The European Public Law Organization (EPLO) and the European Law and Governance University (ELGU) welcomed a high-level delegation from the Law Enforcement Academy under the Prosecutor General's Office of the Republic of Kazakhstan for a series of institutional meetings and academic exchanges in Rome, from 4 to 6 November 2026.
The Kazakh delegation was composed of:
• Mr. Nurgalym Abdirov, Rector of the Law Enforcement Academy;
• Ms. Saule Saparaliyeva, First Vice-Rector of the Law Enforcement Academy;
• Mr. Adilbek Kassymov, Senior Lecturer at the Law Enforcement Academy.
The visit provided an opportunity to explore avenues for strengthening academic, educational and institutional cooperation between the two institutions, with particular emphasis on the development of joint educational initiatives and long-term institutional partnerships.
During the meetings, the two sides discussed several areas of potential cooperation, including the development and delivery of joint postgraduate programs, the establishment of a joint internship program, and the implementation of further educational, academic and research activities.
A key outcome of the discussions was the exploration of the establishment of an EPLO/ELGU Office within the premises of the Law Enforcement Academy in Astana, Kazakhstan. This initiative would provide a permanent institutional presence and a platform for coordinating joint activities, facilitating academic exchanges and developing further cooperation between the two institutions.
The delegation's program in Rome also included an academic conference entitled "The Right to Defence in Digital Criminal Justice: Technology, Evidence and Fair Trial Safeguards", meetings with academic and institutional partners, and visits to key Italian judicial and European institutions, including the Scuola Superiore della Magistratura, the Supreme Court of Cassation and the European Public Prosecutor's Office.
The meetings brought together representatives of EPLO/ELGU, including Mr. Bernardo Giorgio Mattarella, Director of the EPLO Office in Rome; Ms. Panoraia Spiliopoulou, Director General for Education; H.E. Ambassador Uglješa (Ugi) Zvekić, EPLO Ambassador to the United Nations in Vienna and Senior Advisor at the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime; Ms. Susana de la Sierra, Resident Lecturer at the ELGU Rome and Professor of Administrative Law at Castilla-La Mancha University; Ms. Christina Papakosta, Deputy Administrative Director of the EPLO Office in Rome; Mr. Dimitris Tsaknis, Director ad interim of Education at the ELGU Rome Campus; and Ms. Lea Stavrou, Director ad interim of Technical Cooperation for Italian-Funded Projects.
The meetings also involved members of the wider academic and institutional community, providing an opportunity to exchange views on the future of legal education, institutional cooperation and the challenges facing contemporary justice systems.The visit marks an important step towards establishing a structured framework of cooperation between EPLO/ELGU and the Law Enforcement Academy of Kazakhstan, opening new prospects for academic collaboration and institutional engagement between Europe and Central Asia.
