Baltic Sea Exchange - A sneak peak to Nordic culture
What is the Baltic Sea Exchange?
The Baltic Sea Exchange (BSX) is an annual exchange between ELSA Sweden and ELSA Finland, which takes place in both of our lovely Northern capitals during spring. The BSX has been already organised fourteen times and is scheduled for the fifteenth in the spring of 2023. The Baltic Sea Exchange welcomes twelve participants from Finland and twelve participants from Sweden every year to join an amazing exchange. In recent years six spots have also been given to international participants. The event starts in Helsinki, where the Finnish participants board a ferry to take them to Stockholm. The following morning Swedes and international participants join the Finns and they together enjoy an academic and cultural programme in Stockholm, which includes sightseeing in the beautiful and famous Gamla Stan (old town). After a day of learning and culture, everyone heads to the ferry to enjoy a social programme on the way to Helsinki. Once the group arrives in Helsinki, an academic programme and a city tour follow. There are two to three academic visits to law firms and legal institutions during the exchange and the academic programme traditionally follows a specific theme. In the past editions, it has been for example environmental law, intellectual property rights and international competition law.
Little about the ferry between Helsinki and Stockholm
Those who live on the shores of the Baltic Sea are familiar with the ferries or Ruotsinlaiva (Sweden's boat) as Finns lovingly call it. The ships are a place where people, Finns and Swedes, go for mini vacations. The ferry ride takes about 11 hours and it's a time of fun. The boats have all kinds of activities, from tax-free shopping, spa houses to a ball pit for children and those with the mind of a child. The main event for many is the all-you-can-eat buffet, which is filled with Nordic delicacies. After eating yourself into a coma you can roll yourself to see the nightlife and enjoy cocktails in a fully carpeted nightclub. The ferry truly is a part of Nordic culture and should be experienced by everyone.
Baltic Sea Exchange 2023
The next Baltic Sea Exchange will take place from the 12th of March to the 15th of March. There will be 6 spots for international participants this time as well. For international students, the event will start on the 13th of March in Stockholm. ELSA Finland and ELSA Sweden welcome everyone to join this amazing event.
Iina Ryynänen - Vice President in charge of Seminars and Conferences
ELSA Finland
Testimonial
Attending the Spring 2022 Baltic Sea Exchange was a unique opportunity to meet my peer Nordic law students and learn about the Nordic legal culture and environmental law. At this event, I got to visit one of the biggest law firms in Sweden and learn useful and academically interesting information on environmental and construction law from the private sector perspective. Furthermore, it was exciting to meet already-graduated lawyers and to hear about their career paths. The Baltic Sea Exchange programme is a great experience to meet other law students, enjoy a Baltic Sea cruise and, at the same time, develop your expertise in different fields of law!
Pinja Lindvall
