The prime minister said he would not review his thesis but asked the University of Lorraine to withdraw the degree Library photo: SIP / Jean-Christophe Verhaegen

The prime minister said he would not review his thesis but asked the University of Lorraine to withdraw the degree Library photo: SIP / Jean-Christophe Verhaegen

Prime minister Xavier Bettel has said the University of Lorraine should withdraw his “diplôme d’études approfondies” (DEA) degree after the institution said he must review his thesis over plagiarism accusations. 

The University of Lorraine on Tuesday said Bettel (DP) should revise a thesis submitted as part of his degree in 1998 to include missing references and properly annotate the work. The institution had launched an investigation after an analysis by Luxembourg media outlet Reporter claimed that 96% of the 56-page document contained plagiarised paragraphs. 

“After careful consideration I have decided to ask the university to withdraw the DEA. This to dispel any doubts over the value of the DEA and to prevent a loss of trust in academic work,” the premier said in a statement issued shortly after the university’s verdict.

“Several parts of the document could be considered a type of plagiarism as not referenced correctly,” the Nancy-based institution had said. The compilation thesis, meaning it was put together from different documents, formed part of Bettel’s law studies.

“It’s important for me to highlight that I didn’t want to deceive anyone back then,” Bettel said. “I regret this situation and ask the university to accept my apology and my decision.”

The university had convened a committee of three experts to assess the thesis following the plagiarism accusations. In its 1 February statement and at the end of a two-month investigation, it said it had reviewed the document based on the standards applicable at the time.

Bettel himself had previously said that he “could have done better” but that he had acted in “clear conscience”  when writing and submitting his thesis. 

The prime minister was informed of the university’s decision on Monday.

The “diplôme d’études approfondies” is a postgraduate diploma that was awarded in France until 2005, constituting the fifth year of higher education studies. It served as the first year of doctoral studies for students pursuing that degree.

Prior to his DEA, Bettel completed a Master-equivalent degree at the same university in public and European law. In parallel to his studies,  Bettel was already active in Luxembourg politics. He was elected to the Luxembourg City council in 1999.  He became a certified lawyer in the grand duchy in 2001.