On 31 March 2022, Doctoral Graduates Olivier Voordeckers and Simona Demková were officially awarded the 2020 and 2021 Pescatore Prizes, respectively, for the best doctoral thesis by the Doctoral School of Law.
Prof. Joana Mendes, Head of the Doctoral School of Law, and Prof. Herwig Hofmann, Head of the Department of Law conferred the award during the Doctoral School of Law Alumni event.
Olivier Voordeckers: National banking law within the European Single Supervisory Mechanism
Dr. Olivier Voordeckers (left) accepts the award from Prof. Joana Mendes (right).
Olivier Voordeckers, the 2020 Pescatore Prize recipient, examined the power of the European Central Bank to apply national law directly to individuals in the context of the Single Supervisory Mechanism in his thesis, “National banking law within the European Single Supervisory Mechanism”, which he defended on 14 January 2020 in Luxembourg. Dr. Voordeckers explored the salient question as to whether the direct execution of national law by a European institution constitutes a new executive technique that could prove to be a potent force of integration, or whether its potential as a catalyst for harmonisation is undermined by legal uncertainty, conflicts of competence, and an erosion of judicial protection.
Dr. Voordeckers is currently working as a compliance and risk officer for a Belgian start-up in the payments industry and serving as a director of the Belgian association of payment institutions, representing these institutions to supervisory authorities and policy-makers. He has recently held a position as guest professor of business and company law at the University of Hasselt and is affiliated as senior researcher to the Jan Ronse Institute for Company and Financial Law at the Faculty of Law of the Catholic University of Leuven (KULeuven).
“I feel deeply honoured to receive the Pierre Pescatore Prize,” Said Dr. Voordeckers, “To me, this prize represents an enormous recognition for years of hard work.” Dr. Voordeckers thanked his thesis supervisor Prof. Silvia Allegrezza as well as both the Department of Law and the Doctoral School of Law for their exceptional support, saying that they “made the adventure a pleasant ride.”
Prof. Hofmann characterised Dr. Voordeckers as, “A bright, inspired, contributing member of the academic community.” Prof Hofmann further praised Dr. Voordeckers’ excellent writing and publications. Prof. Hofmann finished by mentioning Dr. Voordeckers’ entrepreneurial spirit as he develops his own practice.
Simona Demková:Effective Review in the Age of Information: The Case-study of Semi-automated Decision-making based on Schengen Information System
Dr. Simona Demková (left) receives the prize from Prof. Joana Mendes (right). 
Simona Demková was chosen as the 2021 Pescatore Prize recipient for her thesis, The thesis, titled “Effective Review in the Age of Information: The Case-study of Semi-automated Decision-making based on Schengen Information System”, which she defended on 18 October 2021. The thesis examines the challenges for the enforcement of rights against European multilevel decision-making that relies on large-scale and automated information processing. Dr. Demková found that that individuals’ possibilities for direct enforcement of rights are fundamentally reduced in the age of information. The thesis calls for strengthening of the review mechanisms as the absolute priority to balance the magnitude of power exerted by means of automation on private lives. To that end, the thesis conceptualises procedural review as a means to account-giving in the age of information.
Dr. Demková is currently working as a postdoctoral researcher within the framework DTU DILLAN. The project creates a network of research excellence dedicated to studying legal challenges of novel technologies, such as artificial intelligence. From September 2022, she will join a prominent university in the Netherlands as Assistant Professor in European law, where she will be able to build on the experience and knowledge gained at the University of Luxembourg, and engage in further academic activities, especially teaching.
“The Pescatore Prize means an incredible honour and recognition for me”, Dr. Demková said. “It attests the importance of my research interests and my academic qualities, and thus greatly encourages me to carry on in my professional path. I am immensely thankful to the selection committee for granting me this award, and to my thesis supervisor Professor Herwig Hofmann, my doctoral supervisory committee and my defence jury members for all their support and guidance towards realisation of this research.”
“A real European, a cosmopolite and polyglot,” was how Prof. Hoffman introduced Dr. Demková. He went on to praise her dedication to the DILLAN DTU and her exemplary contribution to the Doctoral School of Law as a Postdoctoral researcher.
About the award
The Pescatore Prize, first presented in 2018, is named in honour of Luxembourg legal scholar and judge at the European Court of Justice Pierre Pescatore (1919 – 2010). Mr Pescatore was one of Luxembourg’s representatives during the negotiations for the Treaty of Rome. He held numerous honorary titles from universities across Europe in recognition of his outstanding research in the fields of European law, international law and jurisprudence. It is awarded once per year to one Doctoral School of Law graduate for the best doctoral thesis.
Photo credit: Sophie Margue