Episode 16 of Borderlines features eminent jurist Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Thomas von Danwitz, Judge and former president of the European Court of Justice (ECJ) in Luxembourg. Judge von Danwitz discusses the impact and import of the European Union Court of Justice (CJEU) 70 years after its inception in the aftermath of World War II as “a community of law instead of a primacy of politics.” In conversation with Professor Katerina Linos, they recount the ECJ’s vital function in shaping the evolving legal framework for key economic, social, and political developments in Europe and beyond, including its strong influence on supreme and constitutional courts across the globe.

Listeners will learn key differences between EU and US court decisions, and hear about the ECJ’s recent rulings regulating the technology industry, including the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) – the toughest privacy and security law in the world – as well discussion on crucial issues like climate change, gender equality, and how the court is responding to threats to the European integration project.

Made a French Republic Knight of the National Order of Merit in 2002, von Danwitz has held several visiting professorships. He also served as dean of the Faculty of Law at Ruhr University Bochum in Germany and was a professor of German public law and European law at the University of Cologne, where he directed the Institute of Public Law and Administrative Science.

At UC Berkeley Law School to give the 2023 Tragen Lecture in Comparative Law, Judge von Danwitz brings to life the European Court of Justice’s historic and hopeful role in navigating the fundamental human rights, international trade, and environmental challenges of today. Check back soon for a link to the Berkeley Journal of International Law’s forthcoming published article, “The Role of the Court of Justice in the Course of European Integration.” Learn more about the inimitable Mr. Irving Tragen in Episode #9 of Borderlines.