Symposium on Constitutional Preambles

Theme:Constitutional Preambles

We the People ...

Symposium on Constitutional Preambles 

Monday September 25 th, 2017, 1:30-5:00 pm
Schouwburgstraat 2, The Hague (The Hague Campus, Leiden University)
Room A2.01

There is a global trend towards including a preamble in new constitutions. The main purpose of this symposium is to reflect on the functions of constitutional preambles. In the first panel, the authors will present their book Constitutional Preambles: A Comparative Analysis (Edward Elgar 2017). In the second panel, three international experts will discuss the process of drafting a preamble as well as its role in law and politics. The third panel deals with the recent proposal to add a quasi-preamble (a general provision) to the Dutch Constitution, focusing on its potential added value.

Agenda

Welcoming remarks (1:30-1:45 pm)

Panel 1: Book Presentation Constitutional Preambles (1:45-2:45 pm)

-          Maarten Stremler, Researcher and Lecturer in Constitutional Law, Tilburg University

-          Paul Cliteur, Professor of Jurisprudence, Leiden University

-          Wim Voermans, Professor of Constitutional and Administrative Law, Leiden University - Discussion

Panel 2: Constitutional Preambles in Practice (2:45-3:45 pm)

-          Jason Gluck, Policy Specialist, Political Dialogues and Constitutional Processes, UNDP

-          Sumit Bisarya, Senior Programme Manager for Constitution-Building, International IDEA

-          Fabio Longo, Assistant Professor in Comparative Public Law, University of Turin - Discussion

Panel 3: A Quasi-Preamble for the Dutch Constitution? (3:45-4:45 pm)

-          Karin van Leeuwen, Lecturer in modern European history, University of Amsterdam

-          Sven Koopmans, MP House of Representatives (VVD)

-          Joost Sneller, Director Mr. Hans van Mierlo Stichting (D66)

-          Discussion

Concluding remarks (4:45-5:00 pm)

The agenda can be downloaded here.

For registration and further information, please contact Maarten Stremler

Email: [email protected]

Phone: +31 134668019