This book deals with the interconnection between the Brussels I Recast and Rome I Regulations and addresses the question of uniform interpretation. A consistent understanding of scope and provisions is suggested by the preamble of the Rome I Regulation. Without doubt, it is fair to presume that the same terms bear the same meaning throughout the Regulations. The author takes a closer look at the Regulations’ systems, guiding principles, and their balance of flexibility and legal certainty. He starts from the premise that such analysis should prove particularly rewarding as both legal acts have their specific DNA: The Brussels I Recast Regulation has a procedural focus when it governs the allocation of jurisdiction and the free circulation of judgments. The multilateral rules under the Rome I Regulation, by contrast, are animated by conflict of laws methods and focus on the delimitation of legal systems. This fourth volume in the Short Studies in Private International Law Series is primarily aimed at legal academics in private international law and advanced students. But it should also prove an intriguing read for legal practitioners in international litigation. Christoph Schmon is a legal expert in the fields of Private International Law, Consumer Law, and Digital Rights. After serving in research positions at academic institutes in Vienna and London, he focused on EU policy and law making. He is appointed expert of advisory groups to the EU Commission.

This book examines the diversity of enforcement titles in cross-border debt collection, focusing on the types, structure, contents and effects of enforcement titles. It offers a comprehensive overview of judgments, court settlements and authentic instruments from a variety of EU Member States. It primarily employs the comparative legal method to draw conclusions on commonalities and differences, as well as prospects for future approximation of laws. The premise of the research is rooted in the finding that national authorities of EU Member States continue to treat enforcement titles from other Member States with reservations and mistrust despite being committed to the principle of mutual trust. The book identifies the issues of mistrust stemming from the diversity of enforcement titles. The research is based on a rich database of national reports compiled during the course of several large-scale EU Justice Projects. Divided into five parts, the book offers first some general considerations and presents attempts at a systemisation of enforcement titles. The following parts are then devoted to more specialised approaches toward the different types of enforcement titles. However, the connecting line between all parts of the book are the considerations of cross-border enforcement in the EU (and in a limited manner with third States). Herein, research also addresses critical factors regarding the free movement of judgments in the EU, including those of lis pendens and related actions. This book provides a valuable contribution to the Theory of European Civil Procedure. Since it is based on a comparative approach and employs both empirical and doctrinal viewpoints, it should also greatly benefit practitioners involved in cross-border dispute resolution. Overall, the findings should be of interest to a broad audience, including policymakers, judges, practitioners and scholars.

The Brussels I-bis Regulation remains the most significant legal instrument for procedural law in the EU, providing the cornerstone for questions of international jurisdiction and enforcement of judgments in civil and commercial matters. This authoritative book provides a thorough and practical analysis of the Regulation, with particular focus on its interpretation and application.

Blockchains and smart contracts are emerging technologies that pose unique challenges for legal systems. This book outlines the extent to which these new and innovative technologies could have potentially disruptive effects on contract law in Europe. It does so through a comparative, three-part analysis of the recognisability and effects of smart contracts in European legal systems. First of all, in light of the technologies’ transboundary nature, the book employs a comparative approach, considering French law, German law, English law, and Dutch law to analyse the impact on the different systems of contract law. While doing so, it also addresses the formation, interpretation, and vitiation of contracts. Secondly, it analyses the impact of these technologies on European laws regarding unfair terms in consumer contracts and argues that the existing rules should be applied to smart legal agreements in business-to-consumer relations. Lastly, it analyses the current European rules of private international law on the basis of which jurisdiction and applicable law are developed. In this respect, the book concludes that the vast majority of these European rules are “smart contract-proof”.

In this book, senior judges and academics at the forefront of transnational commercial law in Asia, Australia, Europe, the US, and elsewhere, reflect on the implications of anti-globalism and the COVID-19 pandemic on international commercial dispute resolution (ICDR). The chapters consider: (1) What types of cross-border commercial disputes will arise in the future and what resources will be needed to respond to them in a cost-effective, time-efficient, and equitable manner? (2) Is there still merit in a multilateral approach to transnational commercial law and ICDR, despite the closing of borders, the rise of protectionism, and the disruption of global supply chains? (3) What reforms and innovations should courts, arbitrators, and mediators contemplate when navigating the post-pandemic landscape? (4) Can the accelerated use of remote technology in ICDR (as prompted by the pandemic) be leveraged to enhance access to justice for all? With a focus on the current crisis in globalism, as well as the associated problems of ensuring justice and fairness in the resolution of cross-border commercial and investment-state disputes along the Belt-and-Road and elsewhere, the book will be an invaluable resource for academics, judges and practitioners alike.

This book provides answers to the following questions: how do traditional principles of private international law relate to the requirements of the internal market for the realisation of the EU’s objectives regarding the protection of weaker parties such as consumers and employees? When and how should private international law ensure the applicability of EU directives concerning the protection of weaker parties? Are the EU’s current private international law, rules on conflict of laws, and private international law approach sufficient to ensure the realisation of its objectives regarding weaker contracting parties, or is a different approach to private international law called for? The book concludes with several proposed amendments, mainly regarding the Rome I Regulation on the law applicable to contractual obligations, as well as suggestions on the EU’s current approach to private international law. This book is primarily intended for an academic audience and to help achieve better regulation in the future. It also seeks to dispel certain lingering doubts regarding the current practice of EU private international law.

This book presents Model Rules drafted by the Research Network on EU Administrative Law (ReNEUAL), together with an extended introduction. The Model Rules propose a clear and accessible legal framework through which the constitutional values of the EU can be embedded in the exercise of public authority.

Provides an unprecedented historical, theoretical and comparative analysis and appraisal of party autonomy in private international law. These issues are of great practical importance to any lawyer dealing with cross-border legal relationships, and great theoretical importance to a wide range of scholars interested in law and globalisation.

Relations between the European Union (EU) and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) are at a crossroads. After the derailment of the negotiations for the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) in 2008, the cooperation between the two regional blocs has remained low-key in a number of different areas, while the unprecedented changes that have taken place in North Africa and the Middle East, the common neighbourhood of the EU and the GCC, have not led to a renewed, structured cooperation on foreign and security policy issues. This volume addresses the shortcomings and potential of EU-GCC relations by taking stock of their past evolution and by advancing policy recommendations as to how to revamp this strategic cooperation. In this light, it highlights the areas where greater room for manoeuvre exists in order to enhance EU-GCC relations, discusses the instruments available and sheds light on the features of the regional and international context that are likely to significantly influence the new phase in the mutual relation between the two blocs. The book is the result of the research conducted in the framework of the project ‘Sharaka – Enhancing Understanding and Cooperation in EU-GCC Relations’ co-funded by the European Commission.