The EUI Department of Law takes centre stage in the second episode of the #uniquelyEUI anniversary series, as Nicolas Petit, Head of the Department, joins doctoral researchers Marthe-Hélène De Dinechin and Johannes Müller in a conversation reflecting on the ideas and intellectual traditions that have shaped legal scholarship at the EUI over five decades.
The discussion highlights a defining feature of legal research at the Institute: its openness. Rather than treating law as a closed and purely doctrinal field, the Department has long encouraged work at the intersection with other social sciences. It fosters research that connects legal analysis with political, economic, and societal questions, while giving scholars space to experiment with new approaches and directions.
The episode revisits one of the Department’s landmark contributions, the “Integration Through Law” project of the early EUI years. Associated with scholars such as Mauro Cappelletti, Joseph Weiler, and Monica Seccombe, this influential body of work advanced the view that European integration has been shaped decisively through law and the jurisprudence of the Court of Justice. It also reflects on the legacy of figures such as Renaud Dehousse and Yves Mény, whose work helped shape European and institutional scholarship at the Institute. Building on these intellectual traditions, the conversation demonstrates how legal inquiry at the EUI continues to engage with evolving debates on European and international governance, institutional change, and technological transformation.
This video forms part of an anniversary series celebrating 50 years of research excellence at the EUI. Each episode highlights what defines the EUI academic units and how their legacies are carried forward today. Follow the series under #uniquelyEUI.
Watch the full episode on YouTube.
Join us in celebrating the EUI’s journey and shaping the next chapter together. Find more information about the EUI 50th anniversary here.