Law students enrolled at any university in a Council of Europe Member State are invited to participate in the 6th edition of the “Sébastien Van Drooghenbroec” Moot Court Competition on the European Social Charter, organised by the Academic Network on the European Social Charter and Social Rights (ANESC), with the support of the Council of Europe.

The competition is based on a fictitious case and comprises both a written and an oral phase. By drawing lots, half of the competing teams are assigned the role of ‘claimants’, while the other half are assigned the role of the ‘defendant government’.

The written phase consists of drafting either a collective complaint, for teams assigned the role of ‘claimants’, or a memorandum, for teams assigned the role of ‘defendant government’. Written submissions may be prepared in either English or French.

The oral phase consists in a series of mock hearings before the expert members of the Jury/Scientific Committee, acting in the capacity of the European Committee of Social Rights within the meaning of Article 7(4) of the Protocol of 9 November 1995. It will be conducted in English only.

The deadline for applications is 30 October 2026. 

The oreal hearings will take place at the University of Limerick (Ireland) on 23 April 2027. 

All the details on the competition's timeline, how to participate, the rules, the jury and other relevant information are available here: https://www.racse-anesc.org/en/moot-court-2027.