Staff profile

Irene is an Associate Professor in European Union Law at Durham Law School, having joined in October 2019 as Assistant Professor. She is also affiliated to the Durham European Law Institute, having previously served as co-Director (2019-2021) and to the Global Policy Institute. During her time at Durham Irene has been Co-Director of Equality Diversity and Inclusion, and decolonisation contact point for Durham Law School. In this framework she has received funding from the Faculty of Health and Social Science to carry out a research project, with the support of students intern on "EU Law, Decolonisation and Brexit". From September 2023 until August 2025, she will be working as a PI on an AHRC funded project titled "Brexit's impact on transfers of prisoners: A shift in balance between criminal policy objectives and individuals' rights?"

Irene is a fellow of the Royal Society for Arts and Science, a member of the European Criminal Law Academic Network, and an Associated, and Managing Editor to the New Journal of European Criminal Law, one of the leading publications in this field.

Prior to coming to Durham, she was a post-doctoral research associate at the University of Cambridge, and at the Université Libre de Bruxelles, sponsored by the Wiener Anspach Foundation (2016-2019). In 2014 she was the recipient of the European University Institute - Academy of European Law Diploma

Irene holds a PhD from the Université Libre de Bruxelles and the Vrije Universiteit Brussels, a M.A. in European Interdisciplinary Studies from the College of Europe (PO), a LLM from the University of Trento (IT), and from the University of Maastricht (NL), and an LLB from the University of Trento (IT) and from the Université Paris 13 (FR).

She has been a visiting scholar at the Max Plank Institute for the Study of Crime Security and Law (DE), and at the European University Institute (IT), and invited guest lecturer at the LUISS University Guido Carli (Rome), the Waseda University (Tokyo), the Fondaçao Getulio Vargas (Rio de Janeiro), the Institute for European Studies - Université Libre de Bruxelles (Brussels). 

Irene welcomes approaches for supervision from prospective doctoral students in her areas of expertise, and in particular any aspect of EU Criminal Law.

Grants awarded

• In 2021 Irene received an AHRC a Research Engagement and Development Fellowship for a project titled "Brexit's impact on transfers of prisoners: A shift in balance between criminal policy objectives and individuals' rights?" (£ 190.000)
• In 2018 Irene received the the Flemish National Council (FWO) three-year Post-Doctoral Scholarship, which she declined to take up her post at Durham Law School.

Research

Irene is an EU law scholar with a focus on the field of European Criminal law, and transnational cooperation in the fight against crime more in general. She is particularly interested in the legitimacy and constitutional dimension of such cooperation which she explored with respect to dimensions of the EU Area of criminal justice. A first stream of her research is theoretical analysis, from an EU constitutional law and a criminal legal theory perspective, of EU legal harmonisation processes in criminal matters. This work includes her early publications on subsidiarity with Hart and in the German Law Journal, her monograph, “The Legitimacy of EU Criminal Law (Hart 2020)”, which was recently quoted by Advocate General Priit Pikamäe, as well as her recent publication in the European Journal of criminal policy and research. The second stream is an investigation of the constitutional framework and the empirical realities of transnational judicial cooperation, especially transfer of prisoners. This includes her work carried out in Cambridge and published in the Maastricht Journal of European and Comparative law, and will be further explored in her AHRC grant. The last stream focuses on the protection of EU values in the external dimension of EU cooperation in criminal matters. This includes her work on EU-Japan cooperation with the New Journal of European Criminal Law, the European Law Review and Routledge. Finally, Irene has recently developed an interest in comparative legal education which has been explored in her forthcoming publications on EU Law teaching outside Europe and decolonisation.

• EU Criminal Law
• EU Constitutional Law
• Transnational criminal law
• Comparative legal education
• Decolonising Legal Education
• Comparative Criminal Law

• Durham European Law Institute
• Global Policy Institute

Authored book

• Wieczorek, I. (2020). The Legitimacy of EU Criminal Law. London: Hart Publishing.

Chapter in book

• Wieczorek, Irene & Weyembergh, Anne (2022). Transfer of prisoners and extradition cases between Europe and Japan: legal and practical challenges. In Europe and Japan Cooperation in the Fight against Cross-border Crime: Challenges and Perspectives. Matsuzawa, Shin, Weyembergh, Anne & Wieczorek, Irene London: Routledge. 1-24.
• Wieczorek, I. & Parisi, P. (2021). Research Questions. In Research Methods in the Social Sciences: An A-Z of key concepts. Morin, J., Olsson, C. & Atikcan, E. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
• Wieczorek, I (2019). The impact of the Radu case on national jurisdictions. In The Court of Justice and European Criminal Law. Leading Cases in Contextual Analysis. Mitsilegas, V, di Martino, A & Mancano, L Hart Publishing.
• Wieczorek, I & Creta, I (2019). Individus en tant bénéficiaires accidentaux de la solidarité interétatique ? Un cas d’Etude sur les normes européeenes sur le transfers de deliquants. In La Solidarité Européenneç enjeux et perspectives. Coman, R, Fromont, L & Weyembergh, A Larcier.
• Wieczorek, I (2017). The principle of Subsidiarity in EU Criminal Law. In The needed balances in EU Criminal Law: past present and future. Brière, C & Weyembergh, A Hart Publishing.
• Wieczorek, I (2016). Understanding JHA agencies in context: where does Eurojust lie in the constitutional architecture of the Area of Freedom Security and Justice? In The European Union as an Area of Freedom Security and Justice. Fletcher, M, Herlin-Karnell, E & Matera, C Routledge.
• Wieczorek, I & Weyembergh, A (2016). Is there an EU Criminal Policy? In EU Criminal Justice and the Challenges of Legal Diversity. Colson, R & Field, S Cambridge University Press.
• Wieczorek, I, De Hert, P & Boulet, G (2013). Fondements et objectifs des incriminations au niveau Européen: le cas de la criminalité informatique. In Les fondements et objectifs des incriminations et des peines en droit pénal européen et international. Bernard, D, Cartuyvels, Y, Guillain, C, Scalia, D & Van De Kerkhove, M Anthémis.

Edited book

• Matsuzawa, Shin, Weyembergh, Anne & Wieczorek, Irene (2023). Europe and Japan Cooperation in the Fight against Cross-border Crime: Challenges and Perspectives. Globalisation, Europe, and Multilateralism. London: Routledge.

Edited Journal

• Wieczorek, I, Valsamis, M & Niovi, V (2020). New Voices in EU Criminal Law: Part 2. New Journal of European Criminal Law, 11 (3).
• Wieczorek, I, Weyembergh, A & Padfield, N (2018). Punishment, deprivation of liberty and the Europeanization of criminal justice. Maastricht Journal of European and Comparative Law, 25 (6): Sage Journals.
• Wieczorek, I, Mitsilegas, V & Vavoula, N (2015). New Voices in EU Criminal Law. New Journal of European Criminal Law, 6 (1): Sage Journals.

Journal Article

• Wieczorek, Irene (2023). The emerging role of the EU as a primary normative actor in the EU Area of Criminal Justice. European Law Journal 27(4-6): 378-407.
• Wieczorek, Irene (2022). EU Harmonisation of Norms Regulating Detention: Is EU Competence (Art. 82(2)b TFEU) Fit for Purpose? European Journal on Criminal Policy and Research 28(3): 465–481.
• Fahey, Elaine & Wieczorek, Irene (2022). The European Parliament as a defender of EU values in EU-Japan agreements: what role for soft law and hard law powers? European Law Review 47(3): 331-352.
• Wieczorek, I & Yanhong, Y (2020). What model for extradition between Hong Kong and mainland China? A comparison between the 2019 (withdrawn) amendment to Hong Kong extradition law and the European Arrest Warrant 2020. New Journal of European Criminal Law 11(4): 504-523.
• Weyembergh, Anne & Wieczorek, Irene (2020). Norm diffusion as a tool to uphold and promote EU values and interests: A case study on the EU Japan Mutual Legal Assistance Agreement. New Journal of European Criminal Law 11(4): 439-466.
• Wieczorek, I (2018). EU constitutional limits to the Europeanization of punishment: A case study on offenders’ rehabilitation. Maastricht Journal of European and Comparative Law 25(6): 655-671.
• Wieczorek, Irene (2015). The EPPO Draft Regulation Passes the First Subsidiarity Test: An Analysis and Interpretation of the European Commission's Hasty Approach to National Parliaments’ Subsidiarity Arguments. German Law Journal 16(5): 1247-1270.
• Wieczorek, I & De Hert, P (2012). Testing the Principle of Subsidiarity in EU Criminal Policy – The Omitted Exercise in the Recent EU Documents on Principles for Substantive European Criminal Law. New Journal of European Criminal Law 3(3): 394-411.
• Wieczorek, I (2012). A needed balance between Security Liberty and Justice. Positive signals arrive from the field of victim's rights. European Criminal Law Review 2(2): 141-157.

Other (Digital/Visual Media)

• Wieczorek, I (Accepted). The crisis of the EU solidarity: legal issues, online interview for the Think Tank “Osservatorio Balcani e Caucaso”.
• Wieczorek, I (Accepted). My Day Learning Together, Blog Post on teaching ‘Legal Skills’ jointly to Cambridge Master Students, and Prison Based Students. Blog.

Other (Print)

• Wieczorek, I & Vavoula, N (2015). The constitutional relevance of EU Criminal Law. New Journal of European Criminal Law 6(1).
• Wieczorek, I (2014). Amanda Knox – The Truth (About the Law). Archbold Review 6.
• Wieczorek, I & Insolera, P (2013). The Italian Court of Cassation delivers its ruling in the Abu Omar case. The decision. New Journal of European Criminal Law 4(1-2): 180-184.
• Wieczorek, I (2012). The Italian Court of Cassation delivers its ruling in the Abu Omar case. What to expect from the decision? New Journal of European Criminal Law 3(3-4): 412-420.
• Wieczorek, I (2011). The new proposal on victims' rights: what priority for the Commission, law enforcement concerns or the safeguard of the rights of the individuals? New Journal of European Criminal Law 2(3): 343-348.