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Sustainability and the law lecture series featuring guest speakers discussing legal and social aspects.

The department carries out research in all fields of IP law. The research is a part of the faculty research programme Coherent Private Law.

2026

The discovery of new medicines is a tedious and lengthy process. On average, over 10,000 molecules need to be studied for one to become a drug and reach the patient. Part of that process are the very costly clinical trials in humans, and candidate drugs often fail due to side effects or lack of efficacy.…

Adults are more likely to reoffend after a short prison sentence than comparable adults with a non-custodial sentence, Leiden University research shows. This is true for the likelihood and extent of repeat crime.

Residents of Bonaire believe the Dutch government should do more to combat climate change on their island. On their behalf, Greenpeace is taking the Dutch State to court. External PhD candidate Sjoerd Lopik discussed the case on Dutch Radio 1.

On 9 April 2019, Yudan Tan defended her thesis 'The Rome Statute as Evidence of Customary International Law'. The doctoral research was supervised by Prof. dr. W.A. Schabas.

The Court of Justice of the European Union has rocked European relations within the world of sport. In its long-awaited ruling, the Court found that UEFA ‘abused its dominant position’ by imposing sanctions on the twelve clubs that founded the Super League – an elite football competition – back in 2…

On 25 October 2017, Ledi Bianku, judge at the European Court of Human Rights, gave a guest lecture entitled “The ECHR and asylum”. Ledi Bianku is Judge at the European Court of Human Rights since 1 February 2008. He has held the position of Vice-President of Section I of the Court from January 2016…

Policy plans state that children should be placed in secure youth care less often and for shorter periods. But this is problematic in practice.

This book, written by two representatives of Leiden Law School, describes the framework of the European Insolvency Regulation (recast) (‘EIR Recast’), in force since June 2017.

Researchers at the Faculty of Science work at the frontiers of knowledge every day, tackling today’s major societal challenges. Their work is recognised through grants, prizes and other awards. We highlight some of these achievements.

Dutch political parties have presented their own 'solutions' to make society 'safer'. How do the party positions compare with scientific research on crime reduction?

Terrorist attacks are not an end in themselves, but a means of creating unrest and fear. Terrorism policies and research should focus more on managing fear and social unrest.

On 3 December 2019 Hanna Bosdriesz defended her dissertation on the fight against impunity for grave human rights violations in Latin America.

PhD defence

Het kabinet wil noodrecht toepassen in het asielbeleid. Minister Faber meent dat dit juridisch ook is getoetst. Verschillende juristen, waaronder Mark Klaassen, universitair docent Migratierecht en Wim Voermans, hoogleraar Staatsrecht, betwisten dat het noodrecht in de huidige situatie een geschikt…

On 13 September, Tess de Jong will defend her PhD Thesis ‘Procedurele waarborgen in materiële EVRM-rechten’ at the Academy Building of Leiden University, Rapenburg 73, at 16.15. The supervisors are Tom Barkhuysen and Ymre Schuurmans, both professors at Leiden University.

Recent publications in the BLRN book series can be found below.

Almost a century passed since the much-celebrated judgement in the case concerning the Factory of Chorzów was delivered. This 1928 judgement of the Permanent Court of International Justice affirmed the essential principle of ‘reparation’ in international law, claiming that ‘restitution’ is the preferred…

Bordering Up: Regulating Mobility Through Passes, Walls and Guards

Constitutional and administrative law covers a broad area of law. It provides the rules with which issues in society can be solved by government authorities.

We co-organise our society through law and public institutions. As society evolves, these institutions continually face new dilemmas. Legislators must regulate AI while also fostering competitiveness. Judges are tasked with protecting a healthy environment while respecting democratic decisions. States…

On Wednesday 22 June 2016 Wouter den Hollander will defend his PhD Thesis De relativiteit van wettelijke normen ('The Relativity of Statutory Provisions'). The public defence starts at 16.15 hours in the Academy Building.

Organisations such as the EU are of enormous benefit to the member states, but the inhabitants of the member states are often unaware of this. Leiden researchers investigate whether international organisations such as the EU or ASEAN are able to influence global politics.

The ultimate aim of this project (initated by the European Law Institute) is to design a framework that will enable the further development of coherent and functional rules for business rescue in Europe.

In December 2024, the book Redressing Fundamental Rights Violations by the EU: The Promise of the ‘Complete System of Remedies', edited by Melanie Fink, was published fully open access with Cambridge University Press. The EU prides itself on having created a legal system that puts the individual at…

Volume 4 and 5 of the Leiden series 'Dutch Sources on South Asia' are now available, written by Markus Vink (vol.4) and Carolien Stolte (vol.5).

The programme provides you for a succesful career. As a graduate, you will be qualified for positions within organisations such as international courts.

Why study the programme International Civil and Commercial Law at Leiden University? We give you 10 reasons! Read about the benefits of this programme.

The Summer School ‘The European Union, the United Nations and Global Governance’ will focus on a range of topics relevant to interactions between the European Union (EU) and the United Nations (UN) and the EU’s role within current patterns of global governance.

The Common Market Law Review welcomes contributions from any country. Articles will be subjected to a review procedure by the Editorial Board.

Below are some of the scholarly works published within the context of the Institutions for Conflict Resolution programme.

Graduates Bruno and Plym took part in the National Think Tank last year. Together with 20 other students and recent graduates, they spent four months pondering the future of our digital society. ‘You learn so much in the space of four months, not just practical skills but also about yourself.’