The Centre for China-Europe/EU Law Studies and the China-EU School of Law of the University successfully held the seventeenth Jean Monnet EU Programme Lecture on Haidian Campus on the evening of 18 April, 2025.
The event featured Prof. Alexis Vahlas, an Associate Professor of Public Law at the University of Strasbourg and Director of the European Security and International Stability Programme, who delivered a lecture on the Unique Nature of EU Legal System.
The lecture was chaired by Prof. Zhang Tong from the College, Director of the Centre for China-Europa/EU Law Studies and Jean Monnet Chair Professor at CUPL. The event was funded by the Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence (101176899 - EULSCGT) and the University’s Emerging Disciplines Development Programme (EU Law). Distinguished discussants included Deputy Dean of the Academy for the Foreign-Related Rule of Law Prof. Wei Wang, A/Prof. Li Lin from the School of Judicial Science and Dr. Jiang Feng’an from the College.
Vahlas systematically elaborated on the core features of the EU legal system. He first analysed the theoretical basis of EU integration. Then he explored the construction of the EU's supranational institutional framework and the dialectical relationship between membership and national sovereignty. Finally, he analysed the unique nature of the hybrid nature of the EU legal system.
In the interactive session, Wang, Li and Jiang made professional comments and raised questions from the perspective of public law, private law and common foreign and security policy (CFSP). Vahlas made in-depth and detailed responses to relevant issues with his extensive practical experience as a consultant in several EU departments. He also actively answered to the questions raised by the students.
In her concluding speech, Zhang stressed that although there is a high learning threshold for EU law due to its particularity; however, it has irreplaceable research value for studying the development trend of regional integration and grasping the frontier legislative trends of digital governance. The lecture came to a successful end in the warm applause of the audiences.
