De Somer, Marie

Dr. Marie De Somer is a Senior Policy Analyst and Head of the Migration and Diversity Programme. Marie works on policy questions related to migration and mobility, with a particular interest in human rights issues, citizenship-related questions and the role of courts.

Before joining the EPC in September 2017, Marie worked at the KU Leuven and at Maastricht University where she researched EU family reunification law and policies. She also gained experience working at the Justice and Home Affairs Section of CEPS and at the European Commission’s DG Migration and Home Affairs.

Marie is also a visiting professor at the KU Leuven Centre for Public Law and at Sciences Po, Paris, where she teaches ‘EU Human Rights Law and Policy’.

Marie is the author of ‘Precedents and Judicial Politics in EU Immigration Law’ published in July 2018 with Palgrave Macmillan. She regularly comments on EU migration policies for international and European media.

Marie holds a PhD from Maastricht University (awarded ‘Ernst B. Haas Best Dissertation Prize – Honorable Mention’ by the American Political Science Association), an MSc in European Studies from the London School of Economics and master degrees from the KU Leuven (in Contemporary European History and in European Politics and Policies).