METRO to conclude its journey on 1 May 2025

METRO was founded in 1991 at the then Rijksuniversiteit Limburg with a special assignment to strengthen the research at the faculty of law and to stimulate internal and external cooperation. Over the years the institute was instrumental in creating the Ius Commune Research School, the Ius Commune Europaeum series and the Maastricht Journal of European and Comparative Law. Also numerous projects for external partners, including ministries, OECD, and the European Commission, were carried out.

With the establishment of over 10 other research institutes within the Faculty, the goals of METRO have been fully embedded into the Faculty’s DNA. The retirement of the academic director Michael Faure and secretary Marina Jodogne marks a natural moment to conclude METRO’s journey. However, METRO’s research will continue under different institutes. The vice-director of METRO, Niels Philipsen, has been appointed to a chair in Law and Economics at our Faculty and has joined the department of  Foundations of Law. He will also contribute to the Institute for Globalisation and International Regulation (IGIR), focusing on research clusters in sustainability, technological innovation, and competition. 

Moreover, both Michael Faure and Niels Philipsen will remain members of the Maastricht European Private Law Institute (M-EPLI), with several METRO PhD students and external fellows contributing to activities in IGIR and M-EPLI.