Latest blog articles

This week I am having the pleasure of attending the 2019 BIO International Convention hosted in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The biggest global event of its kind, this international convention brings together stakeholders from across the biotechnologies. Whether it be from the health, agricultural or...

Union citizens have the right to be accompanied by their ‘spouse’ when exercising their mobility rights. But what if your spouse is denied right of residence because the destination Member State does not recognise your marriage?

My message is, however, that next to the main lines of law’s contents, law students should learn about the ways in which law affects society and its participants. In this connection, they should study selected topics from sociology, but also – and that is the main message here – the cognitive...

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.

A little bit of provocation sharpens the mind. Let me therefore start with a provocative thesis: Most lawyers have no idea what law is.

Is there such a thing as ‘European private law’? In my opinion there is not, just as there is no Dutch, French, English, or Chinese private law. Let me explain. Legal rules, including rules of private law, have many characteristics. 

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.

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.