Biographical Sketch

Dr.habil. Tamás Molnár has been affiliated with the Institute for Law and Governance since August 2024. He studied law at the ELTE University in Budapest (Master of Laws) and at the Université libre de Bruxelles, Institut d’Etudes europénnnes (LL.M. on EU law) and holds a Ph.D. in public international law (ELTE University, Budapest). He obtained his post-doctoral qualification called “habilitation” (dr. habil.) in public international law in 2022 (ELTE University, Budapest).

Since September 2016, Tamás has been working as a legal research officer on asylum, migration and borders as well as horizontal issues of public international law at the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) in Vienna. Before his tenure with FRA, he worked for a decade in various ministries in Hungary in the fields of constitutional law, law of treaties, law of international organizations, as well as international and EU migration/refugee law and their domestic implementation (drafting legislation and negotiating treaties).

Tamás has extensive teaching and research experience in public international law and EU migration law at different institutions, amongst others Corvinus University of Budapest (Department of International Relations) and the University of London, School of Advanced Study (MA in Refugee Protection and Forced Migration Studies). He completed a four-year postdoctoral research project financed through a research scholarship awarded by the Hungarian Academy of Sciences (2014-2018), the outcome of which has been published as a monograph titled “The Interplay between the EU’s Return Acquis and International Law” (Edward Elgar Publishing 2021). He has published widely in the fields of international law, international institutional law, EU migration law, and the relationship of legal orders.

Research Interests

Tamás’ research interests include the relationship between legal orders (international law, EU law, and national legal systems), the autonomy of EU law, international and EU migration and refugee law, international human rights law, law of treaties, international responsibility, and the law of international organizations.

In his current research, Tamás focuses on the multi-faceted interactions between EU law and international law, employing juxtaposed perspectives as well as the responsibility of EU Member States and the EU (Frontex) under international law for breaching human rights in multi-actor (cooperative) border management scenarios, including questions of reparations under international law.

Together with LawGov’s Birgit Hollaus and Stefan Mayr, Tamás acted as co-organiser of the ESIL-supported international workshop entitled “The autonomy of EU law under pressure? The changing landscape of the interactions between EU law and international law”, which took place on 16-17 January 2025 at WU. Information on the event, including the book of abstracts and any post-conference activities, are available at the event website.

Selected Publications and Research Projects

• T Molnár, ‘The Court of Justice of the EU and CIL Interpretation: Close Encounters of a Third Kind?’ in M Fortuna, K Gorobets, P Merkouris, A Føllesdal, G Ulfstein and P Westerman (eds), Customary International Law and Its Interpretation by International Courts (Cambridge University Press 2024) 156-185

• R A Wessel and T Molnár, Interactions between EU Law and International Law (Edward Elgar Publishing 2024)

• T Molnár, ‘EU Member States’ Responsibility under International Law for Breaching Human Rights When Cooperating with Third Countries on Migration: Grey Zones of Law’ (2023) 8 European Papers. A Journal on Law and Integration 1013-1035

• T Molnár, ‘The EU General Court’s Judgment in WS & Others v Frontex: What Could International Law on the Responsibility of International Organizations Offer in Grasping Frontex’ Responsibility?’ EJIL:Talk! Blog of the European Journal of International Law (18 October 2023)

• M Panizzo, D Vitiello, T Molnár (eds), Rule of Law and Human Mobility in the Age of the Global Compacts (MDPI 2023) 170 p

• T Molnár and Ch Brière, ‘The New Review Mechanism of the UN Smuggling of Migrants Protocol. Challenges in Measuring the EU’s and its Member States’ Compliance’ in N Levrat, Y Kaspiarovich, Ch Kaddous and R A Wessel (eds), The EU and its Member States’ Joint Participation in International Agreements (Hart Publishing 2022) 207-230

• T Molnár, The Interplay between the EU's Return Acquis and International Law (Edward Elgar Publishing 2021) 272 p

• T Molnár, ‘The EU shaping the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration: the glass half full or half empty?’ (2020) 16 International Journal of Law in Context 321-338

• T Molnár, ‘Revisiting the External Dimension of the Autonomy of EU Law: Is There Anything New Under the Sun?’ (2016) 57 Hungarian Journal of Legal Studies 178-197

For the full list of publications, see here.