Institute for European Studies (Vrije University of Brussels)

Overview
With over 10,000 students in eight different faculties, ranging from Law over Medicine to Engineering, the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) is a centre of academia in Brussels and Belgium.

The LLM in International and European law at the VUB has been an internationally renowned programme for over 40 years. Created in 1971 as the Programme on International and Legal Cooperation (‘PILC’), it is one of the most established LLM of its kind.

The LLM is an Advanced Master’s degree of 60 ECTS organised by the Institute for European Studies, in cooperation with the VUB Faculty of Law. The selective student body (a maximum of 40 students each year) guarantees high quality interactive teaching.

The programme focuses on European and international legal issues through first-rate interactive seminars, and is taught by staff from universities in Belgium and abroad, and from the legal services of the European Union. The programme has now over 1200 graduates working for major international law firms, international and European institutions, and in academia.

Institute for European Studies
The Institute for European Studies (IES), a Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence in Brussels, offers an outstanding research-focused environment in the heart of Europe. Located close to the main EU institutions, and in proximity to international organisations and law firms, there are excellent networking and internship opportunities. The lES boasts excellent teaching facilities and a modern working space, right next to the amenities of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) Etterbeek campus.

Programme Setup
The LLM offers a unique mixture of European and international, public and business law in the following fields:

• Institutional law and judicial protection
• Economic and competition law
• External relations
• Sustainable development and the environment
• Human Rights
• Criminal law
• Taxation
• Comparative law

The teaching staff is composed of both academics and professionals, including practising lawyers and European Union officials.

The LLM in International and European law at the VUB introduces students to the methodology, institutions and doctrines of different legal systems, by analysing the manner in which these systems approach and resolve concrete problems. Emphasis is placed on the European integration phenomenon. The LLM is designed to stimulate a comparative dialogue, giving valuable insight into the operation of the various legal systems governing the specific areas discussed in a series of compulsory seminars. At the end of the academic year, successful students are awarded the title of Master of Laws in International and European Law (LLM).

The programme emphasises the need for continuing contact between the world’s major legal systems, and its Brussels location means students are brought face to face with both the theory and practice of the work of the principal institutions of the European Communities and other international organisations.

The LLM consists of two four-month semesters over an academic year (from the end of September to June). A maximum of 40 students take the course, and are expected to attend classes regularly as the programme involves a lot of interactivity and seminar teaching. Students are expected to present a paper in one of the fields covered by the programme at the end of the academic year. The course involves some compulsory study visits, for example to the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg and to various European and international organisations in Brussels. The programme is regularly scrutinised by the Flemish educational authorities and was ranked excellent by its international review panel that compared all English-taught postmaster programmes in Flanders.

The full programme and the list of teaching staff is available on the website: www.ies.be/llm

40 years of excellence in the heart of Europe.

LLM programmes on offer
LLM International and European Law

Entry requirements
Candidates are selected on the basis of their academic record, English skills, motivation, and reference letters.

Length of programmes
Nine months (one academic year)

Number of places
40

Language of instruction
English

Fees
€4,500 (includes materials and study trips)

Starting dates
Last week of September

Application procedure
Application forms are available at: www.ies.be/llm

Application deadlines
28 February 2011.

Contact
Institute for European Studies
Vrije Universiteit Brussel
LLM International & European Law
Pleinlaan 2
B-1050 Brussels
Belgium

Tel: +32-2-6148051
Fax: +32-2-6148050
E-mail: secrpilc@vub.ac.be
Website: www.ies.be/llm