Hello!

I have been admitted to the LL.M. European Law at both Leiden and Maastricht (in this last case, EU Law and Market Integration).

Which one is considered to be the best option for EU Law (reputation, academic programme etc.), given that I would like to specialise in EU Competition and Intelectual Property Law?

Also, any thoughts about Leiden's practicum and privatissimun, Maastricht's problem-based learning method and their effectiveness?

Thank you in advance!

Good morning Stella!

As I did some research, I do believe that Maastricht is a no-brainer when it come to EU Law, especially, the private field of specialization.

I cannot really answer the Leiden question, as I haven't really spoken to anyone regarding their programme. It appears that they launched it this year, in particular. Leiden didn't offer EU Law in the previous years, if I remember correctly.

Regarding PBL system, it is believed, that it's considerably hard, however, rewarding. You're focusing on relative cases, in a small class and discussing the issue with your peers or lecturers. So it has been proven, that it really works in practice.

Long story short, that's why I chose Maastricht. If you have any further questions, please just let me know. Unfortunately, I cannot speak about Leiden in that regard :)

Hello!

I have been admitted to the LL.M. European Law at both Leiden and Maastricht (in this last case, EU Law and Market Integration).

Which one is considered to be the best option for EU Law (reputation, academic programme etc.), given that I would like to specialise in EU Competition and Intelectual Property Law?

Also, any thoughts about Leiden's practicum and privatissimun, Maastricht's problem-based learning method and their effectiveness?

Thank you in advance!

Thank you both very much for your kind replies!

As I did my masters in European Law at Leiden University, I would very much recommend you the program. The program is quite intensive and delves into various topics, such as Internal Market and Competition Law (see https://studiegids.universiteitleiden.nl/en/studies/6809/law-european-law#tab-1 for more info on all the courses). There is no specific course that covers Intellectual Property Law, but you might choose to specialise in such an issue by doing your own research under supervision with your thesis. So if you are really looking for a program that mainly focusses on Competition and Intellectual Property Law, Leiden is perhaps not the best choice: the program in Leiden covers a wide range of distinctive EU law-areas, thereby giving you a broad insight on many particularities of EU law. Nevertheless, you'll have some choice in the program to focus on your personal preferences (through electives, practicum, privatissimum and thesis). 
As for your question on the practicum and privatissimum: Personally, I especially considered the practicum as an unique addition to the program, since this course intends to provide students with the opportunity to explore the work as a practicing lawyer by applying their knowledge of EU law in real-life (and actual) scenarios by means of a Moot Court. Also, you will have the possibility to choose the Competition-track during this course. 
As for the privatissimum: you will focus on a particular topic of European law, ranging from the Eurocrisis to fundamental human rights, under the supervision of a lecturer who is an expert in that particular field. The main objective of the course is to improve your research, writing and presentation skills by focusing on a topic of your interests. At the same time, this course gives you the opportunity to delve more deeply into a specific topic of your own interests. So you can make it as interesting as you like.  
To sum up: I would very much recommend the LLM European Law in Leiden, although I am not familiar with the program in Maastricht. As for the location: Leiden is an amazing city to study, and a great place to build a network through social activities besides the intense studying! 
Hope this helps!

Thank you very much for your reply and sorry for the belated answer!