The Netherlands Open Government Action Plan was recently presented to the Dutch House of Representatives. One of the action points in the plan relates to research to be conducted by Annemarie Drahmann, Louis Honée and Ymre Schuurmans, all staff at the Department of Constitutional and Administrative…

The number of life sentences in the Netherlands is rising sharply. This is a clear response to the serious drugs violence and brutal attacks on our rule of law. However, criminal justice experts do not believe that this will deter future offenders from carrying out liquidations.

A discussion is currently being held about whether a demonstrating policy official employed by the Municipality of The Hague, who is also a local councillor in Rijswijk, can remain in office after she participated in Extinction Rebellion’s recent climate protest. The VVD party in The Hague claims this…

Rose Horstman bewerkte haar scriptie tot een artikel met de titel ‘de L-factor’ over de rol die de leeftijd van een werknemer speelt bij de begroting van de billijke vergoeding. De billijke vergoeding is een financiële tegemoetkoming die onder bijzondere omstandigheden bij ontslag wordt verstrekt.

Recently, the University of Amsterdam was the scene of pro-Palestinian demonstrations that got out of hand. The demonstrators included rioters who wished to remain anonymous by wearing face coverings. Several experts, including Wim Voermans, Professor of Constitutional and Administrative Law, spoke…

From the 27th of February to the 1st of March 2018, students from four different universities attended the interuniversity workshop “A future for EU” (F4EU) in Liège, Belgium.

The Netherlands remains one of the most important locations when it comes to tax evasion. According to Tax Justice Network only the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands and Bermuda play a greater role.

In opvanggezinnen voor alleenstaande minderjarige vluchtelingen komen veelvuldig misstanden voor, blijkt uit onderzoek van Zembla. Hoogleraar jeugdrecht Mariëlle Bruning reageert geschrokken tegenover BNN VARA: ‘We moeten zorgen dat we die kinderen in veiligheid brengen.’

While the interim ruling passed down by the International Court of Justice did not order a ceasefire, it did state that Israel must take all measures to prevent further victims and genocidal acts in Gaza. South Africa brought the case as it alleges that the war in Gaza constitutes a violation of the…

Lidstaten negeren steeds vaker gemaakte afspraken wanneer het hen uitkomt, waardoor de grondbeginselen van de VN meer dan ooit onder druk komen te staan. In een recente VN-spoedvergadering hekelde topman Guterres de lidstaten en zei dat ‘het handvest geen menu á la carte is.’ Niels Blokker, emeritus…

On 15 and 16 May, Vestert Borger participated in the conference ‘Governing through funding in the EU’. The conference was organised by Lilian Tsourdi and Marijn van der Sluis, who are both affiliated with Maastricht University.

On 24-25 April 2017 Vasiliki Kosta, Assistant Professor at the Europa Institute, participated in the workshop “Human rights norms in ‘other’ international courts and tribunals”.

Vasiliki Kosta spoke at the international conference on ‘La liberté academique dans la démocratie universitaire’, taking place at Nantes University on 17 – 18 November 2025.

Vasiliki Kosta has been appointed member of the board of the Young Academy (De Jonge Akademie) of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW).

Het faillissement van zorgonderneming Co-Med stelt de curatoren voor dilemma’s. Want wie krijgen voorrang: patiënten, personeel of de schuldeisers? Universitair docent Jessie Pool, gespecialiseerd in het ondernemings- en insolventierecht, pleit voor insolventieprocedures die beter zijn toegespitst op…

There are frequent calls from society for heavier prison sentences, but the question is whether longer sentences result in a safer society. Judges are seeing more and more offenders with social and psychological problems and they therefore often prescribe a programme of treatment and monitoring for…

The research report by the independent committee on the future of the work disability system in the Netherlands ('Onafhankelijke Commissie Toekomst Arbeidsongeschiktheidsstelsel' (Octas)) was published this week. While the number of people unable to work has dropped considerably, the system is still…

The Municipality of Veere wants to limit accommodation for tourists. However, this puts a number of council members in a dilemma. Are they allowed to debate the future of tourism in the area while being landlords themselves? Wim Voermans, Professor of Constitutional and Administrative Law, comments…

Aart Hendriks, Professor of Health Law at Leiden University, held a lecture on euthanasia on Wednesday 11 December 2019. He was invited by the Madrid section of the Spanish Medical Colleges Organization.

A civil servant in the Zuidplas municipality stole a saddle from an old bicycle from the municipal waste depot. Although the theft concerned an item of little value, the subdistrict court agreed with the municipality's decision to dismiss the employee with immediate effect. Lecturer in employment law…

For some time now, discussions have been held within the legal profession in the Netherlands about strengthening supervision in the sector and the establishment of a national supervisory authority ('landelijke toezichtautoriteit', LTA). Tom Barkhuysen, Professor of Constitutional and Administrative…

On 27 and 28 June 2023, an extensive conference was held on the past and future of Europe’s free travel area: the Schengen zone. The Europa Institute, represented by Jorrit Rijpma, joined forces with the Odysseus Network of the Université Libre de Bruxelles, Konstanz University, and the Royal Egmont…

It appears from a study conducted by Independer and Q&A Research that at least one in five Dutch people think you can be refused basic health insurance if you have health problems.

Louis Honée, a student assistant for the Thorbecke chair and the Department of Constitutional and Administrative Law, is one of the new European Universities Debating Champions. Together with his team partner, he beat around 150 teams in the English as a Second Language category.

From 1-2 December 2022, the Frontex fundamental rights team met for a Workshop to reflect on their role and discuss current issues. Melanie Fink, Assistant Professor of European Law, was invited to contribute to the discussion with insights from her research on Frontex’s obligations and responsibili…

Dr Moritz Jesse (Associate Professor at the Department of European Law) was invited to present a lecture on the role of migration on peace and stability in post-war Europe at a masterclass for students and staff at the Catholic University of Lille, France. The talk, which bore the title ‘People’s mobility…

Melanie Fink, Assistant Professor of European law, has received a Veni grant from the Dutch Research Council (NWO). This research grant will allow Dr Fink to develop her ideas on ‘Gateways for Humanity: The Duty to Reason in the Automated State’ over a period of three years.

On 8 and 9 May Jorrit Rijpma, Associate Professor at the Europa Institute, participated in the workshop on a comprehensive feasibility study on an ASEAN common visa in Kuala Lumpur.

On 18 January 2020 Christa Tobler took part in a fireside talk on the above-mentioned topic, together with European Parliamentarian Andreas Schwab, Swiss Parliamentarian Eric Nussbaumer and German Ambassador to Switzerland Riedel.

Morgen debatteert de Tweede Kamer over het nieuwe stelsel arbeidsongeschiktheid. Het stelsel is vastgelopen en dringend aan hervorming toe. Barend Barentsen, hoogleraar Sociaalrecht, bespreekt het onderwerp in het Leidsch Dagblad.

Now that the new Dutch government's plans are set out on paper, the chess game begins for cabinet formation leader Richard van Zwol. He has to make the next move and put together the ministerial team. But how do you know if you’ve made the right move with the right chess piece? And who is a suitable…

Biografi singkat Prof. Mr. Dr. R. M. Soeripto. Sarjana hukum kelahiran Ampel, Boyolali pada 25 Maret 1889 ini mengawali kariernya sebagai pegawai Department van Binnenlands Bestuur (Departemen Dalam Negeri) urusan agraria dan desentralisasi. Meskipun begitu, ia kemudian lebih dikenal sebagai seorang…

Volgens Wim Voermans, hoogleraar staatsrecht, zullen losse erkenningen van landen niet zoveel betekenen. Erkenning is volgens de hoogleraar pas betekenisvol als ook grote spelers als de VS meedoen, zegt hij in NU.nl.

On 11 December Armin Cuyvers, Associate Professor European Law at the Europa Institute of Leiden Law School, was a studio guest on the news programme EenVandaag to talk about the possible scenarios for Brexit.

On 23 May 2025, Olga Ceran spoke at the ICON-S Benelux Chapter conference dedicated to ‘Public Law in an Age of Contestation and Systemic Change’. This conference was organised by the Université libre de Bruxelles, in collaboration with the Centre de droit européen and the Centre de droit public et…

The Grotius Centre for International Legal Studies, in collaboration with the Cambridge Centre for Environment, Energy and Natural Resource Governance (‘C-EENRG’, University of Cambridge) and the ESIL Interest Group (IG) on International Criminal Justice, is pleased to invite public international scholars,…

An open disagreement about a non-competition clause in the employment contract of a top business manager is a rare occurrence. Both the company and the employee are wary of the possible damage to their reputation that such a conflict could cause.

Rianne Letschert, Universiteitsbestuur in Maastricht krijgt de opdracht een nieuw meerderheidskabinet te formeren. Ondanks haar Haagse outsiderstatus tonen partijen vertrouwen. Wim Voermans, hoogleraar Staatsrecht, is te gast in Pauw & De Wit om te praten over de nieuwe formateur.

During the 80th session of the Geneva-based Institut de Droit International, Aleydis Nissen was awarded the Andrés Bello Prize. The competition was established by James Brown Scott in 1931 and is carried out under the auspices of the Institut.

Op 17 februari 1983 trad de geheel herziene Nederlandse Grondwet in werking. Het radioprogramma Villa VdB – gepresenteerd door Jurgen van den Berg – besteedde aandacht aan het 42-jarige jubileum van die gebeurtenis. Van den Berg ging daarover in gesprek met hoogleraar staatsrecht. Wim Voermans.

Is the right to choose your healthcare provider protected in the Dutch Constitution? What are the consequences then for the Dutch healthcare system? PhD defence on 5 July 2022.

Excessive remuneration of top executives often sparks heated debate in the Netherlands. Ministers are summoned to Parliament, where they then tend to wholeheartedly condemn the 'grabbing' going on at the top of the corporate sector. But that’s where it stops. Tackling excessive remuneration seems to…

A number of farmers and the exchange agency SUSP are accused of deception in their deployment of foreign interns. The agricultural companies allegedly gave the interns too heavy a workload for an internship. NOS reports that the Netherlands Labour Authority has announced its intention to fine these…

The proposal made by the Dutch Benefits Agency (part of the Ministry of Finance) to issue one-off compensation payments of €5,000 in the wake of the Dutch childcare benefits scandal is causing a stir among the affected parents, lawyers and academics. Ymre Schuurmans, Professor of Administrative Law,…

On 1 September, the conference of the Kirchheiner Chair ‘Government and citizens: A matter of trust’ took place. In a packed hall in the beautiful Old Observatory of Leiden University, under the inspiring leadership of Willemien den Ouden, a debate was held on the role of the Dutch National Ombudsman,…

Leiden University won three prizes at the International Criminal Court (ICC) Moot Court Competition – English edition. The final round was held on 27 June 2022 in Courtroom I of the ICC in The Hague (the Netherlands). Due to current COVID-19 related restrictions, it was a hybrid hearing with judges…

Door onduidelijke stikstofregels komen milieuzaken steeds vaker voor de rechter. De zaak van een Reeuwijkse varkenshouder leidt al tientallen jaren lang tot een getouwtrek tussen een milieuorganisatie, de provincie en de rechter. Rogier Kegge, universitair docent Staats- en bestuursrecht, bespreekt…

The Kalshoven-Gieskes Forum, the platform within the Grotius Centre at Leiden University for the research, teaching and dissemination of international humanitarian law (IHL), is proud to present its first Massive Open Online Course (MOOC).

De uitnodiging staat ter discussie vanwege Bosmans controversiële uitspraken over het slavernijverleden. Bosman is echter in de hoedanigheid van voorzitter van de Tweede Kamer uitgenodigd en niet als PVV’er. Wim Voermans, hoogleraar Staatsrecht, spreekt over dit onderwerp in het Parool.

Following an investigation into plagiarism, Erasmus University Rotterdam has declared the master’s thesis of Dutch State Secretary for Long-term and Social Care, Vicky Maeijer, invalid. Wim Voermans, Professor of Constitutional Law, spoke to Dutch newspaper ‘Trouw’ about the matter.