University of Basel

Faculty of Law

Inaugural lecture 30.05.2024

30. May 2024: Inaugural lecture by Prof. Dr. Andreas Müller

"Of birthdays, courts and headwinds: Switzerland in the international human rights system"

On 30 May 2024, Prof. Dr. Andreas Müller gave his inaugural lecture in the museums' great hall. Under the title "Of birthdays, courts and headwinds: Switzerland in the international human rights system", he offered the numerous guests an insight into the international protection of human rights and focused in particular on the currently controversial Climate Senior judgment of the European Court of Human Rights.

Logo EUCOR (German)

Receipt of the 2024 Cross-Border Education Grant

Cross-Border Education Grant of the University of Basel

We are delighted to announce that the Chair's long-standing collaboration with Prof. Dr. Catherine Haguenau-Moizard (University of Strasbourg) and Prof. Dr. Matthias Jestaedt (Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg i. Br.) will once again be supported by a Cross-Border Education Grant from the University of Basel. The Cross-Border Education Grant is an instrument of the University of Basel for the funding of innovative bi- and trinational courses at Master's/Doctorate level within Eucor - The European Campus. With this support, the trilateral EUCOR seminar on the subject of "Climate Protection in Court" will be held for the 22nd time in FS 2025.

bz Basler Zeitung

Interview in the Basler Zeitung

How justified are the accusations against Israel in the Gaza war? Basel professor of international law has a clear opinion

In public opinion around the world, Israel is increasingly losing sympathy and understanding for its campaign against Hamas. Andreas Müller, professor of international law at the University of Basel, argues for a very precise assessment of the respective events.

Read the interview here.

Logo SRF News

Interview in the SRF News magazine "10 vor 10"

Arrest warrants for members of the Israeli government and Hamas leaders

Prof. Dr. Andreas Müller comments on the applications for the issuance of arrest warrants by the Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Karim A.A. Khan.

Watch and listen to the interview here.

Robert Menasse with AM and CS

"The world of tomorrow"

European Book Prize winner Robert Menasse discusses his new essay on Europe in Basel

On May 16, 2024, the Austrian author Robert Menasse, who has made a name for himself in recent years with his European novels "Die Hauptstadt" and "Die Erweiterung", visited the University of Basel. At the invitation of the Chair of European Law, International Law and Human Rights in cooperation with the Institute for European Global Studies and the Literaturhaus Basel, Robert Menasse discussed with Prof. Dr. Andreas Müller and Dr. Christoph Spenlé the essay "Die Welt von Morgen. A sovereign-democratic Europe and its enemies", recently published by Suhrkamp. The great hall, which was well attended by 150 participants, showed a lively interest in the vision of overcoming nationalism in a future democratic Europe, its contradictions and borders - and what all this means for Switzerland.

Team photo Moot Court

March 20-22, 2024 at the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg

Major success for the Basel team at the international ECHR Moot Court

At this year's Concours René Cassin, an international moot court on the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), the Basel team from the Chair of European Law, International Law and Human Rights was extremely successful. Their 30-page appeal in French qualified them for the final round of the prestigious competition. At the oral hearings at the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, the team achieved an outstanding 11th place among the universities qualified throughout Europe. We congratulate the participants, Noa Arn, Sonja Bamert, Leon Calabrese, Laura Niklaus and Davide Pusterla on this outstanding success.

The team was supervised by Sunniva Bedö, BLaw and Joana Mösch, MLaw.

Special thanks go to our sponsors, the PRO IURE association (alumni of the Faculty of Law of the University of Basel) and the Kalman and Maria Lauer-Stein Foundation, for their generous support, without which this success would not have been possible.

Logo Tagesanzeiger

Interview on the climate senior verdict

Strasbourg has pushed the boundary between law and politics a little further

The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) has reprimanded Switzerland for not doing enough to combat climate change. What does this mean? International law professor Andreas Müller assesses the ruling in an interview with Charlotte Walser. She has been part of the Tamedia editorial team at the Federal Parliament since 2021. She has a doctorate in philosophy and has been working as a journalist since 1995.

Read or listen to the interview here.

The International Law Association (ILA) meets in Adelaide

ILA meeting in Adelaide

In February 2024, the biannual meeting of the Committee on International Migration and International Law of the International Law Association (ILA) took place at Flinders University in Adelaide, of which Prof. Andreas Müller has been a member since its foundation in 2022. This was accompanied by presentations on the reform of the Common European Asylum System at the Kaldor Centre for International Refugee Law at the University of New South Wales in Sydney and on the Swiss deportation initiative and its consequences as part of the conference "A Critical Lens on Mass Deportation of Non-Citizens: Law, Crimes and Technology" at Flinders University in Adelaide.

ZaoeVR special issue in No. 4/2023

Special issue of the Zeitschrift für ausländisches öffentliches Recht und Völkerrecht

The constitution friendly to international law - A principle in the German-Austrian-Swiss legal comparison

The Swiss, German and Austrian constitutions can all be described as fundamentally oriented towards international law.
In a conference organized in November 2022, 16 renowned legal scholars from German-speaking countries examined the concept of the "constitution friendly to international law" from the perspective of their respective constitutional systems, but also from a comparative law perspective. The academic results of the conference, organized by Prof. Dr. Andreas Müller together with Prof. Dr. Werner Schroeder (University of Innsbruck), are now documented in the latest issue of the Zeitschrift für ausländisches öffentliches Recht und Völkerrecht (ZaöRV, issue 4/2023) in the form of a special issue.

The link to the special issue can be found here.

Christmas market visit in Basel

Christmas market Basel 06.12.2023

For once, the last team meeting of the year did not take place in the closed rooms of the faculty, but in the fresh air in icy temperatures. The entire faculty team, with the exception of Anna and Colin, gathered for mulled wine, spaetzle and "Chäsbängel" on Münsterplatz and explored the Basel Christmas market together. In addition to the relaxed conversations, hearty laughs and coats stained with cheese, the mulled wine cups will remain as another memory of this evening as an addition to our office inventory.

We wish you a wonderful Advent season, a peaceful festive season and a happy new year!

Ask Our Expert Interview Middle East Conflict

Ask Our Expert - Interview

International law in the Middle East conflict

How does international law view the terrorist attack by Hamas and Israel's military response? Prof. Dr. Andreas Müller answered your questions on the international law situation in the Middle East conflict in a live interview.

Listen to the interview here.

Interview on Ö1 Mittagsjournal

ORF Ö1 - Interview in the midday journal on November 3, 2023 at 1:00 pm

The end of human rights?

Reflecting on the future of an achievement of civilization. What are human rights worth if they are not enforceable? And are human rights, as enshrined in the UN Declaration, still appropriate for today's world?
Andreas Müller is Professor of European Law, International Law and Human Rights at the University of Basel and appeared as a speaker at the Amnesty Forum 2023 from November 3 to discuss these and other questions. To kick off the forum, he was a guest of Philipp Blom in Punkt eins.

Listen to the interview here.

Interview on Ö1 Mittagsjournal

ORF Ö1 - Interview in Mittagsjournal on October 27, 2023 at 1:00 pm

International and human rights expert on the GAZA conflict

Andreas Müller, Professor of European Law, International Law and Human Rights at the University of Basel, provides insights into international humanitarian law with a special focus on Israel's situation and the upcoming ground offensive in the Gaza Strip.

Listen to the conversation here.

Logo Echo of Time

SRF - Echo der Zeit - Interview

What is permitted under international law in war?

Many questions of international law arise in connection with the war in the Middle East.
The renewed war between Israel and Palestine raises fundamental questions: What means may Israel use to defend itself against Hamas violence? In which cases may civilian casualties be accepted? The interview with Andreas Müller, Professor of European Law, International Law and Human Rights at the University of Basel.

Listen to the conversation here.

IUS Inhouse No. 39/40

The double issue (No 39/40) is published

IUS INHOUSE

Please find here the new double issue of the magazine IUS INHOUSE, in which among others Andreas Müller is introduced (page 13).

In addition, we would like to draw your attention to the Moot Court Concours René Cassin (page 40) as well as the EUCOR seminar (page 44-45) on the protection of fundamental rights in Europe. Both events are supervised by Andreas Müller.

Meeting on 29/30 September 2023

Conference of 29 and 30 September 2023 - Law Faculty of the University of Basel and online

Switzerland in the UN Security Council - A Plus for the International Rule of Law?

Switzerland became a member of the United Nations (UN) in September 2002 and has, since then, been involved in a wide range of UN activities. During the period of 2023/2024, Switzerland is, for the first time, sitting as a non-permanent member in the UN Security Council. The conference of was attended by 70 people on site, as well as an additional 40 participants who virtually participated - including a delegation from the Permanent Mission of Switzerland of the UN in New York City.

RV Responsible Digital Society

26.09.2023 ¦ Lecture Series in Law and Economics ¦ University of Basel, Faculty of Law, Pro Iure Auditorium

The Future of Social Media - Into the Fediverse

From Twitter or X to Mastodon? From Instagram to Pixelfed? From Youtube to PeerTube? What's next for social media? Social media influence the everyday life of many people, both privately and professionally.
Three presentations will show, from their respective perspectives, which questions are occupying research in connection with the Fediverse. Prof. Müller will speak on the topic of "Social Media and the Fediverse from the Perspective of European Law".

The flyer and further information on registration (until 22.09.2023!) can be found here.

This event is part of the Lecture Series in Law and Economics - a joint project of the Faculty of Economics, the Faculty of Law and the Research Network Responsible Digital Society of the University of Basel, supported by the Summer School of Law, Business and Economic Policy.

Personal questions to Prof. Müller

Short video

Personal questions to Professor Andreas Müller

Learn more about the life of a professor: In this video, Andreas Müller, Professor of European Law, International Law and Human Rights, provides a fascinating and personal insight into his life and work. More information about Mr. Müller is available on the website of the Faculty of Law.

Interview on frozen Russian assets

Deutsche Welle - Interview with Andreas Müller and other experts on public international law

How should the frozen Russian assets be treated from the perspective of public international law?

The West is debating whether to provide Russian cash reserves to Ukraine.
There are proposals in several Western countries to seize Russia's frozen assets and use them to finance Ukraine's reconstruction. Initiatives in the EU, the United Kingdom, and the United States aim to deprive Russia's central bank of some $300 billion in assets. However, this move could prove to be a double-edged sword and set an unfortunate precedent for future international law.

Listen to the assessment of Andreas Müller (in German) here.

Newspaper article

Vorarlberger Nachrichten - Article of July 31 2023

„Aus jetziger Sicht kein Problem“ - Schweiz will sich an „Sky Shield“ beteiligen: Vorerst ist das mit der Neutralität vereinbar.

Die Welt ist klein. Das bestätigt sich bei der Suche nach einem Völkerrechtsexperten in der Schweiz, der sich zu einem allfälligen Spannungsverhältnis zwischen Neutralität und dem europäischen Luftverteidigungssystem „Sky Shield“ äußert. Auf eine Empfehlung aus Lausanne landen die VN bei Andreas Müller, der eine Professur an der Universität Basel inne hat. Das Gespräch mit ihm kann in gewohntem Dialekt geführt werden. Müller, Jahrgang 1977, ist in Lustenau geboren und in Feldkirch aufgewachsen. Wie Österreich hat die ebenfalls neutrale Schweiz die Absicht, sich an „Sky Shield“ zu beteiligen. Die politische Debatte sei dort jedoch „bei Weitem nicht so erregt wie in Österreich, sondern eher etwas abwartend“, so Müller.

Read the rest of the article of July 31 2023 by Vorarlberger Nachrichten here.

Book cover_Switzerland_and_the_EU_06_23

Book - Presentation

Switzerland and the EU - A Challenging Relationship

On the occasion of the launch of the book "Switzerland and the EU - A Challenging Relationship" (edited by Marc Maresceau and Christa Tobler, published at Brill) on 9 June 2023, Prof. Dr. Andreas Müller gave a lecture on "The ambiguity of solidarity in the external relations of the EU: Switzerland as a case in point" at the Institute for European Global Studies in Basel.

Image book cover (5-23)

Book - Der Beitrag des Wahlrechts zur Ausübung der demokratischen Rechte in Österreich und der Schweiz

Demografie, Partizipation und Repräsentation

Demokratie kann in realen politischen Systemen auf verschiedene Weise vermittelt werden. Insbesondere in parlamentarischen Demokratien, in denen die Entscheidungsgewalt bei einem Gremium liegt, dem die Beherrschten diese Befugnis auf Zeit übertragen. Der Begriff der Repräsentation wird zum Schlüsselbegriff der Demokratie. Die Frage, wer wen und unter welchen Bedingungen repräsentiert, lässt sich aus normativer und faktischer Perspektive stellen. Einerseits lässt sich untersuchen, welche Vorgaben die Rechtsordnung für die Auswahl der Parlamentsmitglieder macht, andererseits kann man fragen, inwieweit Repräsentationsstrukturen und -prozesse in der Realität tatsächlich eingelöst werden.

Diese Repräsentationsprobleme werden aus Sicht des österreichischen und schweizerischen Rechts, unter Berücksichtigung einer europarechtlichen Perspektive, untersucht.

The book can be found here.

Screenshot of the video "Three questions for Dr. Prof. Müller".

A short video

Three questions for Prof. Dr. Andreas Müller

Prof. Dr. Andreas Müller has been Professor of European Law, International Law and Human Rights at the Law Faculty of the University of Basel since February 01, 2023. In the video, Prof. Müller offers an insight into his current work and research.

Logo EUCOR (German)

Award of the 2023 Cross-Border Education Grant

Cross-Border Education Grant of the University of Basel

We are pleased that the Chair's long-standing collaboration with Prof. Dr. Catherine Haguenau-Moizard (University of Strasbourg) and Prof. Dr. Matthias Jestaedt (Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg i. Br.) is being supported by the Cross-Border Education Grant of the University of Basel. The Cross-Border Education Grant is an instrument of the University of Basel for the promotion of innovative bi- and trinational courses at Master/Doctorate level within Eucor - The European Campus. With this support, the trilateral EUCOR seminar on the protection of European human rights will be held for the 21st time in FS 2024.

Picture Prof. Dr. Müller at Aarau Democracy Days

Climate lawsuits before EU courts

Lecture at the 15th Aarau Demokratietagen, 30.3.2023

Up until the present, landmark decisions on climate protection have been made primarily by politicians. However, attempts are now increasingly being made to enforce climate protection through legal action, in part by means of transnationally coordinated lawsuits as well as by invoking fundamental and human rights. The courts are thus becoming central actors in the climate debate, and have already made binding climate policy stipulations in various spectacular rulings. In this context, the traditional distinction between case law as a decision in individual cases and policy as a regulation of future developments can hardly be maintained. The panel explored the question of what role courts can or must play in the context of climate change. Can the judiciary, which has only a weak democratic legitimacy, anticipate the legislative process? Or is it even obliged to intervene in view of the political deadlock?

Logo Echo of Time

SRF - Echo der Zeit - Interview

Juridical hurdles with the confiscation of Russian funds

There are about 7.5 billion francs of Russian funds frozen in Switzerland. Money that theoretically could be used for the reconstruction of Ukraine. Currently, the Federal Council is discussing the possibility of confiscating the funds. However, from a legal point of view, this is easier said than done. Interview with Andreas Müller, Professor of European Law, International Law and Human Rights at the University of Basel.

Listen to the conversation here.

Book Cover (European Union and Customary International Law)

Book - Edited by Fernando Lusa Bordin, Andreas Müller and Francisco Pascual-Vives

The European Union and Customary International Law

The book gathers a group of scholars interested in both public international law and EU law to cover different facets of the relationship between the European Union and customary international law. Considering the distinct perspectives taken by international law and EU law, while also looking into the space between the two, individual chapters tackle complex questions such as whether and on what bases the European Union is bound by customary international law as a matter of international law and EU law; how the European Union contributes to the development of international custom; and how different stakeholders - the Court of Justice of the European Union, the EU's political organs and EU citizens - rely upon customary rules. The book thus offers a systematic account of the relevance of customary international law for the external relations and internal functioning of what is no doubt the most remarkable regional international organization of our time.

The book can be found here.

To top

Quick Links