Dr. Benedikt Pirker

Biography

Benedikt Pirker is a Titular Professor at the University of Fribourg, holding the Chair in European Law, International Law, and Public Law. He has a significant research focus on international law, European Union law, and European Economic Area law, and serves as a Senior Research Fellow at the Liechtenstein Institute. Pirker completed his degrees at the College of Europe in Bruges and the Graduate Institute of International Studies in Geneva. His career includes working as a Legal Advisor for the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, where he advised on matters of public international law, including the ius ad bellum, the Security Council, and Swiss neutrality. He has been part of the Swiss negotiating delegation’s team on free movement of persons in recent negotiations with the European Union. In addition to his teaching roles at various prestigious universities, including St. Gallen, Bern, Ottawa, and conducting research at the European University Institute, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, MPIL Heidelberg, and the University of Michigan, he has held leadership roles such as co-president of the International Language & Law Association from 2021 to 2023. He is also active in academic publishing, contributing to journals such as the European Journal of International Law and the Leiden Journal of International Law.

Research Interests

Courses