Latest blog articles

Some colleagues asked me what it is that a dean does all day and why he cannot simply do his fair share of teaching. This question is fully justified and this blog will try to give some insight into work and life of a dean (that, by the way, I am also curious about myself).

Can Member States prohibit pupils from attending education abroad, simply on the belief that it might hamper the integration of the children into society? But what of possible justification grounds?

Can Member States of the EU prohibit pupils from attending education abroad, simply on the belief that it might hamper the integration of these children into society? If this sounds extreme, read on.

One of the major achievements from European integration is the principle of mutual recognition. ^{(Dutch only)}

The Central European University is facing severe restrictions after a modification to the Hungarian Higher Education Act. This blog article argues that EU free movement law could be relied upon to challenge that amendment and that, considering the particularly egregious violation of Union law at...

To counter misuse of student visas the Saxion University of Applied Sciences applies a so called ‘quota system’ for students from ‘risk countries’. The question is whether a quota is an appropriate instrument and if it is not in conflict with (European) law. This blog is only available in Dutch.

On 9 April 2011 a gunman killed 6 people in a shopping mall in the Dutch town of Alphen aan den Rijn. A group of victims now claims damages from the gunman’s parents, claiming that they should have prevented their son from this horrendous act. The claim will fail: on the facts of the case, there is...

How diverse is Dutch science? According to a majority in the Second Chamber, perhaps not quite diverse. Last week, the Chamber adopted a motion that calls upon the government to clarify whether Dutch university staff is made up too much homogeneous. ^{(Dutch only)}

Albert Camus famously wrote that ‘life is the sum of all your choices.’ Private lawyers could not agree more. At the core of private law lies the idea that individuals are allowed to know better than the State.

Legitimacy in the political sense can be defined as an inquiry into the justification for the exercise of public authority. Or put differently: it is the reason why I, being part of society, should accept laws and regulations that bind me.