Croatia added another Chevening scholar to its already impressive list on 28 April when Mrs. Ivana Bilušić-Ramljak put her signature on a Hansard scholarship. Ambassador David Blunt hosted the signing ceremony at the Embassy, which was the culmination of a very important day for Mrs. Bilušić-Ramljak. Earlier in the day, she was officially sworn in as a municipal court judge.

‘This scholarship, to one of most respected schools in the United Kingdom, is a great opportunity to learn and to gain invaluable experience’, said Mrs. Bilušić-Ramljak, who was obviously thrilled to have been selected. ‘I expect to improve my skills, which I believe will benefit the judicial system here in Croatia when I return’.

With her parents looking on, Mrs. Bilušić-Ramljak penned agreement to a 12 week programme at the London School of Economics and Political Science, scheduled to begin in mid-May. The scholarship includes both study and internship. The internship placement -- which is being prepared by the Hansard Society – will match Mrs. Bilušić-Ramljak’s interests and aspirations.

‘I am looking forward to seeing a different way of doing things’, said Mrs. Bilušić-Ramljak. She added,‘As a legal professional, I am most interested in gaining a better understanding of how the legal system is structured in the UK, how rule of law functions there and how executive and judicial bodies cooperate. Also, I want to see how the legislature meets modern demands and EU norms’.

Mrs. Bilušić-Ramljak, who speaks English, German and Italian, will return from the UK this summer as the youngest municipal court judge in the City of Split.

To date, the Chevening Scholarship Programme has allowed almost 300 Croatians to attend various institutions of higher learning in the UK. Of this number, six have been part of the prestigious Hansard Scholarship Programme.

The Hansard Society, established in 1944, is the UK’s leading independent, non-partisan political research and education charity. Only six scholarships, world wide, were awarded for the 2009-10 academic year.