معرفی
Thomas Giegerich is Professor of European Law, International Law and Public Law at the Faculty of Law, Saarland University since 2012. He serves as Director of the Europa-Institut, which runs a well-known LL.M. program in European and international law attracting approximately 80 students from 40 countries per year. He was Vice Dean of the Law Faculty from 2016-2018 and is a founding member and former board member (2021-2023) of CEUS (Center for European and US-American Studies).
His educational background includes:
- Studies at the University of Mainz, Germany
- LL.M. from University of Virginia School of Law (1985, Fulbright scholarship)
- Two German state examinations in law (1984, 1988) with distinction
- Doctoral thesis (summa cum laude) on the state action doctrine of the US Supreme Court (1992)
- Habilitation on the relationship between European and German constitutions (2003)
Professor Giegerich's research primarily focuses on European integration law across the Council of Europe and European Union frameworks, examining relationships between European law, international law, and national legal systems. His scholarship emphasizes normative coherence through norm syntheses and judicial cooperation implementation. While human rights protection forms a central research pillar, he also investigates institutional structures within European and global multi-level governance systems, producing work that bridges theoretical frameworks with practical applications in integration processes.
His scholarly contributions have been recognized through prestigious Jean Monnet Chairs awarded by the European Commission:
- Jean Monnet Chair for European Law and European Integration (2013-2016)
- Jean Monnet Chair for European Integration, Anti-Discrimination, Human Rights, and Diversity (2017-2021)
Professor Giegerich has secured substantial third-party funding for multiple projects, including the 'South East European-EU Cluster of Excellence in European and International Law' funded by DAAD (2015-2021), the 'Modernising European Legal Education' initiative with eight academic partners (2020-2023), and an ERASMUS+ project developing a Master's program in 'Law and Gender' (LAWGEM). He has represented Germany before the European Court of Human Rights in significant cases including Hizb Ut-Tahrir v. Germany and Ilnseher v. Germany, both successful outcomes for Germany. From 2008-2014, he served as an independent expert for the European Commission during Turkey's EU accession negotiations regarding judicial independence, and later conducted similar assessments for Serbia in 2017-2018.
He maintains an active scholarly presence through the Jean Monnet Saar Blog (https://jean-monnet-saar.eu/), featuring expert commentary on European integration through Saar Briefs and Saar Expert Papers, and co-edits the Journal for European Legal Studies.
