LLM in European Criminal Justice in a Global Context

Europe's Open Societies and Criminal Justice: A Challenging Relationship

Criminal justice systems face the challenges of internationalization, digitalization, and European integration. National criminal justice systems have to interact with other areas of law and with other legal orders. This is acutely evident in Europe, where significant parts of national substantive and procedural criminal law have been brought within the scope of EU law-making. EU law and criminal law have entered into a dynamic interaction, which shapes and redefines their very foundations. This is necessary to control crime and ensure due process at a national, EU, and international level (UN, Council of Europe), but also to enforce EU policies and retain Europe’s position as a global actor in the area of security and criminal justice.

Integrated Criminal Justice: Opportunities and Challenges

The Utrecht University LLM in European Criminal Justice in a Global Context is an opportunity to dive deeper into this stimulating area of debate. A debate that is at the core of any criminal justice system. The program links the national criminal justice systems of the EU Member States to EU criminal law, EU constitutional law, including fundamental rights law, and EU administrative law. It deepens your knowledge of EU criminal law. It analyses the interactions with the criminal justice systems of other EU Member States or third countries (such as the United States) under new, innovative forms of enforcement cooperation. It examines the relationships of national criminal justice with the sharply increasing number of EU enforcement agencies. This unique and innovative program provides an inspiring intellectual challenge, as well as the platform for a rewarding legal career at a national, European, or international level.

Participating in this program at Utrecht University is an opportunity to:

• Gain profound knowledge of EU criminal law and its interaction with national criminal justice systems;
• Develop a solid grounding in its pertinent issues, such as the constitutional foundations of the EU’s Area of Freedom, Security and Justice, the harmonization of criminal law and punitive administrative law;
• Understand the EU’s policy and legal instruments to combat cross-border crime on the one hand, and safeguard human rights on the other;
• Learn to navigate in the complex web of judicial cooperation in criminal matters;
• Understand the relationship between European criminal justice and its global context;
• Conduct your own research into the Europeanisation of criminal justice, and evaluate the role of your country’s criminal justice system within this landscape;
• Prepare for legal practice and develop your oral and written presentation skills through a combination of case studies, Moot Courts, and simulated negotiations;
• Quickly deepen your knowledge of specific areas of EU criminal law as a foundation for future learning;
• Develop a critical, reflective stance, including the ability to give and receive feedback, also in societal debates;
• Become part of the avant-garde of the new field of European criminal justice enforcement systems;
• Prepare for exciting career opportunities at a national, European, or international level.

The LLM in European Criminal Justice in a Global Context focuses on:

• The constitutional foundations for criminal justice in a Europeanised setting, including the fundamental rights dimension and the harmonisation of defence rights and safeguards;
• The effects and impact of EU law on domestic criminal justice and its relationships with administrative law enforcement in such areas as anti-money laundering, financial fraud, and other serious cross-border offenses;
• The different legal regimes for transnational enforcement cooperation and exchange of information, including the European Arrest Warrant and European Investigation Order;
• The relationships between national criminal justice and EU authorities such as Eurojust and the European Public Prosecutor’s Office;
• The relationship between European criminal justice and its global context (external dimension).

This one-year Master’s program starts in September. The academic year consists of:

• A compulsory part worth (45 EC) that comprises compulsory four major courses (30 EC) and elective modules (Capita Selecta) (15 EC).
• A Research and Thesis Trajectory (15 EC).

This specialist Master’s program is designed to prepare you for today’s dynamic, fast-changing, and increasingly globalized legal environment. Follow the link to read more about potential career opportunities at a national, European, or international level.

Your Pathway to a First-Class Legal Career

There is a growing demand, both in the governmental and wider public sector as well as private practice, for talented law graduates who are capable of looking beyond the boundaries of national criminal law and policy. The unique knowledge and skillset developed through the LLM in European Criminal Justice program creates a path for graduates to work in diverse and wide-ranging areas of law and/or administration. You could find yourself working in legal practice at a national or European level, or in a wider international context.

Our graduates are well suited to life in European or international organizations, but also meet the requirements of the ‘civiel effect’ covenant in the Netherlands. This opens up multiple opportunities to apply their skills in legal and/or administrative practice at the national level. From the public prosecutor’s office summoning a foreign witness, to a private defense lawyer using the EU directive on the presumption of innocence to support their argument in a national criminal case, the unique insight you stand to gain during your studies is increasingly sought-after by employers.

Policy assistants and lawyers in locations such as The Hague, Brussels, Luxembourg, and Strasbourg, as well as seats of the national government, also require a clear understanding of how to put cross-border issues on the agenda or translate new obligations into national law. Your qualifications moreover open the door to a career with any number of relevant European judicial authorities, including the European Public Prosecutor’s Office, Eurojust, OLAF, as well the competent judicial and legislative bodies (the European Parliament, Council, and Commission).

Equally, your skills can be put to use in an administrative context and in administrative punitive enforcement. This could include working with regulatory authorities in the Member States (for example, the AFM and ACM in the Netherlands) or their European or international equivalents (the EBA, for instance).

So, whether you intend to work within national legal practice, or perhaps the EU or further afield, the LLM in European Criminal Justice in a Global Context provides an excellent springboard for a successful, challenging legal career.