Dutch, EU Parliamentarian van der Laan Guest Lecturer at Webster Leiden

On Oct. 29, Webster University Leiden hosted guest lecturer Lousewies van der Laan, a former fraction leader of the Democrat 66 party in the Dutch Parliament, former EU parliamentarian, and currently head of corporate affairs at Eurojust, the EU agency for judicial co-operation in criminal matters. 

Van der Laan discussed her current activities at Eurojust and about her former political career, explaining why an organization like Eurojust is so vital in modern Europe. She led students through an example of a murder case concerning a few EU and non-EU countries, which they found captivating.

Van der Laan also spoke about her experiences as a political leader of one of the (currently ruling) political parties in the Netherlands, addressing the pros and cons of joining the ruling coalition, and what it's like to be one of the the first female leaders of an established political party.