Tim Corthaut

Areas of expertise

European law - Public law

Biography

Tim Corthaut (°1978, Oostende) has obtained a master in law at KU Leuven, after an Erasmus exchange at Trinity College Dublin (2001). He holds an LL.M. from Harvard Law School (2005), which he attended on the Frank Boas Scholarship for Graduate Study at Harvard, the Fulbright Scholarship and a Honorary Fellowship of the Belgian-American Educational Foundation (B.A.E.F). He obtained his PhD in European Law under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Koen Lenaerts, with a doctorate on the concept of public policy (ordre public) in EU law. He was a postdoctoral researcher and project manager at the Leuven Centre for Global Governance Studies (2010). In 2011 he joined the Belgian Council of State, where he mainly worked as auditor in the Legislative Section, advising government on issues of Energy law, Media, Public Health and EU and international law. Since 2023 he is a councilor of state at the Belgian Council of State. 

Since 2014 he is a member of the faculty at VUB, where he has taught European Public Law, and currently teaches Legislation and legislative techniques. He is (co-)author of various books and articles on EU law and public law, and a recurring visiting professor of EU law at the University of Vienna. He has a special passion for international moot courts, as a participant in Jessup, and as a coach, judge and case author for the European Law Moot Court Competition.

Teaching

Tim Corthaut teaches the course "Legislation and legislative techniques". Additionally, he also supervises Master's theses.

Research

His research is at the crossroads between European law and national public law. Moreover, he has an interest in US constitutional law and international law. 

Functions outside of the VUB

Tim Corthaut is currently active as a Councilor of State in the department Legislation of the Belgian Council of State. Additionally, he is a Visiting Professor of European Law at the Universität Wien.

Selection of publications

• T. Corthaut, EU ordre public, Kluwer, 2012, https://law-store.wolterskluwer.com/s/product/eu-ordre-public/01t0f00000J3aQEAAZ?srsltid=AU7gw4UVDAvsGt_QcO7A68it-69W1AHjOtRM1msbCzfbAu3dKiMZpcw-; 
• K. Lenaerts, P. Van Nuffel & T. Corthaut (ed.), EU Constitutional Law, OUP, 2021, https://global.oup.com/academic/product/eu-constitutional-law-9780198851592?cc=be&lang=en&; 
• T. Corthaut & D. Van Eeckhoutte (eds), De bevoegdheden van de gewesten, die Keure, 2026, https://www.diekeure.be/professional/nl/product/de-bevoegdheden-van-de-gewesten-3/.