Montesquieu Institute
The Montesquieu Institute Maastricht is a research centre dedicated to European and comparative parliamentary studies. Montesquieu's 'formula' for the organisation of a sustainable and democratic society has to a large extent determined the organisation of many 'modern' parliamentary democracies. However, this formula provides some challenging questions: is it still applicable nowadays? One of the objectives of the inter-university Montesquieu Institute is to stimulate both Dutch and foreign scientiok for answers to this kind of questions. It is a collaboration between, amongst others, UM, Leiden University and the University of Groningen.
Fast facts
- European and comparative study of liberal democracies, parliamentary systems and the rule of law
- participates in the interuniversity Montesquieu institute
- main seat: Maastricht Faculty of Law
- led by Prof. Joost Sillen
Research
The Montesquieu Institute Maastricht focuses on parliamentary systems of government in Europe and in the European Union, on aspects of separation of power, democracy and the rule of law and human rights. The Institute’s aim is to contribute to the academic and public debate on democracy and governance in the European Union and its member-states by deepening the understanding of the constitutional structures and political practice of national systems of parliamentary government and rule of law and democracy. It takes a thoroughly comparative approach to parliamentary studies in a European context and analyses national systems in a vertical multi-layered perspective.
With its focus, the constitutional law research is well suited to the faculty and university themes related to globalisation, Europeanisation and comparative law, as laid down in the two research pillars about Global Justice and Institutional Transformation.
Visit Montesquieu's research
Montesquieu’s research mainly takes place in the following pillars:
1. Global Justice
2. Institutional Transformations
Montesquieu news
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The Executive Board has appointed Dr Joost Sillen as Professor of Constitutional Law (1.0 FTE) as of 1 September 2022. He succeeds Prof. A.W. Heringa, who has held this chair until April 2022. Joost Sillen currently works as an Associate Professor at Radboud University.
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Earlier this month, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced in the European Parliament that the Commission will launch a procedure to withhold EU subsidies to Hungary for violating the rule of law.
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Professor Monica Claes and assistant professor Maarten Stremler have received a grant from the Statesman Thorbecke Fund of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts & Sciences.
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PhD thesis written by Sofie Wolf.
A legal comparison between the Dutch and the German parliament in EU affairs. The purpose of this dissertation is to compare the activities of the Dutch and German parliament in EU affairs. -
PhD thesis written by Prashant Sabharwal.
The Jurisprudential Response of the National Constitutional Courts of Germany, France and the United Kingdom to the Primacy Doctrine of the Court of Justice of the European Union from 2005 to 2015 – and the Lessons to be Learnt. -
This publication is only in Dutch.
Staatsrecht begrepen is een gestructureerde en systematische inleiding in het Nederlandse staatsrecht. Lichamen, organen, bevoegdheden, wetgeving, de verhouding regering en parlement, rechtspraak, grondrechten, bestuur, decentralisatie, de doorwerking van EU-recht... -
This volume is part of a research project on populism and democracy conducted at Maastricht University, Faculty of Law, and funded by the Statesman Thorbecke Fund at the Dutch Royal Academy of Sciences (knaw).
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The conference 'Populism and Democracy' brings together scholars of constitutional law and political science from around the world to discuss the influence of populist politics on constitutional developments, the reasons for success or failure of constitutional defences, and potential ways out of...
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The Faculties of Law of Airlangga University in Surabaya and Maastricht University, the Netherlands, in collaboration with the Maastricht School of Management (MSM) have been awarded a grant under the Orange Knowledge Programme to embark on the important mission of strengthening skills, ethics, and...
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Comparative Constitutional Law Documents contains a selection of constitutions and fundamental legislative instruments from five Western democracies: the United States, France, Germany, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.
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The 5th edition of this handbook provides a user-friendly introduction to comparative constitutional law. For each area of constitutional law, a general introduction and a comparative overview is provided, which is then followed by more detailed country chapters on that specific area. The author has...
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Dutch only.
Heeft de Nederlandse democratie en rechtsstaat groot, achterstallig onderhoud nodig, of blijft het beperkt tot kruimelwerk? Zorgt het advies van Staatscommissie Remkes voor te hoge constitutionele verwachtingen? Dit is de vraag die centraal staat in de nieuwste bundel van het... -
As part of our series Maastricht, reflecting on Europe, Aalt Willem Heringa, professor of (Comparative) Constitutional and Administrative Law, calls for more powers to the European Parliament.
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We are happy to report that a large project, Indonesia legal education and legal society, under NUFFIC’s Orange Knowledge Programme has been awarded to our faculty.
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The newest edition of the Montesquieu reeks no 12 "Europa, Europa: op weg naar de verkiezingen van mei 2019" ("Europe, Europe: on the way to the May 2019 elections") is out!
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The book provides a comprehensive legal analysis of power asymmetries that exist between national parliaments in the EU.
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New book: Bevrijdende en begrenzende soevereiniteit. The book brings together many of the annual conference contributions (both English and Dutch). The contributions focus in particular on the meaning of sovereignty and the relationship between the nation state and the European Union.
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This information is only available in Dutch.
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De staf van het Maastrichtse MI zal dit najaar voor de tweede keer de mastercursus Comparative Government verzorgen aan de rechtenfaculteit van de universiteit van Luzern. Deze samenwerking bevalt beide partijen uitstekend en geeft ons kans om onze expertise op het vergelijkende staatsrecht te delen...
Montesquieu blogs
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“Life happens when you are busy making plans”, John Lennon once said. To his chagrin, Boris Johnson, who was counting on winning a third term (despite only being two years into his first), realized that Lennon certainly had a point there. What we witnessed in frenzied television reports from London...
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In the 1980s, in the heyday of Thatcherism, Scottish actor Ian Richardson starred in the leading role of Francis Urquhart in the BBC series House of Cards. In it, Urquhart, who starts out as the Chief Whip for the Conservative government led by Thatcher’s fictional successor, schemes against and...
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(1798-1872). Dutch liberal statesman. Drafted the 1848 revision of the Dutch Constitution that established the parliamentary system.
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Since the educational spaces in our faculty have all been named, we would like to tell about the background of the elected jurists and cases. Through a series of blogs we want to make the names come to life and show that our building houses a legal faculty. After all, not everyone knows all the ins...
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The recent verdict (“the PSPP judgment”) of the German Federal Constitutional Court (“FCC”) on the compatibility of the Public Sector Purchase Programme (“the Programme”) under the management of the European Central Bank (“ECB”) has attracted plenty of commentary, much of it critical concerning the...
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On Tuesday, 7 April the Dutch Eerste Kamer approved an urgent bill digital decision-making for local authorities, de spoedwet digitale besluitvorming. The law ensures that municipal councils, provincial states, water boards as well as island councils will be able to take decisions digitally for as...
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The current pandemic caused by the Corona virus has had a decisive impact to all areas of life: from moving school and University education online, to shutting down non-essential businesses while a range of emergency measures were adopted throughout the world for those finding themselves unemployed...
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Monday, 9 March 2020 marked the 100th day in office of the new European Commission under President Von der Leyen. The Commission had promised to deliver a number of priorities set out in the President’s Political Guidelines by this self-imposed deadline – priorities that, however, do not include any...
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On 1st July 2020 Germany will for the first time in 13 years again take over the rotating six-months Presidency of the Council of the EU – and with the Presidency come high hopes that a Member State with the political weight and capacities such as Germany will be able to significantly push forward...
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With Prime Minister Boris Johnson facing stiff opposition to his signature Brexit policy, he suffers a momentous defeat in the United Kingdom Supreme Court. How did it happen? What was the reasoning of the judges, and what are the implications of the verdict?
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Een levende cursus constitutioneel recht en tevens een Shakespeareaans drama of Griekse tragedie. Dat is het schouwspel in het Verenigd (of: Verdeeld) Koninkrijk.
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Britain gets a hard-fought extension, with incalculable consequences.
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With options running out before the United Kingdom faces yet another critical deadline, Prime Minister Theresa May tries one last (desperate) gamble to “save Brexit” – reaching out to the Labour Party. Will it be successful? Which are the options remaining on the table? What could happen next? Here...
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Staying just a little bit longer? Or for good?
Summary: With the European Council throwing a lifeline to the United Kingdom, all options are back on the table. Rather than taking back control, the United Kingdom now finds itself dependent on the remainder of the European Union – with the absence of... -
With merely two weeks before the United Kingdom’s scheduled withdrawal from the European Union, Westminster still does not know what it wants and where it wishes to go.
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The Italian Senate committee tasked with advising the Senate on the lifting of immunities , voted to block an investigation against Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini over his decision to hold over 150 migrants on board a ship for five days. This vote was preceded by an internet consultation...
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In the hour of need, the United Kingdom is saddled with elected officials who fail to match the moment.
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Not in the mood for a deal: The Houses of Parliament in Westminster.
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Is it legally possible for Trump to invoke an emergency in order to avoid Congress and obtain the necessary funds to build his wall? Or put differently: is it possible under US law to undo the refusal of Congress to appropriate the necessary funds?
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Theresa May’s favoured Brexit deal is finished. The question remains when the Prime Minister will finally be prevailed upon to understand this reality – and when Parliament will finally take charge of the process.
Montesquieu recent publications
- Peirone, F. (2023). Another Brick in the Building of the EU Rule of Law: Anti-Corruption. The Italian Review of International and Comparative Law, 1-26. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1163/27725650-03020002
- Waltermann, A. (2023). The dual challenge from AI and the cognitive sciences for law and legal (reasoning) practices. Diritto e Questioni Pubbliche, 1-20. Advance online publication. http://www.dirittoequestionipubbliche.org/page/2023_dq-recognise/j-01-Waltermann.pdf
- Stremler, M. (Author). (2023). Constitutionele toetsing voegt weinig toe. Web publication/site, www.denederlandsegrondwet.nl. https://www.denederlandsegrondwet.nl/id/vm3dh9d4a3qt/nieuws/constitutionele_toetsing_voegt_weinig
- Sterk, K. (2023). Some reflections on the selection and promotion of judges in European Law: Five next steps in defence of independent justice. Eleven. https://doi.org/10.26481/spe.20230310ks
- Stremler, M. (2023). 'De kernbeginselen van onze Grondwet': de algemene bepaling in historisch-constitutioneel perspectief. In J. H. Gerards, J. Goossens, & E. Y. Van Vugt (Eds.), Constitutionele verandering in Nederland? De grondwetswijzigingen van 2022-2023 (pp. 141-174). Boom Juridisch. https://www.boomportaal.nl/boek/9789462128262#147
- de Poorter, J., Van der Schyff, G., Stremler, M., De Visser, M., Leijten, I., & van Oirsouw, C. (Eds.) (2023). European Yearbook of Constitutional Law 2022: A Constitutional Identity for the EU? TMC Asser Press. European Yearbook of Constitutional Law Vol. 4 https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-6265-595-9
- Van der Schyff, G., Leijten, I., van Oirsouw, C., de Poorter, J., Stremler, M., & De Visser, M. (2023). Introduction: Exploring the Concept of a Constitutional Identity for the European Union. In J. de Poorter, G. Van der Schyff, M. Stremler, M. De Visser, I. Leijten, & C. van Oirsouw (Eds.), European Yearbook of Constitutional Law 2022: A Constitutional Identity for the EU? (pp. 1-12). TMC Asser Press. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-6265-595-9_1
- Passchier, R., & Stremler, M. (2023). Sitting at the Same Table: a cross-disciplinary ‘constitutional-institutionalist’ approach to the study of constitutions. International Journal of Law in Context, (19), 255-271. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1744552323000034
- Waltermann, A. (Author), & Marcos, H. (Author). (2022). Logic of International Law. Web publication/site, Maastricht University. https://www.maastrichtuniversity.nl/blog/2022/12/logic-international-law
- Gentile, G. (2022). Article 47 Charter in the case law of the Court of Justice of the EU: between EU constitutional essentialism and the enhancement of justice in the Member States. In C. Mak, & B. Kas (Eds.), Civil Courts and the European Polity: The constitutional role of private law adjudication in Europe Hart Publihsing.
- Sillen, J. (Author). (2022). Ministers spreken met één mond? De juridische betekenis van de homogeniteitsregel na het Hoekstra-debat. Web publication/site, Montesquieu Instituut . https://www.montesquieu-instituut.nl/id/vlw7deep7ntb/nieuws/ministers_spreken_met_een_mond
- Trifunovic, J. (2022). Established Facts in an 'Age of Misinformation' A Contemporary Approach to Judicial Notice in International Criminal Law. Journal of International Criminal Justice, 20(1), 251-270. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1093/jicj/mqac015
- Leeuw, F. L., & Waltermann, A. (2022). On identifying assumptions underlying legal arrangements: Some methodological considerations. Law and Method, (2), 1-24. https://doi.org/10.5553/rem/.000067
- Hardt, S., Heringa, A. W., Ristawati, R., & Salman, R. (Eds.) (2022). Legal Education in the 21st Century: Indonesian and International Perspectives. Eleven International.
- Hardt, S. (2022). Teaching Good Governance and the Rule of Law. In A. W. Heringa, S. Hardt, R. Salman, & R. Ristawati (Eds.), Legal Education in the 21st Century: Indonesian and International Perspectives (pp. 185-194). Eleven International publishing.
- Hardt, S. (2022). The Integration of Research in Legal Teaching. In A. W. Heringa, S. Hardt, R. Salman, & R. Ristawati (Eds.), Legal Education in the 21st Century: Indonesian and International Perspectives (pp. 155-160). Eleven International publishing.
- Stremler, M. (Author). (2022). Inhouden EU-subsidies is geen wondermiddel voor Hongaarse rechtsstaat. Web publication/site, Europa Nu. https://www.europa-nu.nl/id/vlsahfhh5qow/nieuws/inhouden_eu_subsidies_is_geen?ctx=vh72mb14wkwh&s0e=vhdubxdwqrzw&tab=0
- Hardt, S. (2022). Towards a European Parliamentary Mandate? In S. Hardt, M. Eliantonio, & A. P. van der Mei (Eds.), (L)AW MATTERS: Blogs and Essays in Honour of Prof. Dr. Aalt Willem Heringa (pp. 29-33). Boekenmakers.nl. https://www.globalacademicpress.com/ebooks/sascha_hardt/
- Sabharwal, P. (2022). When change is wrong: Unconstitutional Constitutional Amendments and the Post-Truth Era. In S. Hardt, M. Eliantonio, & A. P. van der Mei (Eds.), (L)AW Matters: Blogs and Essays in Honour of Prof. Dr. Aalt willem Heringa (pp. 53-57). Boekenmakers.nl.
- van der Sluis, M. (2022). National central banks in EMU: time for revision? Journal of Banking Regulation, 23(1), 19-30. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41261-021-00175-z