Sybe de Vries now holds the Chair Public Economic Law
The chair of Public Economic Law at Utrecht University has existed for almost 60 years. Over the years, it has been held by prominent legal scholars such as Pieter verLoren van Themaat, Kamiel Mortelmans and Annetje Ottow. As of 1 April, Sybe de Vries is the new Professor of Economic Public Law. He was previously Full Professor of EU Internal Market Law and Fundamental Rights, also at Utrecht University.
Public Economic Law studies the interaction between economics and law, the regulation of the market and legal instruments. The relationship between national, European and international economic law is also crucial in this respect.
Sybe de Vries follows with interest important developments in the fields of technology and digitalisation, and climate change. These developments influence the market integration process in Europe and therefore also Public Economic Law. De Vries: "In addition, we see that globalisation and, more recently, increasing protectionism, are influencing the interaction between national, European and international economic law."
Research
In the field of research, he continues to focus on EU internal market law, the EU Treaty freedoms (whether or not in connection with competition rules), the influence of digitalisation on the law of the internal market, and on citizens in general and businesses and consumers in particular. More specifically, his research will focus on the developments taking place in the field of the circular economy, the regulation thereof at EU level and, in that light, study the coherence between economic rights and public interests such as sustainability in European economic law.
Europe is not just a matter for lawyers. Practitioners of Public Economic Law also need the creativity, the imagination and a willingness to wander through other disciplines.
Sybe de Vries: "Europe is not just a matter for lawyers, it concerns us all, as citizens, consumers, if you are concerned about the environment, security or equality. For a practitioner of Public Economic Law, therefore, not only a passion for the law itself is essential, but also creativity, imagination and a willingness to wander through other disciplines".
De Vries is a member of the management team of the Utrecht University based Centre for Regulation and Enforcement in Europe (departmental Research Programme RENFORCE) and one of the coordinators of the 'Digitalization and Technological Innovation in Europe' project
Education
De Vries is currently also programme leader of the Master's programme Law & Technology in Europe. He provides education in the broad field of European substantive law, both in the bachelor's and master's programmes.
He continues to teach the Master European Law course Regulating the EU Single Market and the caput on the Digital Single Market in Europe. He enjoys supervising theses in the broad field of Public Economic Law.
Collaboration
The Chair of Economic Public Law is a chair par excellence where cooperation with other disciplines, both legal and non-legal, is essential. "I have always enjoyed working with colleagues from other disciplines. Economics is the most obvious field of study, and my broad experience in multidisciplinary research (and education), for example in the context of the European FP-7 research on EU citizenship or in setting up the Utrecht University Centre for Global Challenges (a collaboration with Humanities - ed.), can be put to good use in shaping this collaboration further."
He also sees connection with the strategic themes Institutions for Open Societies, including the platforms 'Markets & Corporations in Open Societies' and 'EU Politics and Policy', and 'Pathways to Sustainability' (including the hub 'Towards a circular economy and society'), and with the focus area Governing the Digital Society.