'Bestaanszekerheid' (socio-economic security) is the buzzword in the Netherlands and the magic word in the current election campaign. The King also dropped the word in his Speech from the Throne on Budget Day.

Following the recent debate on the formation of a new Dutch government, there seems to be no clear definition of an extra parliamentary cabinet. Wim Voermans, Professor of Constitutional Law, discusses this in Dutch magazine ‘Vrij Nederland’ (VN).

Pieter Omtzigt, leader of the ‘Nieuw Sociaal Contract’ (‘New Social Contract’) party, has withdrawn from talks to form a new Dutch government. Government finances are a divisive issue, and Ronald Plasterk’s decision to withhold documents on government finances seems to have particularly broken trust.…

Veel overheidsorganisaties hebben nog te weinig kennis van de Wet open overheid (Woo), ‘wat zorgt voor frustratie bij verzoekers en onzekerheid bij derden’, zegt Annemarie Drahmann, universitair hoofddocent Bestuursrecht en Woo-expert in iBestuur.

How feasible is the new migration deal and is it really the breakthrough politicians like Mark Rutte claim it to be? Dutch television programme Nieuwsuur asked various experts, including Mark Klaassen, for an answer to that question.

The EU has been negotiating a trade deal with Mercosur, a South American trade bloc, for over 25 years. In recent weeks, significant progress has been made. Commission President Ursula von der Leyen met with Mercosur leaders in Asunción, Paraguay, on 17 January to sign the deal.

On 27 and 28 April, Simona Demková participated as a panelist at the conference 'A

Today, the Dutch Advisory Board on public access and government information (ACOI) issued its opinion on how the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport (VWS) makes documents on Covid policy accessible to the public.

The Directorate-General for the Environment of the European Commission has granted the project entitled “Initiating A Public Dialogue on Environment Protection in the Context of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) Negotiations” to a consortium led by The Institute for European…

The coronavirus pandemic has spelt disaster for some businesses, while others have seen their profits soar. This has led to politicians to consider introducing a ‘corona’ tax where the winners from the pandemic will help the losers get back on their feet.

Seksueel grensoverschrijdend gedrag op de werkvloer moet strenger worden aangepakt. Zo stelde regeringscommissaris seksueel grensoverschrijdend gedrag Mariëtte Hamer na haar benoeming begin 2022. Een jaar later verschijnt haar ‘Handreiking meldingen van seksueel grensoverschrijdend gedrag op de werkvloer’.…

During her time as Speaker of the Dutch House of Representatives, Arib was, among other things, accused of creating an 'unsafe working environment'. To prevent disclosure of the case, she is taking legal action to demand access to all documents and their subsequent destruction. In addition, she is demanding…

For many years, human rights have mostly been a theme where states constituted the most important actors. Influenced by globalisation and the worldwide integration of the economy, multinational corporations have grown to feel more responsible for compliance to human rights.

The promise made in the run-up to the last Dutch elections that the ‘next cabinet formation process will be quicker and more transparent’ has already proven unrealistic. To what extent does a minority Dutch government stand a chance in the Netherlands’ fragmented political landscape? Corné Smit, external…

Companies are increasingly being urged to not only generate financial returns, but also to consider the public interest. Tom Barkhuysen, Professor of Administrative Law and partner at law firm Stibbe, spoke about the role of the government at a conference on the lawyer as a trusted advisor in the boardroom.…

In 2021, Assistant Professor Tax Law Rens Pieterse published a biography about former professor in tax law H.J. Hofstra. Dutch magazine ‘Het Register’ did an extensive spread on Pieterse, his writing and other activities.

Now that a negotiation agreement has been reached, the first right-wing Dutch cabinet is set to become a reality. What are the four parties planning to do, and who will become the next Dutch Prime Minister? All these issues and more were reviewed in a recent Op1 broadcast. Wim Voermans, Professor of…

In the aftermath of the child care benefits scandal in the Netherlands, politicians in The Hague turned to self-reflection and, as a result, the call for the introduction of a constitutional court is growing louder. Pieter Omtzigt, a popular conservative politician and leader of the new party New Social…

Replicas of artworks by world-famous artist and political activist Banksy are being exhibited at several locations in Amsterdam without the permission of the anonymous graffiti artist. Dirk Visser, Professor of Intellectual Property Law, says this is ‘clearly copyright infringement’.

De spreidingswet die asielzoekers evenwichtig over gemeenten in Nederland moet verdelen en per 1 juli 2025 gereed moet zijn, staat onder druk. Mark Klaassen, universitair docent migratierecht, spreekt in EenVandaag over de zaak.

In many European countries, the amount of a fine is based on the level of your income. This already exists in Finland, Sweden, Germany, France, and Spain. The Dutch Lower House is now contemplating the introduction of such a system.

On 24 June, Olga Ceran and Vasiliki Kosta, together with Peter Maassen from the University of Oslo, presented the Academic Freedom Monitor 2024 to the European Parliament’s Committee on Culture and Education (CULT).

The article deals with an issue that will be at the heart of the World Health Assembly to be held in May, namely the concept of ‘deep prevention’ and the importance of its integration in the Global Pandemic Treaty - which has been recently proposed by the European Council and currently endorsed by more…

On 9 November 2019 Melanie Fink, researcher at the Europa Institute, delivered a key note lecture at this year’s Advanced ELENA Course.

Dr Kosta spoke at the conference entitled 'Academic freedom in action: a step forward in safeguarding democracy', which took place Strasbourg on 13 and 14 November. The conference brought together experts, lecturers and policymakers to underline the democratic mission of higher education and the importance…

On 22 May, Olga Ceran and Vicky Kosta gave a lecture for the Eurodoc Ambassador Programme for Values and Democracy in European Research and Higher Education (ValDem). The lecture focused on discussing the protection of academic freedom in the EU from a legal perspective, including the recent proposals…

The nine suspects from Hilversum accused of beating Carlo Heuvelman so badly on the night of 14 July last year that he later died will hear their sentences on Friday. The Public Prosecution Service (OM) had demanded that one of the suspects be sentenced to 10 years in prison, and two others eight ye…

Kosta compiled a conference report titled 'The Use of the Charter by EU Advisory Bodies and Agencies', commissioned by the Netherlands Presidency of the Council of the European Union in order to aid the discussions during the seminar.

Dr. Kosta presented at the Global Forum on Democratizing Work.

Vasiliki Kosta gave a presentation during the session ‘Building Academic Freedom’ taking place at Leiden University on 25 November 2025.

The Panama Papers and Paradise Papers provide evidence that companies and individuals are evading tax on a large scale. Worldwide tax agreements can put a stop to this. But for the time being a treaty that will address the problem at its root is not in sight, in the opinion of legal expert Dirk Broekhuijsen.…

Sonja Barend distantieert zich van het toneelstuk Sonja, dat gebaseerd is op haar boek. Dirk Visser, hoogleraar intellectueel eigendomsrecht, gaf uitleg in het AD: ‘De auteurs hebben het recht om te zeggen dat ze niet meer achter de productie staan.’

On 15 June 2023, the book presentation for the ‘Panta Rhei: recht en duurzaamheid’ (Panta Rhei: law and sustainability) was held at the Oude Sterrenwacht in Leiden. The book provides an overview of research in the field of sustainability conducted at Leiden Law School and was compiled by Yvonne Erkens,…

On Friday 29 September 2017, Frederik Behre was invited by the European Union Study Association in Leiden (EUSA) to speak about the Eurocrisis in order to shed light on the undertaken Euro reform steps and to reflect on necessary future reforms.

Power and money are not enough for big tech entrepreneurs who are investing billions in digital nations. Reijer Passchier, Professor of Digitalisation and the Democratic Rule of Law (OU) and Assistant Professor of Constitutional Law, and Wim Voermans, Professor of Constitutional Law, share their concerns…

Een groep deskundigen dringen aan op volledige transparantie rond de geplande verkoop van het DigiD platform aan het Amerikaans bedrijf en waarschuwen voor risico’s voor de digitale soevereiniteit. Reijer Passchier, hoogleraar digitalisering en de democratische rechtsstaat (OU) en universitair docent…

On 6 June, Armin Cuyvers lectured students and staff of the University of Nairobi on EU law and comparative regional integration

As a result of production pressure, judicial powers focus more on efficiency and less on making sure they get to the truth. Professor of Criminology Jan de Keijser believes that establishing the truth in court cases is under threat. Inaugural lecture 7 November.

Brian McGarry and Cecily Rose, both affiliated with the Grotius Centre, are members of an adjudicative body established under the auspices of the NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA). NSPA is ‘NATO’s lead organization for multinational acquisition, support and sustainment’ for the 32 NATO nations,…

A deliberate attack on a tangible element of a culture, such as a temple, is often also an attack on intangible elements: the religion or religious customs. Equally, the intangible can be attacked without the involvement of the tangible, for example the brutal curtailment of rights. How are these reflected…

In a lecture for the University of the Netherlands, Reijer Passchier, assistant professor in constitutional and administrative law, speaks about the state of our democracy. ‘Is it not time to upgrade our democracy?’

The Grotius Centre for International Legal Studies welcomes abstracts for a workshop on Common Interests and Common Spaces: Institutional Approaches to Dispute Settlement to be held in The Hague on Wednesday 13 December 2023. This event kicks off a new series of events hosted by the Leiden Forum on…

This year’s Staatsrechtconferentie (Constitutional Law Conference) was held at the University of Amsterdam on 13 December 2019 and dedicated to the topic of the Economic Constitution. Dr. Eduardo Arenas Catalán, lecturer at the Europa Institute, presented his paper Where do social rights begin? Dr.…

It is good for a judge to have some empathy with victims and offenders. But too much empathy can be harmful to the practice of the law, as PhD candidate Claudia Bouteligier has found. Literature may offer a solution. PhD defence 18 September.

There is no time to lose when it comes to repairing damage to nature. For that reason and to show that the European Commission is neither a ‘bogeyman’ nor an enemy, European Commissioner Frans Timmermans came to the Dutch House of Representatives to talk with Caroline van der Plas, leader of political…

At the Institute’s Council meeting of last December the first Institute’s biannual prize for teaching was awarded. The award is named after Carla Musterd, a former, highly valued, member of staff, who was famous for her unflinching dedication to teaching standards and excellence.

De inbeslagname van een olietanker nabij IJsland zet het internationaal zeerecht onder druk. Hilde Woker, specialist in het zeerecht en verbonden aan het Grotius Centre, zegt in een uitzending van BNR-nieuwsradio, dat de Amerikaanse aanpak van de Russische schaduwvloot moreel begrijpelijk, maar juridisch…

Leiden researchers Reinout Vriesendorp, Jessie Pool, and Harold Koster from the Department Corporate Law and Jan Adriaanse and Marc Broekema from the Department Business Studies are about to start a collaboration with Groningen University. The WODC (the knowledge centre in the field of the Dutch Ministry…

On Wednesday 13 February Mike Eman, former Prime Minister of Aruba, delivered a lecture on the relationship between Aruba, The Kingdom of the Netherlands and the European Union. He spoke about the constitutional position of Aruba in The Kingdom of the Netherlands in the light of EU law and its future…

On 19 September 2024, Dr Letizia Lo Giacco gave a lecture on