Maastricht Centre for European Law
The Maastricht Centre for European law (MCEL) is committed to the study of European law from an interdisciplinary, transnational, and multilingual perspective. MCEL studies the law of the European Union in its constitutional and political context, with a specific focus on the tension between, on the one hand, uniformity and centralisation at the European level and, on the other hand, differentiation and autonomy of Member States. The research programme of the Centre analyses the European integration process from both an institutional and substantive perspective in a global context. MCEL research covers most areas of EU law. MCEL currently has 45 members, belonging to the department of International & European Law and the department of Public Law.
Research
MCEL’s research is an integral part of the Faculty’s research programme and relates to both the ‘integration’ and ‘interaction’ poles of that programme. It deals with the different dimensions of the legal integration process that takes place in the context of the European Union, and it pays due attention to the interactions, on the one hand between the EU legal order and public international law, and on the other hand between EU law and the national legal systems of its Member States.
There is thus a natural fit between the research agenda of MCEL and that of the Law Faculty as a whole. More specifically, the research of MCEL members relates to all five pillars of the Faculty’s research programme, with some prevalence for the pillar Institutional Transformations.
MCEL’s research takes place in all five Faculty research pillars:
1. Global Justice
2. Institutional Transformations
3. Globalising Markets
4. Cross-border Cooperation and Mobility
5. Law and Technology
News
Article co-authored by MCEL member Matteo Bonelli with Mateus Correia de Carvalho published in European Law Open
In October 2024, European Law Open published Matteo Bonelli and Mateus Correia de Carvalho’s article "No need to look, trust me! Mutual trust and distrust in the European arrest warrant system".
Apply for the MCEL master thesis project!
By focussing on ‘Migration Law and Governance’ this year’s MCEL master thesis project provides you with the opportunity to engage with these important legal and societal developments.
EmergEU: Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence
Professor Andrea Ott successfully applied for a a Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence on Crises and Emergencies in EU Integration (EmergEU) in July 2024. In the upcoming three years, the centre will explore crises and emergencies in EU integration.
New case note by MCEL member Matteo Bonelli in Common Market Law Review
In July 2024, the Common Market Law Review published Matteo Bonelli’s case note ‘Growing pains: Direct effect, primacy and fundamental rights after Lin’. The note discusses the decision of the CJEU in the 2023 Lin case, and analyses how the Court dealt with questions of direct effect and primacy...
The Maastricht Consulates Prize on EU Law 2024
The competition is open to all students registered for a LLM programme in Maastricht who submits their thesis in the academic year 2023-2024.
Events
PhD Research at MCEL: video on EU Fundamental Rights
MCEL PhD researchers Elin, Stevi and Valentina talk about their projects dealing with EU fundamental rights. Elin Börjedal examines the constellation of actors involved in fundamental rights protection in the EU and the division of responsibilities between them. Stevi Kitsou aspires to devise EU-wide principles and standards for countering hate speech online.
Zooming in on the challenge of protecting fundamental rights in the digital dimension, Valentina Golunova tackles the risks stemming from the use of AI in content moderation.
Watch their research stories
