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The programme offers the freedom to tailor courses to personal interests

After graduating with a corporate law degree in Ireland, I realised the corporate world was not for me. I wanted a career with a positive impact and knew I wanted to specialise in European environmental law but in 2020, I struggled to find a programme that matched my interests. In 2022, I found the new LLM in Law and Sustainability in Europe at UU, which combined my interest environmental protection and my love for the EU. 
The programme offers a strong foundation in European law and sustainability, the freedom to tailor courses to personal interests through the Capita Selecta period, and the opportunity to pursue a thesis on a chosen topic in this field. I was impressed by the high-quality, practical teaching, which emphasised real-world application through team-work, leadership, public speaking, debate, simulations and practical written assignments. The professors’ dedication and support made a real difference to my academic and personal experience.
The LLM prepared me directly for my current role as a Bluebook trainee in Environmental Compliance – Enforcement at the European Commission. The knowledge and skills I gained have proven invaluable, as the content of the programme is directly relevant to my work. This confirmed that I made the right choice and that the LL.M. provides an excellent foundation for a career in European environmental law.
Beyond the academic programme, UU offers outstanding facilities, a vibrant international community, and a welcoming city. My time there was so positive that I stayed for a second LL.M. and three years in Utrecht, building lifelong friendships along the way. I highly recommend UU and this programme to prospective students!

Alumnus Sarah Ishmael (Ireland)

The Master’s provides an ideal preparation to tackle the many aspects of the environmental crisis

"When I finished my Master’s in law a few years ago, I realised I wanted to connect my passion for the environment with my newly acquired legal knowledge to help build a sustainable future. My search came to a halt when I had a glimpse of the course programme of the Law and Sustainability in Europe Master’s. It indeed delves into many aspects of European and international sustainability and environmental law that are not explored in other universities in Europe. You get to deepen your knowledge about Law and Sustainability, Climate Law, Natural Resources Law and Water Law before specialising yourself into more targeted but invaluable topics. The Master’s thus provides an ideal preparation to tackle the many aspects of the environmental crisis.
The learning environment in which you get to deepen yourself into these topics is excellent. The teachers are not only friendly, passionate and engaging but also motivate you to be critical on the current status quo and new legal initiatives, a skill that is invaluable given the various interests that clash with each other when discussing and applying this rapidly evolving field of law. Your classmates, who share similar interests, also contribute to the already enriching learning environment that this Master’s sets in place. Utrecht is moreover a hub for environmental initiatives and NGO’s.
Due to its well-rounded combination of theory, preparation for practice and assignments and discussions that develop the students’ critical thinking, this Master’s programme constitutes an ideal bridge towards a fulfilling and challenging career in sustainability and environmental law."

Alumnus Michiel Vanhamme (Belgium)
 

While this Master’s addresses complex issues like climate and biodiversity crises, it instills a sense of hope

"In my search for the perfect Master’s, I discovered this LLM programme that far exceeded my expectations. This programme covers a wide range of environmental and climate protection issues while providing a robust legal analysis. Throughout the year, I was able to specialise in the topics I was more interested in by 1) choosing the assignment topics, 2) selecting the Capita Selecta crash courses and 3) choosing the research thesis topic. This allowed me to delve deeply into subjects I had always been passionate about. Recognising the diverse roles lawyers play in today's society, this programme prepared us for various tasks, from writing blog posts and participating in moot courts to making policy recommendations and commenting on CJEU cases. At the same time, it involves a strong rigorous academic research.
The professors, who are both young and renowned experts, are incredibly committed to the class and the environmental cause, which, in my experience, is a rarity for Law professors. They are very friendly and professional and provided us with constructive feedback. Moreover, Utrecht frequently hosts environmental and human rights conferences, which allowed me to connect with very interesting people. While this Master’s addresses complex issues like climate and biodiversity crises, it instills a sense of hope. It was by learning about the existing legal tools to address these challenges and innovative legal theories, that I completed the program feeling more empowered to combat these crises than when I began."

Alumnus Júlia Isern Bennassar (Mallorca, Spain)
 

Develop critical thinking and integrate the principles of sustainable development into legal practice

"Sustainability is enshrined in Article 3(3) of the Treaty on European Union: it builds on “... a high level of protection and improvement of the quality of the environment”. To implement this, the EU has mainstreamed sustainable development into a broad range of its policies and taken the lead in the fight against climate change and pollution, in particular. At the same time, unsustainable trends persist in many areas, and efforts need to be intensified to ensure compliance with EU environmental norms and policies. In my view, the Law and Sustainability in Europe Master’s programme at Utrecht ľ�ϸ���Ӱ�� comes at the right time for younger generations to develop their critical thinking and integrate the principles of sustainable development into legal practice."

Sarah Ziane, Head of Unit, Environmental Compliance - Enforcement at the European Commission.