ELMC 2025/2026

For the first time, a team from the University of Zurich took part in the European Law Moot Court, the largest and most prestigious moot court competition in European Union law, with participants from over 100 universities worldwide. This marked a deliberate thematic reorientation for our Chair: after more than ten years of successful participation in the WTO Moot Court, we turned to new ground, motivated by the growing practical relevance of EU law – including in Switzerland – as well as the competition’s reputation and its bilingual format in English and French.

The team consisted of four Master’s students: Yana Le Bars, Ruben Furler, Zdzislaw Rypniewski, and Lise De Beenhouwer, supervised and coached by Alexandru Badea and Johannes Rohrmann. The case (PDF, 486 KB) concerned complex questions at the intersection of European fundamental rights protection, data protection law, and the free movement of capital – with particular focus on the direct horizontal effect of fundamental rights in private legal relationships and the permissibility of third-party litigation funding from outside the European Union in the context of collective redress actions.

The competition proceeded in two phases. In the written phase, the team prepared submissions for both sides of the dispute, an exercise requiring doctrinal command and the ability to construct and challenge legal arguments in equal measure. The team successfully qualified for the oral rounds as one of the 48 best teams in the competition and travelled to Bucharest for the regional final held from 19 to 21 February 2026.

Although the team narrowly missed advancing to the next rounds of the moot court, the regional final in Bucharest was a rich and rewarding experience. Facing well-prepared teams from across the continent before experienced judges, the team acquitted itself with strong analytical rigour and composure throughout. The competition offered all four students a valuable encounter with EU law advocacy at the highest level.

This first participation in the European Law Moot Court represents an exciting new chapter for the University of Zurich’s and our Chair’s mooting tradition. We congratulate Yana, Ruben, Zdzislaw, and Lise on their dedication and performance, and look forward to building on this foundation in the years to come.