Céline Romainville

Céline Romainville is a Professor of constitutional law and co-director of the Centre for Research on the State and the Constitution (CRECO). Born in 1984, she holds a PhD in constitutional law from UCLouvain, Belgium (2011), and a law degree from UCLouvain (2007), including an Erasmus exchange at Uppsala University in Sweden (2007). She began her academic career as a Research Fellow (Aspirant) from 2007 to 2011, and subsequently as a Research Associate of the Belgian National Fund for Scientific Research (FNRS) from 2011 to 2015 at UCLouvain. During this period, she carried out several research stays abroad (New York University (2009), Amsterdam Research Center for International Law (2013), Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law (2013), and the London School of Economics and Political Science (2014)). Since 2015, she has been a professor at UCLouvain.

She teaches constitutional law, law of rights and freedoms, general theory of the State, the relationship between law and democracy, and legal research methodology. Deeply committed to teaching, she serves as president of the jury for the Master’s degree in law and is one of the founders of the Rosa Parks Legal Clinic for Human Rights at UCLouvain, active since 2018. Within this clinic, students conduct transdisciplinary and interdisciplinary research in the service of civil society. Together with her students, she focuses in particular on mobilizing law in support of the ecological transition. She also regularly acts as a visiting professor at other universities.

Her research focuses, first, on federalism, in both its theoretical and practical dimensions, with particular expertise in Brussels institutions. Second, she conducts research on the parliamentary system and trust in political institutions, from the perspective of political law. Third, in the field of human rights, she favors institutional approaches. Fourth, she develops extensive research rooted in public policy analysis, including interdisciplinary analyses of public problems and how they are addressed across all levels of government, from the local to the global. In this context, she has developed expertise in cultural rights and cultural policies. Finally, she is interested in the role of law in transformations toward sustainability, and more specifically in the challenges posed by the ecological crisis to constitutional law. More generally, her research is characterized by a strong interdisciplinary orientation.

Particularly valuing teamwork, she leads a research group that she has been able to establish thanks to the acquisition of various research grants. To date, Céline Romainville has supervised two completed doctoral theses and is currently supervising three doctoral theses and three postdoctoral researchers. She is also a member of the supervisory committee for eight doctoral theses. Overall, her career is marked by a strong commitment to collective dynamics, both within and beyond UCLouvain. She regularly develops interdisciplinary and interuniversity collaborations leading to conferences, publications, the creation of networks and platforms, and research projects.

Regarding research projects and grants, Céline Romainville is the principal investigator of the project Belgian federalism facing the climate challenge, a Welchange FNRS project (2024–2028). She is also the principal investigator of the interdisciplinary project Brussels in the federalism of tomorrow: unfolding and articulating possible futures for institutions, public finances and public debt in Brussels, funded by Innoviris under the “Prospective Research” program (2022–2025). She is co-principal investigator of the FNRS PDR project Institutions in search of trust (2020–2025), and was also co-principal investigator of the project Experimenting to face uncertainty: the role of law (2021–2022).

She is the author or co-author of numerous publications in Belgian and international journals and publishing houses. In French, she published her doctoral thesis The Right to Culture, a Legal Reality: The Right to Participate in Cultural Life in Constitutional and International Law (Larcier, 2014), and during her postdoctoral research she edited European Law and Cultural Policies / Droit européen et politiques culturelles (Peter Lang, 2015). Together with Marc Verdussen, she co-edited four CRECO conference volumes: Social Security in the Federal State (Anthemis, 2017); State and Religion (Anthemis, 2018); Leading Judgments on the Allocation of Powers in the Federal State (Larcier, Public Law Library, 2019); and Parliamentary Inquiries (Larcier, Public Law Library, 2023). She also co-edited Human Rights in Pandemic Times – International, European and Comparative Perspectives (Larcier, Public Law Library, 2023). With F. Bouhon, Mathias El Berhoumi, Toon Moonen and Dave Sinardet, she edited the special issue Which Constitution after 2019? (CDPK, 2019/2), preceded by a series of seminars. With Mathias El Berhoumi, she co-edited the special issue Constitutional Issues of the Francophone Political Crisis of Summer 2017 (RBDC, 2018/1). She has co-organized numerous conferences, including the most recent one (Federal Belgium: Strengths and Weaknesses of an Atypical Federalism), held on 9 November 2023 at the Brussels Parliament; the next will take place on 5–6 September 2024 on the theme Trust in Political Institutions.

She has also published numerous peer-reviewed journal articles and contributions to edited volumes subject to double-blind review. Notable examples include, as co-author, Federalism and Climate Change (2024) and Sources of the Allocation of Powers (2022), and as sole author, Dynamics of Belgian Plurinational Federalism: A Small State under Pressure (2015). Her forthcoming book Trust in Political Institutions: The Role of Law will be published in September 2026. She seeks to strengthen the institutional approach to fundamental rights through articles such as The Role of Parliaments in the Protection of Rights and Freedoms (2022). She has published extensively on the links between law and public policy, particularly between cultural rights and cultural policies. Finally, she conducts research inspired by the “law in transition” approach in constitutional law, resulting in publications such as Look Up! When the German Federal Constitutional Court Rejects Climate Denial (2021); A Journey into the Concept of “Special Law” through Climate Special Laws; Belgian Cooperative Federalism and Its Practice in Climate Matters (2022); and The Constitution in the Face of the Ecological Crisis: Constitutional Levers and Obstacles to Guaranteeing Intergenerational Justice (2023).

She has participated in more than one hundred academic events in Belgium and abroad and regularly contributes to institutionalized networks in public law, particularly the International Society of Public Law (ICON-S). She is a member of the ICON-S Benelux Steering and Advisory Committees. She is a Fellow of the Villey Institute at Paris II Panthéon-Assas University and a member of the Government and Law Research Group at the University of Antwerp. She is a former co-editor-in-chief of the Louvain Law Review (Annales de droit de Louvain), a member of the editorial board of the Revue trimestrielle des droits de l’homme, managing editor of the Revue belge de droit constitutionnel, and a member of the editorial board of the Bibliothèque de droit public published by Larcier.

Céline Romainville is a member of the Class of Letters and Moral and Political Sciences of the Royal Academy of Belgium and a member of its Collegium. Together with Karel Reybrouck and Willem Sas, she coordinates the initiative Re-Bels – Rethinking Belgium’s Institutions in a European Context. She is also a member of the scientific committee of numerous research projects, including the HOME project, which focuses on the status of human remains in federal collections.

She is regularly consulted as an expert by various parliaments. For example, in 2022 she provided expertise to the Joint Parliamentary Committee responsible for evaluating state reforms on cooperative federalism, and in 2023 to the French-speaking Brussels Parliament on new mechanisms of participatory democracy such as joint committees. She has also worked for the United Nations Independent Expert on Cultural Rights, as well as for other organizations. She served as an expert for the Minister of Culture of the French Community, chaired the working group on the post-COVID recovery of the cultural sectors, and worked on the PECA. She also regularly appears in the media, whether through interviews (including podcasts such as Le Tournant and Les Clés) or through opinion pieces.

Finally, Céline Romainville is deeply engaged in civil society, notably as an active member of the Human Rights League, where she has served as Secretary General and as co-president of the organization’s environmental commission. She has mobilized applied research in the context of climate litigation.

Céline Romainville's research focuses on :

• federalism and Brussels institutions; 

• the parliamentary system and trust in political institutions; 

• institutional approaches to fundamental rights;

•  cultural rights and policies; 

• the role of law in the transition to sustainability, particularly the challenges posed by the ecological crisis to constitutional law. 

Céline Romainville has been co-director of the Centre for Research on the State and the Constitution since 2023. She particularly enjoys teamwork and leads a research group that she was able to set up thanks to various research agreements. Céline Romainville has, to date, supervised two doctoral theses (S. Vandenbosch- M. Petel) and is currently supervising three theses (G. Delvaux and S. Mercier). She is a member of the supervisory committee for eight theses and supervisor for three postdoctoral students. In general, her career has been marked by a commitment to collective dynamics, both within and outside UCLouvain. She regularly establishes interdisciplinary and inter-university collaborations that lead to conferences, publications, the creation of networks and platforms, and research agreements.

In terms of research projects, Céline Romainville is the principal supervisor of the project Belgian federalism in the face of the climate challenge, a Welchange FNRS project (2024-2028). She is also the supervisor of the project Brussels in the federalism of tomorrow. Unfolding and articulating the possible futures of institutions, public finances and public debt in Brussels, an interdisciplinary project funded by Innoviris' Prospective Research programme (2022-2025). She is co-promoter of the PDR project Institutions in search of trust – PDR research project of the National Fund for Scientific Research (2020-2025). She was also co-promoter of the project Experimenting to cope with uncertainty. The role of law (2021-2022).

She is the author or co-author of numerous publications in Belgian and international journals. In particular, she published her thesis in French on Le droit à la culture, une réalité juridique. Le droit de participer à la vie culturelle en droit constitutionnel et international (Larcier, 2014) and, as part of her postdoctoral research, edited a book entitled European law and cultural policies/ Droit européen et politiques culturelles (European law and cultural policies) (Peter Lang, 2015). Together with Marc Verdussen, she co-edited four CRECO symposia, which resulted in four books: La Sécurité sociale dans l’Etat fédéral (Social security in the federal state) (Anthemis, 2017); Etat et religion (State and religion) (Anthemis, 2018); Les grands arrêts sur le partage des compétences dans l’Etat fédéral (Larcier, Bibliothèque de droit public, 2019) and finally L’enquête parlementaire (Larcier, Bibliothèque de droit public, 2023). She co-edited the book Human Rights in Pandemic times - international, European and comparative perspectives (Larcier, Bibliothèque de droit public, 2023). Together with F. Bouhon, Mathias El Berhoumi, Toon Moonen and Dave Sinardet, she edited the special report "Quelle Constitution après 2019? Welke Grondwet na 2019?‘ (CDPK, 2019/2), preceded by a series of seminars on this topic. Together with Mathias El Berhoumi, she co-edited the special issue ’Les enjeux constitutionnels de la crise politique francophone de l'été 2017" (RBDC, 2018/1). She has co-organised numerous symposiums: the most recent (Federal Belgium: strengths and weaknesses of an atypical federalism) took place on 9 November 2023 at the Brussels Parliament; the last took place on 5 and 6 September 2024 on the theme of Trust in political institutions.

She has also published numerous articles in peer-reviewed journals, as well as numerous contributions in double-blind peer-reviewed collective works. These include, as co-author: ‘Federalism and Climate Change’ (2024) and ‘The Sources of the Distribution of Powers’ (2022) and, as sole author: ‘Dynamics of Belgian Plurinational Federalism: A Small State under Pressure’ (2015).  Her book, Trust in Political Institutions: The Role of Law, will be published in September 2024.  She is keen to strengthen the institutional approach to fundamental rights with articles such as ‘The Role of Parliaments in Guaranteeing Rights and Freedoms’ (2022). She has published on the links between law(s) and public policy, particularly between cultural rights and cultural policy. Finally, she conducts research inspired by the ‘law in transition’ approach in the field of constitutional law, which has resulted in the following publications: ‘Look up! When the German Federal Constitutional Court rejects climate denial’ (2021); ‘A journey to the heart of the concept of “special law”: the special “climate” laws’ and ‘Belgian cooperative federalism and its practice in climate matters’ (2022) and ‘The Constitution in the face of the ecological crisis. Constitutional levers and obstacles to guaranteeing intergenerational justice’ (2023).

She participated at more than a hundred scientific events in Belgium and abroad and regularly participates in the work of institutionalised networks in public law, in particular the International Society of Public Law (ICON-S). She is a member of the ICON-S Benelux Steering and Advisor Committees. She is a Fellow of the Villey Institute at the University of Paris II Panthéon – Assas and a member of the Government and Law Research Group at the University of Antwerp. She is co-director of the Louvain Law Review (Annales de droit de Louvain), a member of the editorial board of the Revue trimestrielle des droits de l'homme, editorial secretary of the Revue belge de droit constitutionnel and a member of the editorial board of the Bibliothèque de droit public published by Larcier.

Céline Romainville is a member of the Class of Letters, Moral and Political Sciences of the Royal Academy of Belgium, and a member of its Collegium. Together with Karel Reybrouck and Willem Sas, she coordinates the Re-Bels initiative – Rethinking Belgium's institutions in a European Context. She is also a member of the scientific committee of numerous research projects