seminar is entitled Constitutional Structure in Judicial Reasoning: Consensus in Constitutional and Supranational Contexts. Why have you chosen to speak on this topic?

The seminar talk is based on my doctoral thesis, which I have completely and happily ignored since defending it earlier this year. It examines how constitutional structure, in particular vertical separation of powers (or, to use the F word, federalism) affects the interpretation of federal/supranational/international rights by courts in different divided-power systems. My main reason for coming to ANU as a Research Fellow has been to have a chunk of time to get back to the thesis and focus on developing it further into a monograph. Presenting this research in my visitor’s seminar has been instrumental to that end, all thanks to a thoroughly engaged audience who raised many important questions and issues from a broad range of perspectives.

What is next for you beyond your ANU fellowship?

Immediately after the fellowship, I will take a couple of weeks off and head down to Tasmania. I will drive around the island, trying to see as much of its beauty as possible. After that it is back to Ljubljana, where I will first have to tie up some loose ends on the research front and prepare for the teaching-heavy period of February-April.