Interview with Laurent Mesmann, Special Advisor to the Rector and Head of Dual Degrees Department at the Royal University of Law and Economics
Stew: Perhaps you could start by telling us a bit about yourself. What is your professional background and how did you come to be the Special Advisor to the Rector and Head of Dual Degrees Department at the Royal University of Law and Economics?
Laurent: Thank you, Stew! My journey at the Royal University of Law and Economics (RULE) has been intertwined with the institution's own evolution. Arriving in Cambodia in 2008 as a volunteer at the French Embassy, I was stationed at RULE as a young legal scholar, working within the French Cooperation Centers based in the Faculties of Economics / Management and Law. At that time, we offered degrees mainly in French, partnering only with universities in Lyon, and serving a smaller student body – just 250 students compared to the 700 we have today.
After my volunteer assignment, I became an International Technical Expert with the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, a position I held until 2016. That year marked a crucial turning point when French technical assistance was withdrawn. The Rector of RULE then appointed me Director of the two centres (now known as the Dual Degree Department).
This new role demanded a significant shift. The subsidised funding model was no longer sustainable, requiring us to develop a financially independent approach. My mandate was clear: meet the needs of the Cambodian labour market and the aspirations of Cambodian students. This involved strengthening our Master's programs, forging new partnerships with universities in Paris, Aix-Marseille, Montreal, and Brussels, and developing specialied programs like the Digital Master's (with Aix-Marseille), the recently launched Master's in Europe-Asia Economic Relations and Trade, and multiplying the teaching languages of our degrees (English, Khmer and French).
These efforts have been incredibly rewarding. In 2025, I am still here at RULE, a testament to the university's remarkable progress. In a nation where human resource development is so crucial, I work alongside the Rector and his team to balance the appeal of international degrees with affordable tuition, all while addressing the critical challenges facing our students today: the digital revolution, sustainable development, and gender equality, among others.
Stew: The French Cooperation Department at RULE is the only institution offering European Accredited dual degrees in law, economics, and management in Cambodia. What was the impetus behind the development of this body and why do you think that offering this type of globally recognised certification locally is important for Cambodia's educational landscape?
Laurent: The roots of our cooperation story can be traced back to 1992 when the Cambodian government sought France's assistance in revitalising its university system. Initially, the focus was on training Cambodian administrators in France, who would then return to rebuild their institutions. While effective, this model proved costly and unsustainable for large-scale implementation.
In the late 1990s, a strategic shift occurred. The emphasis moved towards local training, with scholarships for overseas master's programs in Europe reserved for the most promising students. This transition increased the number of students benefiting from the program from 20-30 annually to 150. By 2008, the focus was on evolving from a donor-funded system to one that could blend the excellence of French cooperation with local funding. Today, the Dual Degree Department rests on several cornerstones:
Internationally Recognised Dual Degrees: These programs, taught in Cambodia, provide a blend of international knowledge and local context. They enable graduates to pursue further studies abroad if they wish so.
Affordable Education: Tuition fees are on par with those of Cambodian public universities, ensuring that education is accessible to middle-income families, not just a privileged few.
Flexible Learning: Master's degrees are offered in the evenings or on weekends, allowing students to balance their professional lives with their academic pursuits.
Leading Tenured Professors: The teaching staff comprises international experts from Europe, but also Canada, the United States, Australia, and Japan, providing students with a rich tapestry of theoretical and practical perspectives.
In recent years, the department has further expanded its horizons by internationalising its student body, welcoming 70 European students annually. It has also forged stronger ties with the professional world through workshops, expert conferences, and internships, ensuring that students are well-prepared for their future careers.
Stew: You have served in this position at RULE for more than a decade, during a time in which Cambodia has experienced significant development, both economically as well as within civil society. Within the legal landscape, what have been some of the most meaningful changes you have witnessed?
Laurent: While Cambodia has made strides in legal reform since 2008, significant challenges remain in ensuring an efficient, transparent, and accessible legal system, particularly for foreign economic operators.
Numerous legislative reforms have been implemented and many more are under review, resulting in a generally sound legal framework. A notable positive aspect is the increasing availability of legal texts in English. However, a significant gap remains: the absence of a comprehensive, free, and officially sanctioned digital database aggregating all legal texts. This hinders accessibility and ease of navigation for both legal professionals and the general public.
The Cambodian government's efforts to promote Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) mechanisms, including the NCAC and NADR, are commendable. However, the upcoming establishment of commercial courts will fill a critical gap by providing investors and economic operators with a transparent, efficient, and credible means of resolving commercial disputes, something that is currently lacking. Efforts to enhance the skills and competence of legal professionals, through specialised law programs at the Royal University of Law and Economics (RULE) and the establishment of Royal Justice Academy of Cambodia (RAJC), are also crucial steps towards improving the legal landscape. Similarly, long-lasting initiatives such as the Arbitration Council for resolving collective labour disputes contribute to strengthening the rule of law in Cambodia.
The contributions of organisations like EuroCham, through its sectoral committees and annual White Book, are invaluable. By constructively highlighting challenges and obstacles faced by economic operators, EuroCham plays a vital role in improving the Cambodian regulatory environment. This collaborative approach fosters a positive dialogue between the private sector and the government, leading to potential reforms and a more conducive business environment.
Cambodia's legal landscape is evolving, with ongoing reforms and capacity-building initiatives. While challenges persist, the government's commitment to improvement, coupled with the active engagement of the private sector, offers hope for a more robust and effective legal system in the future.
Stew: With more and more Cambodian businesses exploring the potential of incorporating European regulatory frameworks into their operations and supply chains as a means to access global markets, what role do you think RULE's European-accredited degree programs could play in supporting these efforts?
Laurent: In my view, RULE's programs foster the internationalisation of Cambodian businesses on two fronts.
1 - Formally, they provide expert knowledge in law, economics, and management pertaining to international, and particularly Euro-Cambodian trade and investment integration. Having a substantial understanding of international, European and domestic laws is at the core of our dual degree programs at RULE. This is in large part justified by the weight the EU market represents for Cambodian businesses but also because the Cambodian legal system has been the product of legal transplants from French and European law due to historical reasons.
Therefore, all of our programs are designed with European partner universities to ensure the incorporation of the European dimension. In practical terms, this means four elements:
First, students are awarded the European diploma and the Cambodian diploma upon graduation. Second, a large number of courses are conducted by European law or economics professors coming from their home universities to RULE to maximise impact on our students. Third, the curricula in our dual degree programs are tailored collaboratively to reflect the comparative dimension we want to give to our students. Finally, reciprocal exchange programs and access to e-collections from our partners solidify our aspirations to create competences not only in Cambodian law or in the Cambodian business landscape but also with a European component.
2 - Informally, they facilitate interaction between European and Cambodian postgraduate students, enabling them to acquire and develop a concrete understanding of cross-cultural management, cultural differences, and global economic issues. Furthermore, alumni have the opportunity to cultivate international networks.
Stew: Looking ahead, are there any economic, regulatory, or legal developments on the horizon that you think could impact the business landscape in Cambodia? How could they impact the way that RULE approaches education?
Laurent: At the global level, escalating tensions between China and the US, as well as between the US and several of its trading partners, are likely to create both incentives and opportunities to strengthen economic ties between Europe and Southeast Asia. At the bilateral trade level, the increasing stringency of environmental regulations in Europe will continue to influence trade policies, and Cambodian exporters should anticipate these changes. RULE's programs in management and economics already address environment-related and corporate social responsibility (CSR) issues, and this focus should be maintained.
As regard to the specific situation in Cambodia, the series of digital laws and regulations currently being drafted will profoundly impact the business environment in Cambodia. For instance, the personal data protection law alone will create new legal constraints for businesses operating in Cambodia, especially regarding compliance, which in turn will translate into demands for lawyers trained in digital law and data protection in particular. Similarly, the new PPP (Public-Private Partnerships) law came as a response to the increasing demand for infrastructure financing in Cambodia, necessitating lawyers specialising in construction and PPP law.
At RULE, we have identified existing gaps between pressing demands for specialised competences in the legal or the economics / management fields within the private and public sectors and the limited availability of such competences today. As an illustration, we have created highly specialised yet affordable dual master’s programs in digital law and land law in Khmer language that deliver up-to-date, state-of-the-art legal skills to our graduate students which translate into real added-value for their employers. We have also recently refocused our established Master's program in project management and entrepreneurship to delve deeper into fields related to sustainable development and the environment, as we believe these skills will soon be essential for the entrepreneurs of tomorrow, if not already necessary today.
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