Kick-Off Meeting and 1st Expert Meeting of the Fair-In-Debt Project

The author of this post is Matej Makoter Rožmarin, Research and Teaching Assistant at the Department of Civil, International private and Comparative law, University of Maribor.

On 13 and 14 February 2026, the Kick-Off Meeting and 1st Expert Meeting of the EU project Fair-In-Debt (Fair and Innovative Cross-border Recovery with Out-of-Court Enforcement Titles) took place in Maribor at Hotel Habakuk.

The Fair-In-Debt project, led by Full Professor Vesna Rijavec and Full Professor Tjaša Ivanc, runs from 1 February 2026 to 31 January 2028. It has been conceived as a natural follow up of previous projects of the Institute for Civil, Comparative, and International Private Law (ICCIPL, Maribor) delving into the protection of rights in judicial and other proceedings having an international component. Like those ones, the current project is generously co-funded by the European Union.

The Fair-In-Debt project focuses on the cross-border recognition and enforcement of foreign enforcement titles that are not court decisions within the legal area of the European Union. It builds on the development of the European legal framework, in particular the Brussels I bis Regulation (1215/2012), which governs the circulation of authentic instruments, as well as other instruments such as the European Enforcement Order Regulation (805/2004) and the Succession Regulation (650/2012). Despite the abolition of exequatur under Brussels I bis Regulation, practice shows that the cross-border effects of notarial deeds, other authentic instruments, and private instruments with enforceable effect (such as bills of exchange, promissory notes, or mediation agreements) remain complex, unevenly implemented, and frequently burdened by interpretative difficulties. The project therefore provides a comprehensive and comparative analysis of how out-of-court enforcement titles are created and enforced across the Member States, including innovative digital approaches, and examines the procedural safeguards ensuring the fair creation of an enforceable title as well as the level of protection of the parties’ rights in the Member State of enforcement. It does not aim at harmonising national legal frameworks; rather, it fully respects the diversity of legal traditions (including systems without a Latin-type notariat) and seeks to enhance transparency, accessibility, and mutual understanding of existing solutions.

The Kick-Off and 1st Expert  meeting was opened with welcoming remarks by Full Professor Vesna Rijavec. Following the introductory address, several internationally renowned legal experts delivered their contributions: Dr. Marko Bošnjak, Full Professor Burkhard Hess, Full Professor Marta Requejo Isidro and Full Professor Stephanie Laulhe-Shaelou.

The opening presentations were followed by a round table discussion, during which partner institutions presented their national perspectives on the project’s core topic and the regulation of out-of-court enforcement titles. Contributions were delivered by representatives of the University of Graz, Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Universität Hannover, the University of Wrocław, the University of Rijeka, Uppsala University, the University of Tours, the University of Padua, UCLan Cyprus, Boleo Global, the Institute of Comparative Law at the Faculty of Law in Ljubljana, and Cepris. The round table was moderated by Full Professor Tjaša Ivanc, who guided the discussion and integrated the individual national contributions into the common research framework of the project.

The meeting concluded with a working session at Pohorje, where partners aligned the project timeline and future research activities. The Kick-Off Meeting successfully established a shared research vision for the Fair-In-Debt project and laid the foundations for its further research work, which will be reported in different media, including a dedicated website.