NOVA School of Law and Antas da Cunha Ecija establish the Cruz Vilaça Chair and EU Law Excellence Award

Following the cooperation protocol signed between NOVA School of Law (Faculty of Law) and Antas da Cunha Ecija, the Cruz Vilaça – Antas da Cunha ECIJA Chair in European Union Law has been created, along with the Cruz Vilaça – Antas da Cunha ECIJA Award for Excellence in European Union Law.

The Chair aims to promote teaching and research in European Union Law and to honour Dr José Luís da Cruz Vilaça, one of the most distinguished Portuguese figures in this field. His career includes, among other roles, leading the negotiations for Portugal’s accession to the then European Communities and serving at the Court of Justice of the European Union as Advocate General, Judge, and President of the then Court of First Instance. He has also received several national decorations.

Funded under the terms of the Protocol, the Chair is currently held by Professor Francisco Costa-Cabral, who joined our faculty this academic year in this capacity. He holds a PhD from King’s College London and has an international academic and professional background. He currently teaches constitutional law on the undergraduate programme and competition law on the master’s programme.

Within the framework of the Chair, the Cruz Vilaça – Antas da Cunha ECIJA Award for Excellence in European Union Law has been approved. The award recognises the academic excellence of a second-year student on the Undergraduate Law Programme on an annual basis.

The award will be granted to the student with the highest classification, as determined by their final grade in Constitutional Law of the European Union and their average grade in all other courses completed by the end of the second year. This will be in accordance with the provisions set out in the award’s specific regulations.

The distinguished student will be able to mention the award in their CV, undertake an internship at Antas da Cunha Ecija and receive a €1,000 monetary prize funded by the Chair.

The first award will be presented in the 2025/26 academic year, reinforcing the commitment of NOVA School of Law to recognising merit and excellence in the teaching of European Union law.