Award of honorary doctorate to Latvian President Dr. h.c. Egils Levits
28. Apr
The School of Public Affairs will confer an honorary doctorate on the President of Latvia, Dr. h.c. Egils Levits on 28.04.2023 from 13:30 in the Forum of the Central Building. It thus honors the special scientific achievements and merits of the expert in constitutional and European law.
Egils Levits studied law and political science at the University of Hamburg and returned to his home country after the fall of the Iron Curtain. There he took an important role in the process of Latvia's accession to the European Union and made a name for himself with many important contributions to Latvian and European law. He was a judge at the European Court of Human Rights, and in this capacity he assisted in important judgments on human rights protection. In 2004, immediately after Latvia's accession to the EU, he was elected a judge at the Court of Justice of the European Union (ECJ). Also in this capacity, he helped to shape important lines of jurisprudence based on his academic experience for almost 15 years. In 2019, Levits was elected President of the Republic of Latvia by the XIII Saeima (Parliament of the Republic of Latvia) with a large majority.
On the occasion of the conferral of the honorary doctorate, a panel discussion will take place in the forum of Leuphana's central building following the presentation. The topic "The European Union as a Community of Law and Values" will then be discussed by State President Egils Levits, the President of the Higher Regional Court of Celle Stefanie Otte, Professor of Comparative Political Science Sarah Engler and the expert on constitutional and administrative law Professor Till Patrik Holterhus. The discussion will be moderated by political scientist Professor Tobias Lenz.
Guests are cordially invited to the event.