Created: 2026.05.20. 09:53
Students of Széchenyi István University’s Deák Ferenc Faculty of Law and Political Sciences once again achieved outstanding results in the European round of the Manfred Lachs Space Law Moot Court Competition: Ferenc Dákai and Rebeka Mercédesz Kozma finished in sixth place at the competition held in Poznań, Poland.
For the past eight years, the Faculty of Law and Political Sciences of Széchenyi István University has entered a student team in the international Manfred Lachs Space Law Moot Court Competition. This year’s European round was hosted by Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, Poland, where the University’s remarkable achievements of recent years continued: the duo of Ferenc Dákai and Rebeka Mercédesz Kozma was ranked sixth best out of 24 teams based on the written submissions and oral pleadings.
As part of the competition, which has a history of more than three decades and simulates a dispute between two fictional states before the International Court of Justice in The Hague, participants had to resolve an extremely complex fictional legal case. This year, the focus was on the problematic issues surrounding private companies’ space activities and state responsibility, specifically the capture of an uncontrollable and dangerous satellite, the rescue of the crew of a spacecraft forced to make an emergency lunar landing following a solar storm, and the international space law questions concerning compensation for the resulting damages.
The team of the Deák Ferenc Faculty of Law and Political Sciences of Széchenyi István University: coach Dr Mónika Ganczer; competitors Ferenc Dákai and Rebeka Mercédesz Kozma; student assistant coach Dorina Bosits; and coach Professor Dr Gábor Sulyok
During more than six months of preparation covering numerous areas of international law and space law, Ferenc Dákai and Rebeka Mercédesz Kozma prepared written memorials in English for both the applicant and respondent states, each approximately sixty pages long, following the form and content of submissions made to the International Court of Justice. In addition to knowledge of international and space law, preparing the memorials also required studying the case law of international judicial forums and acquiring fundamental technical knowledge related to the effects of solar storms on onboard electronics and lunar landings. Following this, the students presented oral pleadings for the two states during the oral round. In total, the students participated in four hearings lasting nearly one and a half hours each, presenting their arguments before three-member judicial panels composed of theoretical and practical experts in space law, and answering questions posed by the judges.
Ferenc Dákai had previously achieved success in an international case-solving competition, and his lecturers drew his attention to this contest. “It was an excellent opportunity for my professional development. It was an especially difficult competition that required a great deal of study and hard work, but it was an extremely positive experience for me, particularly the oral round in Poland,” he stated. He emphasised that participation was also highly worthwhile from the perspective of improving his legal English and significantly expanding his knowledge of both general international law and space law. “Without the University’s support and the tireless assistance of our lecturers, we could not have achieved such a strong result, for which I am especially grateful,” he added. The student also revealed that after graduating, he would like to continue his studies at the diplomatic academy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in order to apply his knowledge in that field in the future.
Rebeka Mercédesz Kozma had already been particularly interested in international law while at secondary school, and chose the programme in Győr because of the field’s high academic standards. “For one year, I was a member of the University’s SZESAT Interdisciplinary College for Advanced Studies. I have always been interested in space law and astronomy. I am also a research member of the international non-profit organisation Space Generation Advisory Council, and the competition was especially beneficial for my activities there as well,” she explained. The oral round was also a defining experience for her, where in addition to meeting competitors, she was reunited with experts she had previously met through the European Centre for Space Law’s “Summer Course on Space Law and Policy”, organised within the framework of the European Space Agency. The fourth-year student would also like to pursue a career in space law, which is why she considers the experience gained during the competition exceptionally valuable.
The students’ preparation was supervised by lecturers of the Department of International and European Law, Professor Dr Gábor Sulyok and Associate Professor Dr Mónika Ganczer. “This competition plays a major role in identifying and selecting talented students and in supporting the next generation of faculty staff. We have doctoral students who previously participated in this competition, and even among the lecturers of the Department of International and European Law there are former competitors. The contest requires such effort and diligence that only truly promising students possess,” explained coach Dr Mónika Ganczer, who is also Chair of the Faculty’s Scientific Students’ Association Council.
She added that space research also creates opportunities for interdisciplinary cooperation, which is one of the strengths of Széchenyi István University, and therefore it is no coincidence that the subject is addressed across faculties within the institution, for example at the Defence, Space Industry and Technological Innovation Research Centre and the SZESAT Interdisciplinary College for Advanced Studies.
Professor Dr Gábor Sulyok pointed out that, as student team members change partially or entirely each year and the tasks are also renewed annually, the pace of preparation differs every year and participants are able to make use of different strengths. “This year, the competition rules allowed, in addition to the two supervising lecturers, the involvement of a so-called institutional support person. This important role was fulfilled by Dorina Bosits, a law student, two-time veteran of the moot court competition and last year’s semi-finalist. With her knowledge and experience, she made an extraordinary contribution to the preparation process, particularly in training the students for the oral pleadings and answering judges’ questions,” he highlighted. He emphasised that, as lecturers, it is especially inspiring to witness the development of the competitors’ knowledge and skills during the months of preparation, and it is a particular pleasure for them that a former participant could already contribute so successfully to the joint work. As in previous years, the team’s travel was made possible thanks to the support of the University.
