The Vienna LL.M. Program in International Tax Law brings together a distinguished faculty of 75 leading experts from academia and professional practice worldwide. Our lecturers include renowned university professors, experienced tax practitioners, legal experts, advisors and specialists with a deep understanding of the challenges shaping international taxation today. This unique combination of academic excellence and practical expertise is one of the defining strengths of the program. Students benefit from rigorous scholarly perspectives as well as first-hand insights into the application of international tax law in complex real-world situations.
Bernhard Schima
Born in Vienna in 1968, where he also obtained his law degrees (master’s degree in 1991, doctorate in 1994). After completing postgraduate studies at Harvard Law School (LL.M. in 1994), he joined the Constitutional Law Section of the Austrian Federal Chancellery. From 1995 to 2003, he was a member of the chambers of Judge Dr. Peter Jann at the Court of Justice of the European Union. In 2003, he joined the European Commission’s Legal Service. In 2004, he obtained the postdoctoral qualification to lecture in European law from the University of Graz. In 2010, he was appointed honorary professor by WU. In 2013-2014, he was an EU Fellow at Yale University. In 2015, he became assistant to the Director General of the European Commission Legal Service. Since 2019, he has successively held the positions of Principal Legal Adviser and Director of the Civil Service Law Team, of the Team in charge of the Area of Freedom, Security and Justice and of the Team in charge of the Internal market for goods, enterprise, energy, environment, climate and defence of the European Commission Legal Service. He has taught and published extensively on various questions of European Union law.Courses:
The EU: Legal and Institutional Framework
Both European Union legislation and the case law of the European Court of Justice have an ever-increasing impact on tax law. To understand the mechanisms underlying this impact, knowledge of EU institutions and the sources of EU law is indispensable. These topics are therefore explored in detail in this course. The course places major emphasis on working with decisions of the Court of Justice of the European Union. On this basis, concepts of importance to tax law such as the direct effect and supremacy of EU law, Member State liability, fundamental rights, and issues of judicial protection are discussed.
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