On 10 and 11 November 2023, the jubilee X. Motovun Colloquium, an international scientific conference dedicated to border and demarcation issues, was held in Motovun at the premises of the City Tower and the Five Towers Gallery. The theme of this year's conference was chosen in 2022 (at last year's Colloquium), and in 2023 it was further updated, which added additional curiosity to the entire two-day event. This year's jubilee X. Motovun Colloquium has been reflected continuously since 2014, always with a year-ahead theme, with participants who are all invited lecturers due to their competences and area of scientific interest. Finally, every year since 2014, at least one collection of papers from this conference is published, which perpetuate the conclusions, discussions, elaborations and understandings expressed in scientific disputation. The emphasis is on this Colloquium both in the lectures themselves, and even more so in the discussions, which justifies the name of this international scientific conference as a colloquium.
The scientific conference began on November 10th, with a kind of symposium, lectures and discussions of professors of the Zagreb and Rijeka law faculties with the thematic framework of the border and demarcation in different historical eras, but also with a significant emphasis on the modernity and the issue of the so-called Schengen border and its conditionality on certain legal, political, security, migration and other factors. However, in addition to the physical boundaries that are today largely identified with the interstate demarcation or private law concept of boundaries and boundaries, other borders were also considered at the Colloquium.
On the first day of the conference, the following lectures were held: Prof. dr. sc. Ivana Jaramaz Reskušić: ‘Departure from Rome. From voluntary exile to punishment of persecution’, prof. dr. sc. Zrinka ERENT-SUNKO and doc. dr. sc. Peaceful Marelja: ‘Limits of secular and ecclesiastical authority in the general capitularity of the missa Karla Veliko from 802’, prof. dr. sc. Željko Bartulović: ‘Istrian Divorce’, prof. dr. sc. Nenad Rančić: ‘Economic consequences of demarcation in the territory of Croatia: from the Triune Kingdom to the last Yugoslavia’, doc. dr. sc. Ivan Obadić and Danijel Javorić Barić, mag. iur.: "European borders and the Schengen Agreement" and assoc. prof. dr. sc. Dunja Milotić: ‘Österreichisches Küstenland’.
The central part of the event took place on November 11. The event was opened by Mirela Mrak-Kliman, Director of the Pazin State Archives, David Matković, Director of the Motovun Municipality Tourist Board and President of the ‘Fotovun’ Photographers’ Association, and Tomislav Pahović, Mayor of the Motovun Municipality. Introductory speeches particularly emphasized the continuity, quality, specificity of the topic and the selection of participants at all Colloquiums (including this year) and the commitment to hold this unique and exceptional event, but also the importance of publishing a collection of papers every year at least once. According to the editorial staff, this strongly contributes to the resolution of key events from the history and present of Motovun, Istria and the entire region, and contributes to the optimization of a number of activities and activities carried out by the Municipality.
Introductory speech and lecture on different concepts, forms and understandings of the boundary of Roman law was opened by prof. dr. sc. Ivan Milotić. The first part of the conference was dedicated to clarifying the concept of the border in civil and canon law, both physical and different manifestations of metaphysical borders. In addition to Mr Milotić, the following topics were presented and discussed in the first part of the Sabbath part of the conference: Assoc. prof. dr. sc. Ivan Zupanc: ‘Borders – historical geography’, Valter Baldaš, prof.: ‘Historical-geographical aspects of the organisation of dioceses in Istria’, mons. Slavko Zec ‘The concept and meaning of the border in the canonical legal system’ and prof. dr. sc. Ana Press: End-of-life care and preservation of human dignity: on the path of recognizing the boundless in limited reality".
The second thematic part was dedicated to the Istrian topics of border and demarcation, in particular the identification of borders, the predominance of borders with border signs, the description of different types of borders and demarcation (between territorial-political units, in forests, among feudal and estates, etc.). The following lectures were held: Dr. Livio Prodan, prof.: Restless Venetian-Austrian border in the area of Motovun, dr. sc. Tatjana Bradara and Nenad Kuzamnović: Material remnants of the demarcation in Istria. Comparison of written documents and field research, lawyer Tomislav Sadrić mag. iur.: Local signs on the borders of Opatija's feud of St. John the Baptist. Mihovil on Lima, Nenad Šćučac, dipl. iur.: Expanding and narrowing the jurisdiction of the Motovun municipality throughout history. Historical changes in the scope of the municipal authority of Motovun to the area surrounding it and mr. sc. Helena Miljević Pavić and Klara Labinac, graduate theologian: "The impact of borders on the practice of Istrian pilgrimage to Trsat" and Gianfranco Abrami: ‘Pietre nella valle di Montona ed oltre’.
The working part of the conference was completed with a lecture by prof. dr. sc. Budislav VUKAS, M. on the topic of public international law: ‘The concept of state borders in international law in the 19th century – according to the editorial board and Croatian translation of Liszt’s textbook ‘International Law’ by Dr. Ladislav Polić and a topic in the interpenetration of civil and canon law’, Dean BorbELJ, mag. iur.: ‘Non-contractual liability for damage. Determination of the concepts of damage and liability for damage on the basis of presumed guilt in canon law and the law of the Republic of Croatia’.
In the final part of the conference, a collection of works from last year’s (IX) Motovun Colloquium, entitled ‘Greek-Roman and Canon Law’, was presented. Protection of life in crises and emergencies", edited by prof. dr. sc. Ivan Milotić, Assoc. prof. dr. sc. Slavko Zec and prof. dr. sc. Zrinka Erent-Sunko, published by the State Archives in Pazin, Josip Turčinović from Pazin and the Municipality of Motovun. It is a beautifully entrenched book that presents scientific papers that address various aspects of crises and emergencies throughout history and today and the reaction of legal and social orders to them. This collection continued the continuity of publication from this valuable conference.
The meeting ended with welcome speeches by Ivan Milotić and Tomsilava Pahović with the announcement of the theme of the meeting, which will be held in the same place next year according to plan.
Materials:
- Program / Book of Abstracts (.pdf, 385 kB)
