The University of Luxembourg currently offers law students a bachelor’s degree before directing them almost exclusively towards a master’s degree focusing on European law and specialisations related to the financial sector. For the National Association of Luxembourg Law Students (Association nationale des étudiants luxembourgeois en droit – Aneld), this academic structure leaves a gaping hole: there is still no genuine postgraduate programme dedicated to Luxembourg law.
In a strongly worded statement released on Thursday 28 May, the student association argues that this shortcoming directly penalises students who wish to complete their entire degree programme in Luxembourg. “Depending on the subjects they wish to study in greater depth after their bachelor’s degree, they will not necessarily be able to continue their studies at the University of Luxembourg,” laments Aneld. A situation deemed all the more absurd as it affects students wishing to study “the law of their own country at Luxembourg’s only public university”.
On the ground, this is a recurring theme. At university fairs and careers guidance sessions, the association regularly explains to sixth-formers that they will probably have to go abroad to complete their legal studies. However, as Aneld points out, some students ‘simply do not want to or cannot go’.
Strengthening legal research
The association also believes that the issue goes far beyond the academic sphere. It highlights the growing divergence between the French and Belgian legal systems, which are gradually moving away from the Luxembourg model despite sharing a common foundation. Against this backdrop, continuing to outsource the specialist training of Luxembourg lawyers appears increasingly unsustainable.
The issue is also becoming a strategic priority for public institutions. The judiciary, national government departments and local authorities are already facing difficulties in recruiting qualified legal professionals. According to Aneld, developing a comprehensive degree programme in Luxembourg law would constitute ‘a concrete response to the needs of the national legal sector’, as well as a means of strengthening legal research in Luxembourg.
Underlying this, the statement reveals a deeper frustration with a country that now has a fully autonomous legal system but has not yet developed the corresponding range of university courses. “Luxembourg is now a fully-fledged legal system; it is time for it to take its rightful place within the university sector as well,” the association concludes.