As of 1 January 2025, René Repasi has been reappointed as Professor on the joint chair Public and Private Interests at Erasmus School of Law. This chair, which Repasi has held together with Lieselot Bisschop since 2021, is part of the Sector Plan for Law within the focus area on ‘Rebalancing Public and Private Interests’. Within the context of this chair Repasi will continue to build on the analytical framework for examining the relationship between public and private interests, paving the way for new insights into how these interests might intersect and influence one another.
Since the start of his professorship in 2021, Repasi has explored public and private interests in the context of today’s societal challenges, developing a new framework for understanding the complex relationship between them. A relationship has changed significantly as the rise of supranational and international actors such as the EU, in response to modern cross-border challenges like climate change and digitalisation, has blurred the once settled relationship between public and private interests. With private actors becoming increasingly involved in the definition and the pursuit of public interests, the traditional legal definition of measures taken in the public interest can be questioned. Repasi argues that, instead of relying on the traditional divide between public and private interests, it is more convincing to consider all interests equally until formal procedure promotes them to public interests. This perspective allows for a different analytical approach, namely, to analyse the distinctive role law gives to interests that are qualified as public in their creation, implementation and enforcement.
Shaping legislation through academic insight
As of February 2022, Repasi has become a Member of the European Parliament on behalf of the German Social Democratic Party. On this unique opportunity to put academic insight into action, Repasi remarks: “The more insights my research brought up, the more I realized where concrete action is needed. I was, however, not satisfied with simply acquiring knowledge. I want to share it and contribute to actual change. This motivation to give my research impact has ultimately led me to the European Parliament.” It’s not just research results that drive his desire to take concrete action; the influence also works the other way around, offering a unique opportunity for current policy debates to shape relevant research areas.
Private action, public interest
The role of private actors in pursuing public interests, a focus of the chair, will become increasingly important for legal research in the coming years. The legal framework of the Green Deal, the EU’s plan to achieve climate neutrality by 2050, relies heavily on private actors to adjust their behavior in support of climate goals—a public interest. For example, the EU Emissions Trading Scheme uses a market-based system to encourage private actors to reduce CO₂ emissions, aligning their actions with public interests. However, it remains unclear whether this new generation of legislation, which depends on private actors prioritizing public over private interests, will achieve its intended goals. In-depth research is needed to assess whether this innovative approach to societal change truly delivers on its promises.
Rethinking public and private interests in a changing world
Understanding the implications of employing private actors for creating, shaping, implementing and enforcing public interests in a legal context aligns closely with the ambition of Erasmus School of Law to study the function of law in its economic and societal context.
Repasi reacts to his reappointment: "I am very glad about this reappointment as it shows Erasmus School of Laws commitment to the topic of exploring the impact and the functioning of the new generation of legislation that was adopted in the public interest and that employs private actors in order to achieve them. It is moreover a recognition by my home University of my effort to continuously build bridges between research and politics, for which I am very grateful."
The Board of Erasmus School of Law congratulates René Repasi on his appointment and wishes him all the best with his activities.
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