Koen Lenaerts, Baron Lenaerts (; born 20 December 1954 in
Mortsel
Mortsel () is a city and Municipalities of Belgium, municipality close to the city of Antwerp located in the Belgium, Belgian province of Antwerp (province), Antwerp. The municipality only comprises the city of Mortsel proper. In 2021, Mortsel ha ...
) is a Belgian jurist and the
President of the Court of Justice of the European Union. He is also a Professor of European Law at the
Katholieke Universiteit Leuven
KU Leuven (or Katholieke Universiteit Leuven) is a Catholic research university in the city of Leuven, Belgium. It conducts teaching, research, and services in computer science, engineering, natural sciences, theology, humanities, medicine, l ...
and was a member of the
Coudenberg group, a Belgian federalist
think tank
A think tank, or policy institute, is a research institute that performs research and advocacy concerning topics such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, technology, and culture. Most think tanks are non-governmenta ...
.
Education
Lenaerts obtained a candidate in law (summa cum laude) in 1974 at the
Université de Namur
The University of Namur or ''Université de Namur'' (UNamur),New name since September 2012, formerly ''Facultés Universitaires Notre-Dame de la Paix'' (FUNDP)/ref> in Namur (Belgium), is a Jesuit, Catholic private university in the French Communi ...
. In 1977, he graduated with a licentiate in law at the
Katholieke Universiteit Leuven
KU Leuven (or Katholieke Universiteit Leuven) is a Catholic research university in the city of Leuven, Belgium. It conducts teaching, research, and services in computer science, engineering, natural sciences, theology, humanities, medicine, l ...
(summa cum laude). He then went on to earn a Master of Laws (LLM) degree at
Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School (Harvard Law or HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest continuously operating law school in the United States.
Each class ...
in 1978, with a
Belgian Fulbright scholarship, and a Master in Public Administration (MPA) from the
John F. Kennedy School of Government
The Harvard Kennedy School (HKS), officially the John F. Kennedy School of Government, is the school of public policy and government of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The school offers master's degrees in public policy, public ...
at Harvard University in 1979. In 1982, he obtained a PhD in law at the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven.
Career
Since 1983, Lenaerts has been Professor of European Law at the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, since 1990 with the title of ''buitengewoon hoogleraar''. He is director of the Institute of European Law of the university. From 1984 until 1989, he was Professor at the
College of Europe
The College of Europe (french: Collège d'Europe) is a post-graduate institute of European studies with its main campus in Bruges, Belgium and a second campus in Warsaw, Poland. The College of Europe in Bruges was founded in 1949 by leading ...
in
Bruges
Bruges ( , nl, Brugge ) is the capital and largest City status in Belgium, city of the Provinces of Belgium, province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium, in the northwest of the country, and the sixth-largest city of the countr ...
. From 1984 until 1985, he was Law clerk to Judge
René Joliet at the Court of Justice of the European Communities. From 1986 until 1989, he was a Member of the Brussels Bar acting as attorney in the European Court of Justice, on behalf of the Belgian state. He was made an Honorary Master of the Bench of the
Inner Temple
The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as the Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court and is a professional associations for barristers and judges. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and Wal ...
, London, in 2010.
From 1989 until 6 October 2003 Lenearts served as Judge of the European Court of First Instance (now known as the
General Court).
Since 7 October 2003 Lenaerts has been a Judge at the
European Court of Justice
The European Court of Justice (ECJ, french: Cour de Justice européenne), formally just the Court of Justice, is the supreme court of the European Union in matters of European Union law. As a part of the Court of Justice of the European Un ...
, where he became Vice President in 2012. In October 2015 he became President of the Court of Justice of the European Union and was reelected in this position both in 2018 and 2021. As president, Lenaerts allocates incoming cases to judges and presides over the grand chamber of 15 judges that deals with the most important cases. He is also the public face of the institution.
Other activities
*
Academy of European Law
The Academy of European Law (known by the German acronym ERA for “Europäische Rechtsakademie”) is an international centre for training and debate for lawyers. A public foundation based in Trier, Germany, its objective is to promote the awar ...
(ERA), Ex-Officio Member of the Governing Board
*
, Member of the Board of Trustees
* Centre for Governance and Law in Europe at the
UCL Faculty of Laws
The UCL Faculty of Laws is the law school of University College London (UCL), itself part of the federal University of London. It is one of UCL's University College London#Faculties and departments, 11 constituent faculties and is based in Londo ...
, Member of the Advisory Board
* ''Columbia Journal of European Law'', Member of the Board of Advisors
* ''European Constitutional Law Review'', Member of the Board of Advisors
Board of Advisors
''European Constitutional Law Review''.
Recognition
In 2004 Lenaerts was ennobled a baron
Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than a lord or knig ...
by King Albert II, King of the Belgians.
Bibliography
* Koen Lenaerts (Author), Piet Van Nuffel (Ed.), ''Constitutional Law of the European Union'', Thomson
See also
*List of members of the European Court of Justice
A ''list'' is any set of items in a row. List or lists may also refer to:
People
* List (surname)
Organizations
* List College, an undergraduate division of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America
* SC Germania List, German rugby unio ...
References
External links
Koen Lenaerts
at the Faculty of Law, KU Leuven
KU Leuven (or Katholieke Universiteit Leuven) is a Catholic research university in the city of Leuven, Belgium. It conducts teaching, research, and services in computer science, engineering, natural sciences, theology, humanities, medicine, ...
Remarks of Judge Koen Lenaerts
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lenaerts, Koen
1954 births
20th-century Belgian judges
College of Europe faculty
Harkness Fellows
Harvard Law School alumni
Harvard Kennedy School alumni
KU Leuven alumni
KU Leuven faculty
Living people
People from Mortsel
Université de Namur alumni
Vice-Presidents of the European Court of Justice
Presidents of the European Court of Justice
Belgian judges of international courts and tribunals
21st-century Belgian judges