Wiebe Hommes

Winner Dissertation Prize 2025

Report by the selection committee 

‘The Convention, c’est nous,’ writes Wiebe Hommes in his thorough and multifaceted dissertation Co-creating European human rights: How the Netherlands received and shaped the European Convention on Human Rights. In doing so, he emphasizes that this major treaty exists and has effect not merely through the efforts of the court, but through those of all of us: from lawyers and administrators to scholars and activists. By examining the formation and implementation of the Convention and the wide range of actors involved, Dr Hommes paints a dynamic picture centred on ongoing co-creation, rather than the reception of established law. By taking many factors into account, the dissertation shows that the current European Convention on Human Rights is not a given – things could have turned out differently. The Convention is the work of human beings. 

According to the jury, the dissertation is a welcome addition to the legal and socio-legal literature owing to its choice of a more historical approach. In doing so, it follows the continuous construction of the Convention through successive developments such as European integration, the decolonization of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, and the end of the Cold War. Through in-depth archival research and the critical confrontation of socio-legal theories about the European Convention on Human Rights, this study makes an innovative contribution to international debates on the handling of human rights within states. At the same time, it constantly looks beyond national borders, by consciously recognizing that the Kingdom of the Netherlands extends beyond Europe. In the 1960s, the Caribbean part of the Kingdom – the former Netherlands Antilles and Suriname – also came under the protection of the Convention. This changed the character of the Convention from an agreement about European integration to one that included matters concerning individual human rights. 

The jury is highly appreciative of the clear language in which the dissertation is written, making the subject matter accessible to a wide group of interested readers. In addition, the jury considers the examination of the canon and the correction of general assumptions to be commendable, as well as the precise method of investigation and substantiation. The dissertation demonstrates a passion for the international legal order and a commitment to society, yet despite the perceived urgency of the subject, it consistently maintains a calm, inquisitive and modest tone. With humanistic values such as tolerance, cultural diversity and non-dogmatic, critical thinking in mind, this book is a well-deserved prize winner.