Sacha GARBEN

Professor Dr Sacha GARBEN is Permanent Professor of EU law at the Legal Studies Department of the College of Europe. She is an official in the European Commission (legal officer, DG EMPL), currently on leave to be at the College of Europe full time.  She is furthermore a replacement Judge at the Amsterdam Court of Appeal.

At the College, Professor Garben teaches the course The Constitution(alisation) of EU Law, and coordinates the Legal Methodology Course.

Professor Garben is joint Editor (together with P. Koutrakos) of the European Law Review, responsible for the Analysis and Reflections section. She is furthermore General Editor (together with L. Gormley) of the OUP Online Encyclopedia of EU Law. 

Her new monograph The Competence Question in the (Con)Federal European Union will appear with Oxford University Press in November 2025. For a full list of publications, see below.

Professor Garben gives guest lectures and academic presentations at many other universities, which have included inter alia the University of Oxford, Harvard University, the University of Cambridge, the London School of Economics (LSE), Humboldt Berlin and HEC Paris. In 2023, she was the Institutional Rapporteur for the XXX FIDE Congress in Sofia (2023) on Topic 3 - European Social Union. 

Professor Garben obtained her Phd at the European University Institute in 2010, winning the Jacqueline Suter Prize for the Best Doctoral Thesis in European Law 2009 – 2011. She has worked at the Court of Justice of the European Union and at the London School of Economics. She is an alumna of the Beethoven promotion at the College of Europe (2005-2006).

Key publications include:

2026

• S. Garben, ‘Does the Court Care about the Coalface? The European Social Model and the Continued Constitutional Imbalance between “Market” and “Social” Values’ Common Market Law Review (Special Issue) Volume 63, Issue 1 (2026) pp. 111 – 126
• E. Muir, S. Garben and I. Govaere (eds.), Activating the Protection of Fundamental and Human Rights at European Level (Bloomsbury: Hart Publishing)
• L. Azoulai and S. Garben, ‘The New Question of Competence: A Conversation about its Form and Meaning’, Academy of European Law Collected Courses OUP, forthcoming
• S. Garben and M. Klamert, ‘Competence’ in the OUP Online Encyclopedia of EU Law
• S. Garben, ‘EU Competence’ in Leonard Besselink, Nicola Lupo and Mattias Wendel (eds.), Research Handbook EU Constitutional Law (Edward Elgar) forthcoming
• S. Garben, ‘Competence’ in P. Craig and V. Velyvyte, Research Handbook on the Theory and Philosophy of EU Law (Edward Elgar) forthcoming
   

2025

• S. Garben, The Competence Question in the (Con)Federal European Union (Oxford University Press)
• S. Garben, ‘Editorial: Tragedy of a Death Foretold – The Partial Annulment of the EU Minimum Wage Directive’ European Law Review (2025) 6
• S. Garben, ‘Editorial: Of Ends and Means’ European Law Review (2025) 4
• S. Garben, ‘Editorial: Ever-Changing Fields’ European Law Review (2025) 2
• S. Garben, ‘The (slow) redress of the ‘solidarity deficit’ in the EU and the emerging principle of solidarity in EU law’ (2025) 31(6) Maastricht Journal of European and Comparative Law
• Inge Govaere, Sacha Garben and Eleanor Spaventa (eds.), The Impact of War (in Ukraine) on the EU (Bloomsbury: Hart Publishing)
• Lavinia Kortese, S. Garben, ‘Post-Brexit Cooperation in Higher Education and Research’ in Emmanuel Guinchard, Carlo Panara (eds.), The New Relationship between the United Kingdom and the European Union (Springer) pp. 405-427

2024

• S. Garben, Commentary on Title IX TFEU (Employment), Title X TFEU (Social Policy), Title XII (Education, Vocational Training, Youth and Sport), Title XIX (Research and Technological Development and Space), Title XX (Environment), in M. Kellerbauer, M. Klamert, and J. Tomkin (eds.), Commentary on the Treaties and the Charter of Fundamental Rights (2nd edition, Oxford: Oxford University Press)
• S. Garben, ‘The CJEU and Climate (In)Activism?’ in Mark Dawson, Bruno de Witte and Elise Muir (eds.), Revisiting Judicial Politics in the European Union (Edward Elgar), pp. 247–268
• S. Garben, ‘Choosing a Tightrope instead of a Rope Bridge: The Choice of Legal Basis for the EU Minimum Wage Directive’ in Luca Ratti, Elisabeth Brameshuber and Vincenzo Pietrogiovanni (eds.), The EU Directive on Minimum Wages (Bloomsbury: Hart Publishing)
• S. Garben, ‘The European Pillar of Social Rights: An Assessment of its Meaning and Significance’ Cambridge Yearbook of European Legal Studies 2024 Anniversary Issue: open access re-publication of this 2019 article, selected by the Journal as one of CYELS’ 25 “classic articles”

2023

• S. Garben, ‘European Social Union: Institutional Report’, in Alexander Kornezov (ed.), European Social Union, Proceedings of the XXX FIDE Congress, Vol. 3 (Open Access)
• S. Garben, ‘The European Union and its Three Constitutional Problems’ in Matej Avbelj (ed.), The Future of EU Constitutionalism (Oxford: Hart Publishing)
• S. Garben, ‘The Constitutionalisation of European Integration as a Single, Protracted ‘Constitutional Moment’ Towards the Establishment of EU Final Authority’ in Marco Dani, Marco Goldoni and Agustin Menéndez (eds.), The legitimacy of European constitutional orders (Edward Elgar) pp. 259–281 (Open Access)
• S. Garben, ‘Posted Workers are Persons Too! - Posting and the Constitutional Democratic Question of Fair Mobility in the European Union’ in Niamh Nic Shuibhne (ed.), Revisiting the Fundamentals of the Free Movement of Persons in EU Law, Collected Courses of the Academy of European Law (Oxford: Oxford University Press) Volume XXXI/1
• S. Garben, ‘The past, present and future of the preliminary reference procedure’ in: European Central Bank, Treading softly: How central banks are addressing current global challenges, ECB Legal Conference 2023 Conference Proceedings, pp. 260 - 275

2022

• S. Garben and L. Gormley, OUP Online Encyclopedia of EU Law (Oxford: Oxford University Press) (launched, content continuously added)
• S. Garben, ‘From sneaking to striding: Combatting competence creep and consolidating the EU legislative process’, European Law Journal, https://doi.org/10.1111/eulj.12408
• K. Caunes, O. Costa, S. Garben, I. Govaere (eds), ‘The Conference on the Future of Europe in democratic context; In Memoriam David Sassoli, President of the European Parliament’ Editorial to Special Double Issue of the European Law Journal on the Conference of the Future of Europe , https://doi.org/10.1111/eulj.12416

2021

• S. Garben, ‘Dignity- and Reciprocity-based Solidarity as the Normative Framework of the EU’s Constitutional Settlement’ in A Iossa et al, Law, Solidarity and the Limits of Social Europe: Constitutional Tensions for EU Integration (Edward Elgar), pp 158 - 182
• S. Garben, ‘Regulatory Approaches to Labour in the Online Platform Econom : Mapping the Challenges’ in: K Vandaele and J Drahokoupil (eds), Modern Guide to Labour in the Platform Economy, (Routledge) p. 145
• A. Aranguiz and S. Garben, ‘Combating Income Inequality in the EU: A Legal Assessment of a Potential EU Minimum Wage Directive’, European Law Review, 46:2, pp. 156-174
• P. Bérastégui and S. Garben, ‘The platform economy at the forefront of a changing world of work: Implications for occupational health and safety’ in K Vandaele and J Drahokoupil (eds), Modern Guide to Labour in the Platform Economy, (Routledge) p. 96

2020

• S. Garben, ‘Fundamental rights in EU copyright harmonization: Balancing without a solid framework: Funke Medien, Pelham, Spiegel Online’, Common Market Law ReviewVolume 57, Issue 6 pp. 1909 – 1932
• S. Garben & I. Govaere, The Internal Market 2.0. (Oxford: Hart Publishing)
• S. Garben, ‘The ‘Fundamental Freedoms’ and (Other) Fundamental Rights: Towards an Integrated Democratic Interpretation Framework’ in S Garben and I Govaere (eds), The Internal Market 2.0 (Oxford: Hart Publishing) p. 335 – 370
• S. Garben, ‘Collective Identity as a Legal Limit to European Integration in Areas of Core State Powers', Journal of Common Market Studies, Vol. 58(1), January 2020, pp. 41-55 (special Issue edited by T. Kuhn and F. Nicoli)
• S. Garben, ‘A Taste of Its Own Medicine: Assessing the Impact of the EU Better Regulation Agenda’, European Law Journal, published: 05 March 2020 (Early View reference: https://doi.org/10.1111/eulj.12354)
• S. Garben, ‘European Higher Education in the Context of Brexit’ in: N Cambien, D Kochenov, and E Muir, European Citizenship under Stress, BRILL Nijhoff Studies in European Union Law Vol 16, pp 335 - 364
• S. Garben, ‘Towards an Adjudication Framework for Economic and Social Fundamental Rights in the EU’, 2020, European Labour Law Journal, OnlineFirst reference: https://doi.org/10.1177/2031952520927128
• S. Garben, ‘The European Pillar of Social Rights and the European Social Charter’, 2020 (1), Europe des droits & libertés/Europe of Rights & Liberties, 65-78
• S. Garben, ‘De Urgenda-uitspraak van de Hoge Raad – redt de (Nederlandse) rechter de wereld?’ SEW 2020/204
• A FEPS Podcast on Social Europe in times of COVID-19 crisis: https://podcasts.apple.com/be/podcast/24-feps-talks-advancing-social-europe-in-times-covid/id1490408965?i=1000469586081

2019

• S. Garben, I. Govaere and P. Nemitz (eds), Critical Reflections on Constitutional Democracy in the EU (Oxford: Hart Publishing)
• S. Garben, ‘The European Pillar of Social Rights: An Assessment of its Meaning and Significance’, Cambridge Yearbook of European Legal Studies (early view: https://doi.org/10.1017/cel.2019.3)
• S. Garben, ‘The Collective and Individual Capacity to Learn in the Polycentric European Union’, in: J. van Zeben and A. Bobic (eds), Polycentricity in the EU (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press) 2019, pp. 276 - 305
• I. Govaere and S. Garben (eds), The Interface between EU and International Law: Contemporary Reflections, (Oxford: Hart Publishing)
• S. Garben, ‘Regulatory Approaches to Social Protection in the Online Platform Economy’, International Social Security Review, Vol. 72, No. 3 (special issue on Social security and the digital economy)
• S. Garben, Tackling precarity in the platform economy—and beyond, Social Europe Blogpost, 31 July 2019
• S. Garben, ‘Online Platform Work at European Level’, Geneva Global Policy Brief, No 3, 2019
• S. Garben, The European Pillar of Social Rights as a Revival of Social Europe, EUVisions Blogpost, 20 February 2019

2018

• S. Garben, ‘The Problematic Interaction between EU and International Law in the Area of Social Rights’, Cambridge International Law Journal, 2018, Vol. 7(1), pp. 77 - 98
• S. Garben, ‘The European Pillar of Social Rights: Effectively Addressing Displacement?’ European Constitutional Law Review, 2018, Volume 14(1), pp. 210-230
• S. Garben and I. Govaere (eds), The EU Better Regulation Agenda: Critical Reflections (Oxford: Hart Publishing) 2018
• S. Garben, ‘European Higher Education in the Context of Brexit’, European Papers Vol. 3(3), 2018, pp. 1293-1317
• S. Garben, ‘Competition, Cooperation, and Solidarity in EU law – a Federal Perspective’ in: P. Chiocchetti and F. Allemand (eds), Competitiveness and solidarity in the European Union: interdisciplinary perspectives (Abingdon: Routledge) 2018
• S. Garben, ‘Arbeid in de Online Platform Economie’, Sociaal Economische Wetgeving (SEW), 2018, 12

2017

• S. Garben, ‘Competence Creep Revisited’, Journal of Common Market Studies, 2017 (early view: 10.1111/jcms.12643 – paper publication: Vol 57(2), 2019, pp. 205-222)
• S. Garben and I. Govaere (eds), The Division of Competences between the EU and the Member States: Reflections on the Past, the Present and the Future (Oxford: Hart Publishing) 2017 (see review  in the Journal of Common Market Studies)
• S. Garben, ‘The Constitutional (Im)balance between ‘the Market’ and ‘the Social’ in the European Union ‘, European Constitutional Law Review, 2017, Vol. 13(1), pp. 23-61
• S. Garben, Opinion 2/15: Competence Creep through International Trade?, Europe and the World: A law review Blogpost, 30 May 2017
• C. Kilpatrick, E. Muir and S. Garben, From Austerity Back to Legitimacy? The European Pillar of Social Rights: A Policy Brief, EU Law Analysis Blogpost, 20 March 2017
• S. Garben, C. Kilpatrick, and E. Muir, Towards a European Pillar of Social Rights: upgrading the EU social acquis, College of Europe Policy Brief, No. 1, 2017

Selected key publications before 2017

• S. Garben, ‘Confronting the Competence Conundrum: Democratising the European Union through an Expansion of its Legislative Powers’, Oxford Journal of Legal Studies, 2015, Vol. 35(1), pp. 55 – 89
• S. Garben, ‘The Failure to protect Education as an Inalienable Policy Domain of EU Member States - a Critical Assessment of Article 165 TFEU on Education and Suggestions for Reform’, in: T. Giegerich, O. Gstrein, S. Zeitzmann (eds), The EU between 'an ever closer union' and inalienable policy domains of Member States (Baden-Baden: Nomos) 2014, pp. 513 – 53
• S. Garben, ‘Sky-high controversy and high-flying claims? the Sturgeon case law in light of judicial activism, Euroscepticism and Eurolegalism’, Common Market Law Review, 2013, Vol. 50(1), p. 15 – 46
• S. Garben, ‘The Case to correct some of Maastricht's Mistakes: a Critical Assessment of Article 165 TFEU on Education and Suggestions for Reform’, in: M. de Visser and A.P. Van der Mei (eds), The Treaty on European Union, 1993-2013: reflections from Maastricht (Cambridge: Intersentia) 2013, pp. 599 – 622
• S. Garben, EU higher education law: the Bologna Process and harmonization by stealth (Alphen aan de Rijn: Kluwer Law International) 2011 (see review in the Common Market Law Review)
• S. Garben, ‘The Bologna Process: from a European law perspective’, European Law Journal, 2010, Vol. 16(2), pp. 186 – 210
• S. Garben, ‘Case C-73/08, "Nicolas Bressol and Others, Céline Chaverot and Others v. Gouvernement de la Communauté française", judgment of the Court (Grand Chamber) of 13 April 2010’, Common Market Law Review, 2010, Vol. 47(5), pp. 1493 – 1510