Fifth Institute abroad inaugurated

May 07, 2013

The Max Planck Institute Luxembourg for International, European and Regulatory Procedural Law was formally inaugurated with an opening ceremony on 8 May. It is the first Max Planck institute in the field of law located outside Germany and represents an important addition to the Society’s research portfolio in the field of jurisprudence.

The official opening ceremony was attended by, among others, the Grand Duke of Luxembourg, Henri I, Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker, Cornelia Quennet-Thielen, State Secretary in the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research, and Max Planck President, Peter Gruss. On 7 May, the eve of the ceremony, the Luxembourg Institute’s building – situated in close proximity to the European Court of Justice – hosted a symposium on the topic of “Dispute Resolution and Law Enforcement in the Financial Crisis”, moderated by Founding Director, Burkhard Hess. In addition to several renowned legal experts, the Institute’s two External Scientific Members will also be in attendance: the former Advocate-General of the European Court of Justice, Verica Trstenjak, and Marco Ventoruzzo, Professor at Bocconi University (Milan) and Penn State University.

Research in three departments

The Institute will conduct research into modern tendencies in dispute resolution from numerous perspectives: from the standpoint of international law, from the point of view of European and comparative civil procedure law, and from the perspective of regulation, particularly the regulation of financial markets. Accordingly, the Institute comprises three departments. “One of the Institute’s major advantages lies in the fact that it brings together different branches of law – on a national and international level. In doing so, the Institute’s research profile overcomes the separation of public and private law that is peculiar to German and continental European law,” emphasises Founding Director, Burkhard Hess. In addition, criminal aspects – particularly in international and European law – will be incorporated: “This approach makes the Institute internationally compatible and opens up new perspectives for procedural law.”

Luxembourg is the ideal location

The new Institute will be fully financed by the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. This measure is part of a comprehensive strategy by the Luxembourg government to make the country a centre of academic excellence and university education. The location is ideal for a Max Planck institute with focus on procedural law, as Luxembourg is synonymous with the continuous advancement and opening up of EU Member States’ legal systems on the basis of European law and case law from the European Court of Justice. “The new MPI will engage in persistent and constructive dialogue with the European courts and institutions,” says Hess. It will also seek close cooperation in research and education with the University of Luxembourg’s Faculty of Law.

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