Tobias Lock

Jean Monnet Chairs, awarded through the EU’s Erasmus+ programme, are teaching posts with a specialisation in EU studies for university professors.

The award for Professor Lock, which comes with around €40,000 in funding over a three-year period, is the only Jean Monnet Chair awarded to an Irish university this year and will be the only Jean Monnet Chair in the field of law in Ireland.

Speaking to Irish Legal News, Professor Lock said: “I am delighted that I’ve been awarded the Jean Monnet Chair in EU law and fundamental rights and am excited to be starting work on this from September.

“The funding will allow my colleagues and me to transform the Law Department at Maynooth into a centre of excellence for EU law teaching and research. We will be in a position to offer our students attractive modules on EU law, a study trip to the EU institutions and to bring renowned visiting lecturers to the university.

“Additionally, the funding will enable us to offer annual workshops on EU fundamental rights law to practising lawyers free of charge.”

He added: “At the end of the three-year funding period, I will have hopefully finished a monograph on EU fundamental rights law with a leading publisher.”