René Barents (born 31 December 1951) is a Dutch

European Union law European Union law is a system of Supranational union, supranational Law, laws operating within the 27 member states of the European Union (EU). It has grown over time since the 1952 founding of the European Coal and Steel Community, to promote ...

scholar. He has been a judge at the General Court since 6 october 2011. He previously served as a judge on the

European Union Civil Service Tribunal The European Union Civil Service Tribunal was a specialised court within the Court of Justice of the European Union. It was established on 2 December 2005. It ceased to exist on 1 September 2016. Legal basis The Treaty of Nice provides for the cr ...

from 2011 until 2016 Barents has worked for the European Union justice system since the early 1980s, and he has been a professor of European Union law at

Maastricht University Maastricht University (abbreviated as UM; ) is a public university, public research university in Maastricht, Netherlands. Founded in 1976, it is the second youngest of the thirteen List of universities in the Netherlands, Dutch universities. In ...

since 1989.

Career

Barents was born on 31 December 1951 in

Rotterdam Rotterdam ( , ; ; ) is the second-largest List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city in the Netherlands after the national capital of Amsterdam. It is in the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of South Holland, part of the North S ...

. In Rotterdam he studied law with a focus on economics at the

Erasmus University Erasmus University Rotterdam ( ; abbreviated as EUR) is a public university, public research university located in Rotterdam, Netherlands. The university is named after Desiderius Erasmus, Desiderius Erasmus Roterodamus, a 15th-century Christia ...

where he graduated in 1973. Afterwards Barents became a researcher and lecturer in European and economic law at the Europe Institute of

Utrecht University Utrecht University (UU; , formerly ''Rijksuniversiteit Utrecht'') is a public university, public research university in Utrecht, Netherlands. Established , it is one of the oldest universities in the Netherlands. In 2023, it had an enrollment of ...

. From 1979 to 1981 he held a similar lecturer position at

Leiden University Leiden University (abbreviated as ''LEI''; ) is a Public university, public research university in Leiden, Netherlands. Established in 1575 by William the Silent, William, Prince of Orange as a Protestantism, Protestant institution, it holds the d ...

. In 1981 he also obtained his Master of Laws degree from Utrecht University. In the same year Barents started working for the

Court of Justice of the European Union The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) ( or "''CJUE''"; Latin: Curia) is the Judiciary, judicial branch of the European Union (EU). Seated in the Kirchberg, Luxembourg, Kirchberg quarter of Luxembourg City, Luxembourg, this EU ins ...

. He served as legal secretary until 1986 and then for another year as Head of the Employee Rights Unit. Between 1987 and 1991 he worked for the legal service of the

European Commission The European Commission (EC) is the primary Executive (government), executive arm of the European Union (EU). It operates as a cabinet government, with a number of European Commissioner, members of the Commission (directorial system, informall ...

. From 1991 to 2000 Barents was a legal secretary at the

European Court of Justice The European Court of Justice (ECJ), officially 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 Union, it is tasked with interpreting ...

. In that latter year he started working for the Research and Documentation Directorate of the Court of Justice of the European Union. In 2009 he became director, he would keep this position until his appointment as judge of the

, which became effective on 6 October 2011. The Civil Service Tribunal was dissolved, ending Barents's his service there on 31 August 2016. He became a judge on the General Court on 19 September 2016. His original term at the Civil Service Tribunal was scheduled to end on 30 September 2017. Barents started working as professor of European Union law at

in 1989, he became an honorary professor in 2003. In 2007 Barents criticized the decision of the Dutch

Council of State A council of state is a governmental body in a country, or a subdivision of a country, with a function that varies by jurisdiction. It may be the formal name for the cabinet or it may refer to a non-executive advisory body associated with a head ...

to advise the Dutch government not to hold a referendum on the

Treaty of Lisbon The Treaty of Lisbon (initially known as the Reform Treaty) is a European agreement that amends the two treaties which form the constitutional basis of the European Union (EU). The Treaty of Lisbon, which was signed by all EU member states o ...

, calling it a political rather than a legal advice. Barents has held the position that European Union law is autonomous from that of the member states of the Union. Barents became a corresponding member of the

Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences The Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (, KNAW) is an organization dedicated to the advancement of science and literature in the Netherlands. The academy is housed in the Trippenhuis in Amsterdam. In addition to various advisory a ...

in 1995.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Barents, Rene 1951 births Living people European Union Civil Service Tribunal judges 20th-century Dutch judges Dutch legal scholars Erasmus University Rotterdam alumni European Union law scholars General Court (European Union) judges Academic staff of Leiden University Academic staff of Maastricht University Members of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences Lawyers from Rotterdam Utrecht University alumni Academic staff of Utrecht University Dutch judges of international courts and tribunals Dutch officials of the European Union 21st-century Dutch judges