Netherlands Institute of International Relations Clingendael

Staff

Jaap de Zwaan

Director

Professor Jaap W. de Zwaan is Director of the Netherlands Institute of International Relations, ‘Clingendael’, since September 2005.

He is born in 1949 in Amsterdam, and studied Law at Leiden University and the College of Europe in Bruges, Belgium. In 1993 he obtained his PhD degree in Law at the University of Groningen with a thesis entitled 'The Permanent Representatives Committee, its role in European Union decision making'.

De Zwaan started his professional career in 1973 as a member of the The Hague Bar. From 1979 until 1998 he worked for the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs in The Hague (European Integration Department and Legal Service) as well as in Brussels (Permanent Representation of the Netherlands at the EU). During his work in The Hague (1979-1983 and 1988-1995) he acted inter alia as Agent for the Netherlands Government in numerous cases before the Court of Justice of the European Communities in Luxembourg. As Legal Advisor of the Permanent Representation (1983-1988 and 1995-1998) he was involved in the negotiations on and the drafting of several European treaties, such as the Treaties of Accession of Spain and Portugal to the European Communities, the European Single Act and the Treaty of Amsterdam. In the period 1995-1998 he also was involved in the development of the Justice and Home Affairs cooperation of the European Union.

In 1998 Jaap de Zwaan was appointed full time professor of the Law of the European Union at Erasmus University Rotterdam. In that capacity he was involved in teaching and research with regard to European law and policy. He also participated in several international frameworks of interuniversity cooperation. In the period 2001-2004 he served the Rotterdam Law School as Dean and in the period 1999-2001 he was also Dean of International Affairs of his faculty. From 2001-2004 he was also Dean of his Faculty. After being appointed as Director of the Clingendael Institute, he continues his work for Erasmus University Rotterdam on a part-time basis.

Jaap de Zwaan is married and father of three children.

Expertise

Law and policy of the European Union, notably institutional/constitutional aspects, justice and home affairs cooperation (the ‘area of freedom, security and justice’) and external relations of the EU, including CFSP/CSDP.

Positions

• Part-time Professor of the Law of the European Union at the Law School of Erasmus University Rotterdam and Jean Monnet Chairholder 'Future developments of the European Union'
• Editor-in-chief of the 'Internationale Spectator', monthly periodical for international affairs
• Member of the Board of the Trans European Policy Studies Association (TEPSA), a network organization for Institutes for European Studies in the Member States and candidate-Member States of the European Union, having its seat in Brussels, Belgium
• Chairman of the Board of the ‘Haagse Academische Coalitie’ (the ‘Hague Academic Coalition’), a foundation serving as framework for cooperation between academic institutions in The Hague in the context of the profile of the city of The Hague as UN ‘Legal Capital’ of the World
• Member of the Governing Board of the European Studies Institute, established by the European Union and the Russian Federation in the framework of the PCA-cooperation EU-Russia, in Moscow, Russia
• Member of the Commission on European Integration (CEI) of the Advisory Council on International Affairs (AIV) of the Minister of Foreign Affairs in The Hague
• Member of the French-Dutch Cooperation Council ('Conseil de coopération franco-néerlandais')
• Member of the Board of the Amsterdam Institute of German Studies in Amsterdam (‘Duitsland Instituut Amsterdam’)
• Member of the Board of the Netherlands Association for European Law (‘Nederlandse Vereniging voor Europees Recht’)
• Member of the Board of the 'Rotterdams Juridisch Genootschap' (Rotterdam Law Association)

Education

• Doctorate in Law, Groningen University (1993)
• Postgraduate law degree, College of Europe, Bruges - Belgium (1973)
• Law degree, Leiden University (1972)

Languages

English, French and German

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