The University of Bucharest will award on Friday the Doctor Honoris Causa title to Professor Koen Lenaerts, President of the Court of Justice of the European Union, and one of the most influential personalities in European legal life.
"By awarding the title of Doctor Honoris Causa to Professor Koen Lenaerts, the University of Bucharest acknowledges his remarkable contribution to the development of European Union law and to the training of generations of lawyers and researchers. The distinction also reflects appreciation for a professional career that combines academic excellence, institutional responsibility and commitment to the fundamental values of the European Union project," University representatives said in a release.
Professor Koen Lenaerts is widely recognized as one of the main architects of contemporary European law, with scientific, academic and judicial contributions that have decisively influenced its evolution in recent decades. His work has played an essential role in defining the constitutional identity of the Union, in strengthening the jurisdictional dialogue and in maintaining fundamental rights, the rule of law and the independence of the judiciary at the core of the European legal order.
A 1977 Law graduate of the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (Belgium), Lenaerts earned a Master of Laws from Harvard Law School (USA) in 1978, a Master of Public Administration from Harvard University (USA) in 1979, and in 1982 obtained his Doctor of Laws from Katholieke Universiteit Leuven. He began his academic career in 1979 at the same institution, becoming Professor of European Union Law in 1983.
Over the years, he taught at the College of Europe in Bruges (Belgium) and was a visiting professor at Harvard Law School.
Between 1984 and 1985 he was a junior law clerk to Judge Rene Joliet at the Court of Justice of the European Union, and in 1989 he became one of the first judges of the Court of First Instance of the European Communities, where he served for over 14 years. In 2003 he was appointed judge of the Court of Justice of the European Union, and later served as President and Vice-President of the Chamber; since 2015 he has held the position of President of the Court of Justice of the European Union.
"In parallel with his judicial activity, Professor Koen Lenaerts has established himself as a leading author in the field of European law. His works, including 'EU Constitutional Law', 'EU Procedural Law' and 'Les methodes d'interpretation de la Cour de justice de l'Union europeenne', are considered fundamental contributions to understanding the legal system of the European Union. His studies and articles address topics such as fundamental rights, federalism, competition law, direct taxation, the principles of European integration and the structure of the EU judicial system," the release states.
His contributions have been recognized through numerous academic titles and distinctions. Professor Koen Lenaerts holds honorary doctorates from prestigious European universities, including Université de Poitiers (France), Université de Namur (Belgium), 'Alexandru Ioan Cuza' University of Iasi, Universitat Autňnoma de Barcelona (Spain), Erasmus University Rotterdam (Netherlands) and Eötvös Loránd University (Hungary).
He has also received awards such as the ALLEA Madame de Staël Prize for Cultural Values from All European Academies (Germany) and the Sigillum Magnum Award from the Universitŕ di Bologna (Italy). Professor Koen Lenaerts is also a member of Academia Europaea.
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