About the centre
CECS – Centre for European, Comparative, and Constitutional Legal Studies was first established in 2008, and has been prolonged for the third time from mid-June 2019. The name of the research center signals its present general focus, and refers to a substantive area, European law in a wide sense, as well as to approaches or methodologies, especially comparative legal studies. EU law and constitutional law are central research areas, while areas such as legal cultural studies and international (criminal) law play an important role. While Europe is taken to be the Center’s primary point of departure, the research conducted by CECS members has a broader global outlook. CECS continuously strives to address important challenges and changes in society from legal perspectives and to reconsider present paradigms. The focus is on mapping, understanding and critically reflecting on these.
CECS presently pursues the following four key research themes:
1. Contemporary Challenges to Democracy
2. Challenges to International Legal Order and Global Governance
3. Challenging Legal Paradigms: Sustainability, Earth Centered Paradigm
4. Solidarity - In a World of Constant Change
CECS wishes to be an attractive and relevant forum of international and cross-disciplinary research and education in its field of interest. CECS' work is based on the values of openness, co-ownership, enthusiasm and professionalism.
Who we want to be and what we want to achieve
CECS' values
- Strong professionalism (organised in groups, center facilitation and co-ordination)
- Members' ownership (open initiative, open decision-making, dynamic management)
- Enthusiasm (professional and social activity is based on happy commitment)
CECS' goals
- Excellent research (international and interdisciplinary research)
- Flourishing environment (attracts researchers/ph.d.'s)
- Attractive partner (to external institutions and persons)
- Innovative education (courses, summer schools etc. based on research)
- Visibility and relevance (in the view of external actors/stakeholders)
- Diversity
- Professor, Helle Krunke (Director of centre) E-mail: Helle.Krunke@jur.ku.dk
- Professor Ulla Neergaard E-mail: Ulla.Neergaard@jur.ku.dk
- Associate Professor Miriam Cullen E-mail: miriam.cullen@jur.ku.dk
- Claus Gulmann, former Judge at the Court of Justice of the European Communities, Professor, Doctor of Laws, LLD, University of Copenhagen
- Lars Volck Madsen, deputy chief, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
- Fiona de Londras, Doctor of Laws, PhD, UCD School of Law, Ireland.
- Jens Teilberg Søndergaard, head of office, The Danish Ministry of Justice
- Jens Vedsted-Hansen, Professor, Doctor of Laws, LLD, University of Aarhus
CECS has established a solid cooperation with the following institutions:
- European University Institute (EUI), Florence , Italy
- Harvard University
- University of Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne
- IMODEV (L'Institut du Monde et du Développement pour la Bonne Gouvernance Publique)
- Department of Sociology of Law, Lund
- Nordic Institute of Asian Studies
- University of Westminster, Westminster Law and Theory Centre
- Centre for the Law of EU External Relations (CLEER)
- International Association of Constitutional Law (IACL)
- University of Gothenburg, School of Business, Economics and Law, Department of Law
Contact
Centre for European, Comparative, and Constitutional Legal Studies
Faculty of Law
University of Copenhagen
Karen Blixens Plads 16
DK-2300 Copenhagen S
Telefon: 35 32 26 26
E-mail: CECS@jur.ku.dk