Access to professional qualifications (civiel effect)

This message provides European Law School bachelor students with information on changes to the route to obtain access to professional qualifications (civiel effect) in the Netherlands as of academic year 2020-2021.
As you know, the Bachelor European Law School does not constitute a qualifying law degree in the sense that it can provide automatic access to the professional qualifications needed to practice law as a lawyer, public prosecutor or judge. Generally, access to the professional training phase for these professions requires detailed knowledge of the national law in the relevant jurisdiction. This is not the focus of the bachelor European Law School which has a European and comparative law orientation. 

We find it important that students in the bachelor European Law School are able to obtain access to the professional training phase in the Netherlands. In previous years, this has been made possible by way of a minor in Dutch Law. Due to developments at a national level with respect to the requirements for obtaining civil effect as well as revisions in our Dutch Law curriculum that have led to certain courses that form part of the minor in Dutch law to no longer be offered as of next academic year, we will no longer be offering the minor in Dutch law as of September 2020, but will instead be offering another route to obtain “civiel effect”. 

Students who have already started the minor in Dutch law, will be able to complete the courses required in the third year of the programme and will still be able to resit exams from the second year of the minor programme in the academic year 2020-2021. The third-year courses in the minor in Dutch law will no longer be offered as of September 2021. 

As of next academic year, students who would like to obtain access to professional qualifications in the Netherlands (civiel effect), can enrol in the bachelor Rechtsgeleerdheid at the end of their second year of the bachelor European Law School. Upon successful completion of both bachelor programmes, you can graduate with two bachelor degrees: the bachelor European Law School and the bachelor Rechtsgeleerdheid. The bachelor Rechtsgeleerdheid combined with a Master in Dutch Law will meet the requirements for accessing professional qualifications in the Netherlands, known as “civiel effect”. Students who are enrolled in both degrees, may apply to the Board of Examiners for exemptions for elective courses in the third year of the European Law School bachelor and for courses in the first year of the bachelor Rechtsgeleerdheid. This means that you can complete the first two years of the bachelor European Law School and apply for exemptions for the electives in the third year, and then enrol in the bachelor Rechtsgeleerdheid, apply for exemptions for the first year courses and complete the final two years of that bachelor programme. This makes it possible for you to obtain two bachelor degrees in a period of 4 years. 

Students who obtain exemptions for first year courses in the bachelor Rechtsgeleerdheid will still need to complete an introductory programme on Dutch private law, constitutional and administrative law, and criminal law before starting the second year courses of the bachelor Rechtsgeleerdheid. This introductory programme will be offered towards the end of your second year in the bachelor European Law School. As the bachelor Rechtsgeleerdheid is taught entirely in Dutch, minimum language requirements apply. Please check the website for further information. 

An information session will be held at the start of the next academic year to provide further information.