LLM in European Criminal Justice in a Global Context Utrecht University

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.