Mihaela Tofan

My Fulbright experience during the autumn of 2019 was the greatest semester I have spent in my academic life, which is more than 20 years long. My time as Fulbright grantee happily combined the research activities with cultural exchanges, U.S. academic life experiences and development of the professional networking within the vibrant New York City.

I was generously hosted by New York University School of Law – Jean Monnet Center for International and Regional Economic Law & Justice. Prof. J.H.H. Weiler and Prof. Grannia de Burca, the co-directors of the center, supervised and mentored my research activities.

After spending my first American labor day (first Monday of September) in the U.S., I have started my visiting scholar university life in the very heart of New York City, by the Washington Square, where the offices for the visiting professors at the New York University are mainly grouped. The two co-directors of the Jean Monnet Center for International and Regional Economic Law & Justice guided my activity and facilitated implementation of my research project. The NYU impressed me with its flourishing academic environment for research and study, its very supportive atmosphere for visiting professors and its stimulating energy for research and innovation. All the global research fellows were able to attend and express their ideas and developments, getting the pertinent opinion from the international recognized experts of the host university. I have received all the administrative and academic support and guidance for achieving the intended results of my activities. I presented the objectives of my research and the partial results in the forums organized by the host institution. There were two sessions for presentation of the progress of my research: one at the beginning of October 2019 and the second at the end of October 2019. The discussions on the research project evolved from the formal context to the informal exchange of ideas, from the theoretical approach to the practical angle of investigation. My research theme (Assessing good practice for global reinforcements in tax avoidance regulation) came in line with the international taxation concerns of the moment for unified approach towards taxation of the business income in the global digital economy. I was very pleased to respond at the OECD call for public comments for the proposal issued in November 2019, as one of the main results of my research activity. The dissemination of the results of the project will continue during the 2020, with the previewed publications and it already has materialized in the workshop organized with the participation of my colleagues at University “Alexandru Ioan Cuza”, at the end of January 2020.

The Fulbright supporting team was very active and always available for answering any questions, both during pre-departure procedure and meanwhile in U.S. There is a very intense and rich agenda for participants in the program and many events are organized for the grantees. I have really felt that the Fulbright community is welcoming every new grantee, growing while connecting people, countries and innovative ideas.