Recently, two colleagues from ESL defended their doctoral theses. Dr. Menelaos Markakis, currently Postdoctoral Researcher at the European Research Centre of Economic and Financial Governance (EURO-CEFG), defended his thesis on “Political and Legal Accountability in Economic and Monetary Union” at Oxford University. Dr. Marijn van der Sluis defended his thesis “In Law We Trust” at the European University Institute in Florence, Italy and is currently Assistant Professor at the International and European Union Law Department of ESL.
Dr. Van der Sluis wrote his thesis on the role of constitutional law in the euro, taking a historical approach to European monetary integration. Key in his thesis is the decision to organize monetary integration through an extensive treaty (such as the Maastricht Treaty). Other legal pathways to the euro were available that would have allowed more flexibility to respond to a crisis and that would have strengthened the role of the European Parliament in the further development of the euro. He was supervised at the EUI by Prof. Mattias Kumm and Prof. Bruno De Witte. The panel for his thesis defence consisted of Prof. Deirdre Curtin, Prof. Fabian Amtenbrink and Prof. Mark Dawson. Dr. Van der Sluis also started at ESL in September 2016 at the International and European Union Law Department.
Dr. Markakis' thesis examines three sets of issues: the revised EU economic governance framework and its bearing on national economic and fiscal policy; the respective roles of the EU and national institutions within this multi-level system of economic governance; and judicial review of economic and monetary policy measures at national and EU level. The policy proposals put forward in this thesis would, if implemented, serve to enhance transparency in the area of Economic and Monetary Union, and strengthen political and legal accountability as well as bolster legitimacy in this pluralistic landscape. Dr. Markakis' thesis was supervised by Professor Paul Craig. He was examined by Prof. Stephen Weatherill and Dr. Alicia Hinarejos and passed his thesis defense with no corrections. Dr. Markakis joined the Department of International and European Law in September 2016 and is currently doing research with EURO-CEFG on the impact of 'Brexit' for the European Union (with respect to the internal market and financial services). He is further providing teaching for the Department of International and European Law and the Rotterdam Institute of Law and Economics.
Both scholars are planning to turn their thesis into a monograph.