Professor, University of Antwerp
Date of birth 24/05/1970
Career
01/10/1992-30/09/1998 Teaching assistant and PhD researcher Universitaire Instelling Antwerpen (UIA)
01/10/1998-30/09/2000 FWO postdoctoral fellow + 15% Assistant Professor UIA
01/10/2000-30/09/2003 15% Associate Professor UIA, 85% Assistant Professor Ufsia
01/10/2003-31/12/2007 100% Associate Professor University of Antwerp (UA)
01/01/2008-31/12/2010 Professor UA
01/01/2011-now Ordinary Professor UA
Institutional Functions
01/10/2004-30/09/2008 Member Research Council
01/10/2010-30/09/2015 Director Research Group Government and Law
01/10/2011-30/09/2015 Director Antwerp Doctoral School
01/10/2014-30/09/2015 Member Reading Commission (internal funding unit)
01/10/2015-30/09/2018 Vice-Dean for Research, Law Faculty
01/10/2016-30/09/2020 Member Research Council; member Board Research Council
01/10/2018-30/09/2025 Director Research Group Government and Law
01/10/2020-now Co-promoter Centre of Excellence GOVTRUST
Fellowships and Awards
2019-now Senior research fellow, University of Kent, Centre for Federal Studies, UK
1998-2000 FWO postdoctoral fellowship
1995 TPR Award for best paper
1998 Fernand Collin Award
Supervision PhDs
24 defended PhDs
1 upcoming defense
5 ongoing PhDs
Active involvement in scientific bodies
2024-now Co-President International Association of Legislation
2026-now Co-President ICON-S Benelux Chapter
2022-now Board member ICON-S Benelux Chapter
2019-2024 Member scientific committee EURAC-Institute of Comparative Federalism, Bolzano/Bosen
2018-nu Member of the Board of Directors of the International Association of Centers of Federal Studies
2018-2020 Member of the scientific committee Ossevatorio AIR (observatorium Italian independent regulators)
2016-now Member F. Collin Award
2014-2023 Convenor Research Group Subnational Constitutions in Federal Systems of the International Association of Constitutional Law
2013-2016 COST Action IS1304 – Management Committee
2008-nu Board member Interuniversity Centre for Legislation – President 2008-2023
2006-2023 Vice-President International Association of Legislation
2000-2006 Auditor European Association of Legislation
Current membership of editorial and scientific boards of peer reviewed journals
• Theory and Practice of Legislaton (TPLeg) - Editorial board
• Publius: the journal of federalism - Scientific board
• International journal of parliamentary studies - Scientific board
• Tijdschrift voor Wetgeving (TvW) - Editorial board
• Rechtskundig Weekblad - Editorial board partim Public Law (until 2023: member of the general board; chair partim Public Law)
• PubliAdmin - Editorial board
Outreach
• Book on the Constition, democracy and the rule of law, for a general audience (P. Popelier, Een grondwet voor ons allemaal. Verhalen van democratie en rechtsstaat (Pelckmans 2025) 167 p.)
• Columnist for the journal Society and Politics (Samenleving en Politiek – SAMPOL
• Frequent interviews or opinions in media outlets (journals, weekly magazines, radio and television news programs)
• Frequent lectures, key notes and blogs on the constitution, democracy and the rule of law for the general public, social actors or other specific circles
Funded research projects
As promoter
2026-2027 James Madison Trust – Cohesion in Federal Systems
2023-2025 BOF - Stimulus European Framework Program & FWO-SBO Projects: Federal Dynamics in Multilevel Governance.
2022-2025 Horizon Europe 2.2 - Culture, Creativity and Inclusive Society: Legitimate crisis management and multilevel governance (LEGITIMULT).
2022-2024 VLIR-UOS SI: Burundi WRAP (Women's Rights Awareness and Protection).
2022-2022 BOF - Fellowships for International Joint PhD's: Comparative constitutional design for divided societies: a model to explain constitutional asymmetries.
2021-2021 Interuniversitair Centrum voor Wetgeving (ICW): Goal Regulation and Experimental Regulation in Environmental and Spatial Law
2020-2023 FWO junior postdoctoral fellowship: Safeguards of stability in asymmetrical constitutional systems.
2020-2021 BOF - COVID-19 projects: Trust, legitimacy and intended compliance with COVID-19 exit strategy measures. 2020-2021 BOF - Research Sabbatical: BOF Sabbatical 2020-2021.
2020-2021 FWO: sabbatical leave grant: FWO sabbatical 2020-2021
2020-2023 FWO: senior research project: Trojan Horse Discourse: The Use and Abuse of Contemporary Constitutional Discourse for Fundamental Rights Protection.
2020-2023 H2020 - Inclusive, innovative and reflective societies: Trust in Governance and Regulation in Europe (TiGRE).
2019-2023 BOF: Constitutional strategies in the face of multilevel governance.
2018-2018 Interuniversitair Centrum voor Wetgeving (ICW): Literature and case law review on the subsidiarity test 2018-2021 FWO research project (including WEAVE projects): Quality control throughout the legislative cycle. 2015-2018 FWO: postdoctoral fellowship: The role of (constitutional) courts in fiscal governance: the balanced budget requirement.
2015-2018 FWO research project (including WEAVE projects): Constitutional asymmetry in multi-tiered multinational systems.
2014-2018 FWO: postdoctoral fellowship: The Constitutional Court as initiator of constitutional dialogue: the case of legislative lacunae.
2014-2017 FWO: postdoctoral fellowship: The systemic risks of EU law. The possible contribution of EU agencies to mitigation policies in the area of network services.
2014-2015 BOF - Doctoral Projects 1 year (until 2018): The Role of the Constitutional Courts in Stability and Transformation of Consociational Systems
2014-2014 University of Kent: The role and future of constitutional constitutions in European and Global Governance.
2013-2014 FWO: doctoral fellowship (year 3 & 4): The dynamics between national and supranational fundamental rights protection in Europe: a practice of convergence?
2013-2016 FWO research project: The Constitutional Court caught between its role as guardian of consensus democracy and deliberative expectations.
2012-2013 BOF - University Research Fund: Interdisciplinary doctoral fellowships: The role of constitutional courts in emerging democracies: variations in deliberative practices.
As copromoter
2026-2031 BOF – Research Excellence Consortia: Trust in the governance of societal transitions (GOVTRUST)
2024-2027 FWO – Research Foundation Flanders: senior research project: Trust in Specialized Courts: the Unified Patent Court as a Case Study to Disentangle Trust Dynamics.
2023-2026 EU - Erasmus +: Sustainability and Trust in EU Multilevel Governance (STRATEGO). (met education component)
2023-2025 FWO - Research Foundation Flanders : PhD Fellowship Fundamental Research (Year 1 & 2): Principle-based Regulation and Trust: Explaining Beneficiaries' and Regulatees' Trust in Hybrid Regulatory Regimes.
2023-2027 FWO/SBO Societal finality: Legitimate Alternative Regulation in Regulatory Regimes (GOBAREG).
2022-2024 BOF - Stimulus European Framework Program & FWO-SBO Projects: Self-governance, autonomy and accountability: towards an interdisciplinary measurement tool.
2020-2025 BOF - Research Excellence Consortia: Trust and distrust in multi-level governance: causes, dynamics, and effects (GOVTRUST).
2016-2019 EU - Erasmus +: Antwerp Consortium on the Organization of Rulemaking and Multilevel Governance in Europe (ACTORE)(with education component) 2016-2017 Other EU initiatives out of framework: Supreme courts as guarantee for effectiveness of judicial systems in European Union.
Publications
The full list (over 450 publications) can be found at https://repository.uantwerpen.be/desktop/irua. What follows is a selection of international peer reviewed publications from the last 10 years on themes relevant to the work of the Venice Commission.
1) On fundamental rights, constitutional principles and the ECtHR
- P. Popelier, ‘What’s cooking? General measures in the case law of the European Court of Human Rights, Eu Convention on Human Rights Law Rev. 2024, 132-150
- P. Popelier, ‘Law and time in two dimensions: legitimate expectations in the Case Law of the Court of Justice of the European Union’, in S. Ranchordas et al. (eds) Time, law, and change: an interdisciplinary study, Hart, 2020, 117-142
- P. Popelier, ‘Procedural rationality review after animal defenders international: a constructively critical approach’, European constitutional law review, 2019, 272-293
- P. Popelier & C. Van De Heyning, ‘Subsidiarity post-Brighton : procedural rationality as answer?’, Leiden J. of international law, 2017, 5-23
- P. Popelier, ‘Evidence-based law lawmaking: influences, obstacles and the role of the European Court of Human Rights’, in J. Gerards en E. Brems (eds), Procedural review in European fundamental rights cases, Cambridge University Press, 2017, 79-94
- P. Popelier, ‘Legal certainty and the European courts: accessibility and legitimate expectations as standards of reasonableness’, in M. Fenwick (ed), The shifting meaning of legal certainty in comparative and transnational law, Hart Publishing, 2017, 29-54
- P. Popelier et al. (eds), Criticism of the European Court of Human Rights – Shifting the Convention System, Intersentia, 2016, 571 p.
2) On constitutions
- P. Popelier & C. Van De Heyning, ‘The Belgian Constitution: the efficacy approach to European and global governance’, in A. Albi et al. (ed), National constitutions in Europe and global governance: democracy, rights, the rule of law, Asser Press, 2019, 1225-1270
- P. Popelier et al. (eds), Routledge handbook of subnational constitutions and constitutionalism, Routledge, 2021, 362 p.
3) On the judiciary, justice, constitutional courts and constitutional review
- P. Niyonizigiye, P. Popelier & S. Vandeginste, ‘Judicial design, gender and ethnicity: a typology applied to the Burundi Constitutional Court, Journal of African Law 2026, 1-20
- E. Van Zimmeren, B. Kleizen & P. Popelier, ‘Trust in specialized courts: the Unified Patent Court (UPC) as a case study to disentangle trust dynamics and trus building mechanisms, Erasmus L. Rev. 2024, 93-105
- P. Popelier & L. Martens, ‘The Belgian Constitutional Court: navigating between constitutional rights and consociational politics’, in K. Pócza (ed), Constitutional Review in Western Europe. Judicial-legislative relations in comparative perspective, Routledge, 2024, 52-76
- P. Popelier et al., ‘A research agenda for trust and distrust in a multilevel judicial system’, Maastricht J. of European and comparative law, 2022, 351-374
- S. De Somer, U. Lettanie & P. Popelier, ‘Judicial review of agency action in Europe’, in M. Magetti et al. (eds), Handbook of regulatory authorities, Edward Elgar, 2022, 331-345
- P. Popelier, ‘Judicial functions and organisation in Belgium’, Perspectives on Federalism, 2020, 78-101
- P. Popelier, ‘European relationality in the European legal space’, in V. Barsotti et al. (eds), Dialogues on Italian constitutional justice. A comparative perspective, Routledge, 2020, 245-259
- P. Popelier & S. Bielen, ‘How courts decide federalism disputes: legal merit, attitudinal effects, and strategic considerations in the jurisprudence of the Belgian Constitutional Court’, Publius, 2019, 587-616
- P. Popelier, ‘Federalism disputes and the behavior of courts : explaining variation in federal courts support for centralization’, Publius 2017, 27-48
- P. Popelier, ‘An Italian or a European style of judicial review? Setting the agenda for comparative research on courts’, Italian Journal of Public Law, 2016, 72-78
- P. Popelier & J. De Jaegere, ‘Evidence-based judicial review of legislation in divided states : the Belgian case’, TPLeg 2016, 187-208
4) On governance and trust
- J. Frateur & P. Popelier, ‘Revising the efficiency vs. legality debate: a trust perspective on crisis legislation’, TPLeg 2026, 90-116
- J. Frateur, P. Popelier, P. Bursens & S. Duarte Coroado, ‘Gaining trust through consultation? How intergovernmental interactions influences citizens' political trust in times of crisis’, Territory, politics, governance 2026, 1-16
- J. Frateur, P. Bursens, P. Popelier & S. Duarte Coroado, ‘How to explain citizens’ declined political trust during the COVID-19 pandemic: a time-series qualitative comparative analysis (TsQCA), Comparative European Politics 2025, 552-575
- P. Popelier et al., ‘Bridging the gap between facts and norms : mutual trust, the European Arrest Warrant and the rule of law in an interdisciplinary context’, Eu.L.J. 2022, 167-184
- P. Bursens, P. Popelier & K. Verhoest, ‘Belgium : cooperation out of necessity and confirmation of executive dominance’, in K. Lynggaard et al. (eds), Governments' responses to the Covid-19 pandemic in Europe : navigating the perfect storm, Palgrave Macmillan, 2022, 387-396
- P. Popelier et al., ‘Health crisis measures and standards for fair decision-making : a normative and empirical-based account of the interplay between science, politics and courts’, Eu.J. Risk Regulation 2021
- P. Bursens, P. Popelier & P. Meier, ‘Belgium’s response to Covid-19’, in Chattopadhyay, R. (ed), Federalism and the response to COVID-19 : a comparative analysis, Routledge India, 39-48
- P. Popelier, ‘COVID-19 legislation in Belgium at the crossroads of a political and a health crisis’, 2020, 131-153
- P. Popelier & C. Van De Heyning, ‘Constitutional dialogue as an expression of trust and distrust in multilevel governance’, in M. Belov (ed), Judicial Dialogue, Eleven International Publishing, 2019, 51-70
5) On parliaments, elections and legislative procedures
- P. Popelier, ‘Signs of trustworthiness : parliaments in search of ability, benevolence and integrity’, Internat. J. Parl. Studies, 2024, 103-107
- P. Caboor & P. Popelier, ‘Belgium’s Parliamentary Administration’, in T. Chrisitansen et al. (eds), The Routledge Handbook of Parliamentary Administration, Routledge 2023, 152-162
- A. Flückiger & P. Popelier, ‘Policy evaluation in the legislative cycle’, in F. Varone en S. Jacob (eds), Handbook of public policy evaluation, Edward Elgar, 2023, 64-75
- P. Popelier, ‘L.B. v Hungary and the quality of the parliamentary debate’, Quadernu Costizionali 2023, 674-678
- P. Popelier, ‘A constitutional perspective on electoral gender quotas’, in J. Gardner et al. (eds), Comparative Election Law, Edward Elgar, 2022, 322-343
- P. Popelier, ‘The duty of Parliament to adopt reliable legislation: linking trust in Parliament with legitimate expectations’, in M. De Benedetto et al. (eds), The crisis of confidence in legislation, Hart, 2020, 243-257
- P. Popelier et al. (eds), Lawmaking in multi-level settings: legislative challenges in federal systems and the European Union, Hart, 2019, 317 p.
- P. Popelier, ‘Bicameralism in Belgium : the dismantlement of the Senate for the sake of multinational confederalism’, Perspectives on Federalism 215-237
- P. Popelier, ‘Codification in a civil law jurisdiction: a Northern European perspective’, Eu.J.L.Reform 2017, 253-263
- P. Popelier & W. Vandenbruwaene, ‘Belgian parliaments and the early warning systems’, in A. Jonsson-Cornell et al. (eds), National and Regional Parliaments in the EU-legislative procedure post Lisbon, Hart; 2017
- P. Popelier, ‘Management of Legislation’, in U. Karpen et al. (eds), Legislation in Europe, Hart, 2017, 53-72
6) Multinationalisme
- S. Van Drooghenbroeck & P. Popelier, ‘The Belgian linguistic compromise: between old battles and new challenges’, in L. Seidle et al. (eds), Language policy in federal and devolved countries. The collected works, Forum of Federations, 2024, 26-40
- P. Popelier, ‘Intergovernmental relations in Belgium: obstacles to effective cooperation in dyadic federalism’, in Y.T. Fessha et al. (eds), Intergovernmental Relations in Divided Societies Palgrave Macmillan, 2022, 61-90
- P. Popelier, ‘Power-sharing in Belgium: the disintegrative model’, in S. Keil et al. (eds), Power-sharing in Europe, Palgrave MacMillan, 2020, 89-114
- P. Popelier & M. Sahadžić (eds), Constitutional asymmetry in multinational federalism: managing multinationalism in multi-tiered systems, Palgrave Macmillan, 2019, 509 p.
- R. Medda-Windischer & P. Popelier (eds), Pro-independence movements and immigration : discourse, policy and practice, Brill 2016, 213 p.
7) Multi-tiered governance
- C. Niessen & P. Popelier, ‘Federalism in Belgium’, in M. Reuchamps et al. (eds), The Oxford Handbook of Belgian Politics, Oxford University Press, 2026, 124-139
- P. Popelier, ‘Loyalty in federal systems; notes toward a theory of autonomy and cohesion’, Publius 2025
- P. Popelier, ‘Constitutional recognition of cities: what dynamic federalism has to offer’, in A. Flynn et al. (eds), The past, present, and future of Canadian cities, McGill-Queen's University Press, 2024, 251-265
- P. Popelier, ‘Federal dynamics and stability. The quest for the most optimal structure of political systems’, in P. Bussjäger, The making and ending of federalism Brill, 2024, 92-116
- P. Popelier, ‘Federalism and democracy: the need for a differentiated approach’, in M. Vinod et al. (eds), Cooperative federalism in South Asia and Europe: contemporary issues and trends, Routledge, 2024
- P. Popelier & P. Bursens, ‘Trust dynamics in federal systems’, in F. Six et al. (eds), Handbook on trust in public governance, Edward Elgar Publishing, 2025, 217-231
- A. Nicotina, P. Popelier & P. Bursens (eds), EU law and national constitutions: the constitutional dynamics of multi-level governance, Routledge 2024; 328 p.
- P. Popelier, ‘Exclusive powers and self-governed entities: a tool for defensive federalism?’, in F. Requejo en M. Sanjaume-Calvet (eds), Defensive federalism, Routledge, 2022, p. 46-66
- P. Popelier & P. Bursens, ‘Managing the Covid-19 crisis in a divided Belgian federation : cooperation against all odds’, in N. Steytler et al. (eds), Comparative federalism and Covid-19 : combating the pandemic, Routledge, 2021, 88-105
- P. Popelier, Dynamic federalism: a new theory for cohesion and regional autonomy, Routledge, 2021, 292 p.
