Jean Monnet Chairs and Centre of Excellence

The Jean Monnet Project is an initiative by the European Commission to provide funding to assist in the development of specialized teaching, at university level, in European Union affairs. Assistance is provided by the creation and maintenance of professorial chairs, permanent, and short courses, and by designation of Centres of Excellence.

The Faculty of Law of the University of Groningen hosts one of the Jean Monnet Centres of Excellence designated as such by the European Commission in 1999. This has provided a framework for enhancing and stimulating cooperation, teaching, and research in the field of European Studies broadly defined and embracing in particular the disciplines of law, economics, history and political science. From time to time the Centre of Excellence organizes lectures by distinguished figures in the field of European affairs. These have included The Rt. Hon. The Lord Slynn of Hadley (Late Advocate Genera , then Judge at the Court of Justice of the European Communities, Late Lord of Appeal in Ordinary); Walter, Baron van Gerven (Former Advocate General, Court of Justice of the European Communities; Emeritus Professor at Leuven & Maastricht); John Usher (Late Professor of European Law, University of Exeter); Flip de Kam (Emeritus Professor, Faculty of Economics, Groningen), and Laurens-Jan Brinkhorst (Sometime Professor of European Law, Groningen; Former Director General, European Commission; Former MEP; Former Dutch Minister; Emeritus Professor, Leiden). The Centre also organizes conferences on various European issues.

The Jean Monnet Chair holders at Groningen are:
* Prof. Dr L.W. Gormley, Professor of European Law and Jean Monnet Professor of EU Law (Department of European & Economic Law, Faculty of Law);
* Prof. Dr J. De Haan, Professor of Political Economy and Jean Monnet Professor of European Economic Integration (Department of Economics and Econometrics, Faculty of Economics and Business);
* Prof. Dr J. van der Harst, Professor of the History and Theory of European Integration and Jean Monnet Professor of  European History (Department of International Organizations, Faculty of Arts).