Rector Schütze was unanimously elected by the University of Vienna Board on 30 April 2022. He took office on 1 October 2022 for a four-year term.

In addition to the Rector, the meeting on 22 February was attended by ELI’s President, Prof Dr Pascal Pichonnaz, ELI’s Vice-Presidents Lord John Thomas and Anne Birgitte Gammeljord, ELI’s Scientific Director, Prof Dr Christiane Wendehorst, and ELI’s Secretary General, Dr Vanessa Wilcox.

The meeting was on occasion to congratulate the Rector on his appointment and to introduce the above figures within ELI to him. Discussions centered on how well ELI’s project portfolio, which spans three broad topics, namely Rule of Law and the Convergence of Legal Systems in the 21st Century, Law and Governance for the Digital Age and Sustainable Life and Society, is aligned with the Rector’s notion of ‘grand topics of the future, ranging from digital transformation, health, climate and environment to migration, mobility, understanding democracy and political education.’

On the occasion, the Rector praised ELI for its achievement and thanked it for integrating several figures from within the Law Faculty of the University in its work, again in alignment of his vision of furthering the strategic positioning of the University of Vienna at an international level.

ELI wishes the Rector the very best during his term of office.