Young Research Network

Research projects

First project: Recognition of Status

chaired by Susanne Gössl and Martina Melcher

The first project of the Research Network focused on the implementation of the ECJ/ECtHR case law related to the recognition of status in 16 EU Member States. It resulted in a conference and a workshop at the University of Würzburg in April 2019 (a conference report was published in IPRax 2019, 576), and also led to the formal establishment of the Research Network. Participants represented more than 20 jurisdictions and enthusiastically embraced the opportunity for such an enhanced exchange at the junior faculty level. The results from the project were eventually published in Cuadernos de Derecho Transnacional in 2022.

Second project: Overriding Mandatory Provisions in Autonomous Private International Law of the EU Member States

chaired by Tamás Szabados

The second project focused on overriding mandatory provisions in autonomous private international law of the EU Member States. It resulted in a general comparative report based on various national reports drafted by young researchers. The main research outcomes – together with some selected, individual contributions to the topic (e.g. Overriding Mandatory Provisions in the Context of the Covid-19 Pandemic, the Treatment of Mandatory Rules of Third Countries) – have been discussed at a Webinar hosted by ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, in November 2020 and have been published in the ELTE Law Journal 2020/1.

Third project: Jurisdiction over Non-EU Defendants

chaired by Tobias Lutzi, Ennio Piovesani and Dora Zgrabljić Rotar

The third project focused on the national rules on jurisdiction in civil and commercial matters over non-EU defendants, in light of the report envisioned in Article 79 of the Brussels I bis Regulation. It involved 23 researchers, who prepared 17 national reports in total. The first drafts of these reports were discussed in an online workshop hosted by the University of Cologne in October 2021. The final versions were completed in early 2022 and served as the basis for the comparative report of the project heads, a first draft of which was presented in March 2022 at the Max Planck Institute for Comparative and International Private Law in Hamburg. The full report was finally presented in May 2022 at a conference in Dubrovnik, which was hosted by the University of Zagreb with the generous financial support of the Croatian Ministry of Science and Education and the European Commission in Croatia. In addition to the presentation of the comparative report, the conference also featured two panels composed by members of the Network dedicated to specific aspects of the research project as well as contributions by senior researchers and a representative of the Hague Conference on Private International Law. The comparative report was also discussed at a meeting with staff of the EU Commission in September 2022. In May 2023, the full results of the project, including all national reports, have finally been published in a dedicated volume of the Hart Studies in Private International Law series, entitled ‘Jurisdiction Over Non-EU Defendants. Should the Brussels Ia Regulation be Extended?’.

Fourth project: Recognition and Enforcement of Non-EU Judgments

chaired by Tobias Lutzi, Ennio Piovesani and Dora Zgrabljić Rotar

The fourth project mirrored the third project and focused on the national rules on recognition and enforcement of non-EU judgments, which is similarly excluded from the Brussels I bis Regulation and, instead, remains governed by national law. While it appears unlikely that the Regulation will be extended to these judgments any time soon, the project aimed to enable useful comparisons not only between the national laws but also with the regime introduced by the 2019 Hague Judgments Convention. The project involved 21 national reports, the first drafts of which were discussed at a hybrid workshop held at the University of Turin in November 2023. The reports were then finalized during the first half of 2024. In November 2024, the results from the project, including the comprehensive comparative report, were discussed at a workshop held at the Permanent Bureau of the Hague Conference of Private International Law (HCCH), organized in cooperation with the HCCH and the Center for International Legal Cooperation (CILC). A volume featuring the comparative report and all national reports will be published with Hart at the end of 2025.

Fifth project: Applicable Law to Non-Contractual Obligations Arising out of Privacy and Personality Rights

chaired by Mathilde Codazzi, Paul Eichmüller and Marco Pasqua

The fifth project, which is currently running , focuses on the national rules governing the law applicable to non-contractual obligations arising out of privacy and rights relating to personality, including defamation. The project, therefore, aims to fill the current gap on this matter, which is excluded from the scope of the Rome II Regulation, by highlighting the similarities and differences among States’ frameworks on this issue, with a view to a possible harmonization of the relevant conflicts rules at EU and/or international level. The project involves 23 national reports, covering 18 EU Member States and 5 European non-EU States, the first drafts of which were discussed at an online workshop (Zoom meeting) held in December 2025.

Membership and participation

Members can be PhD students, postgraduate researchers and other academic staff, except full professors or equivalent in terms of student/PhD/post-doc supervising duties, and practitioners under the age of 45. As the activities of the Research Network are individual projects on specific questions, each member may decide whether to actively participate in a particular project (e.g. by drafting a country report or delivering a lecture or presentation) or not. For each project, one or several ‘head(s) of the project’ are responsible to organise the exchange in general, including the communication with the members regarding participation, the related conference and/or workshop, and the publication of the research outcome. The member(s) responsible for the project concerned may be assisted by other members and duties and responsibilities may be shared in accordance with the needs of the respective project. We cordially invite junior scholars of universities or research institutions and young practitioners who are interested in the activities of the Research Network to join us. Any member of the Research Network will receive information on current and future projects, may participate at a particular project or even organise their own project. To become a member, please contact us via e-mail at youngresearch@eapil.org. Ideas for new projects and volunteers who want to lead a project are also highly welcome!

Chairing process and projects management

When the current Chairs of the EAPIL Young Research Network decide to step down, they choose a new team of Chairs whom they invite to take over the Young Research Network. In making this choice, the Chairs strive to reflect the geographical and personal diversity of the Network as a whole. Once the new Chairs are appointed, they determine the topic of the next research project — a process in which they warmly welcome the recommendations, support and constructive feedback of the Network. Therefore, if you have ideas for future projects, please do not hesitate to share them by emailing to youngresearch@eapil.org. Once developed, the EAPIL Young Research Network projects are open to candidates who express their interest in participating. Information on the projects, including participation details, is shared through a two-step call for participants: first internally, giving priority to EAPIL Young Research Network Members, and subsequently, for unassigned country reports, via an external call for participants.

Contacts

The EAPIL Young Research Network is currently chaired by:

• Mathilde Codazzi, Paris-Panthéon-Assas University
• Paul Eichmüller, University of Vienna
• Marco Pasqua, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart of Milan and LIUC University

List of members

The following list only contains those members who have agreed to the publication of their names; further details will only be made available by the chairs to other members upon consent.

• Elçin Aktan, İ.D. Bilkent University
• Ivan Allegranti, Comenius University in Bratislava
• Ilaria Aquironi, University of Ferrara
• Elisa Arietti, Charles University in Prague
• Karin Arnold, University of Tübingen
• Caterina Benini, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart in Milan
• Tess Bens, Universität Wien
• Serap Bilgin, FernUniversität in Hagen
• Katažyna Bogdzevič (former: Mikša), Mykolas Romeris University in Vilnius
• Kathrin Boolke, Universität Münster
• Sandrine Brachotte, Sciences Po Law School, Paris
• Anna-Riin Brett, Law Firm COBALT Estonia
• Jonathan Brosseau-Rioux, Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne/McGill University
• Martin Bulla, Trnava University
• Ozlem Canbeldek Akin, Near East University
• Claudia Cavicchioli, Linklaters
• María Asunción Cebrián Salvat, Universidad de Murcia
• Zhen Chen, University of Groningen
• Cyrill A. H. Chevalley, Université de Lausanne/University of Lausanne, Centre de droit comparé, européen et international (CDCEI)
• Mathilde Codazzi, Paris-Panthéon-Assas Université
• Felipe de Andrade, University of Antwerp
• Nicolas Dewitte, Humboldt University of Berlin
• Rui Dias, Faculty of Law, University of Coimbra
• Stefano Dominelli, University of Genoa
• Artur Doržinkevič, Mykolas Romeris University
• Paula Drabant, Heidelberg University
• Paul Eichmüller, University of Vienna
• Yves El Hage, Jean Moulin University Lyon 3
• Blessing Eze, Maastricht Univeristy
• Edyta Figura-Góralczyk, Cracow University of Economics & Jagiellonian University in Cracow
• María González Marimón, University of Valencia
• Michele Grassi, University of Milan
• Adrian Hemler, University of Konstanz
• Dinda R. Himmah, University of Groningen
• Anna Hoberg, Max-Planck-Institute for Legal History and Legal Theory
• Anna Franziska Horn, Leibniz University Hannover
• Tena Hoško, Faculty of Law, University of Zagreb
• Paschalis Ioannidis, Attorney at Law
• Burcu Irge Erdogan, Eskisehir Osmangazi University
• Katharina Kaesling, University of Bonn
• Eva Kaseva, Bulgarian Academy of Science, Sofia, and St. Cyril and St. Methodius University of Veliko Tarnovo
• Michał Karolak, University of Warsaw
• Yukiho Kashimoto, Hague Conference on Private International Law
• Arvid Kerschnitzki, University of Augsburg
• Ana Kiknadze, Mykolas Romeris University
• Dominykas Kiršis, Ellex Valiunas
• Moritz Benjamin Kocher, University of Zurich
• Alan Koh, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
• Joanna Kolber, Strelia
• Georgios Kotlidas, Attorney-at-Law/”Rythmisis” Greek Institute for AI Law
• Sofiia Kulitska, Nataliia Kulitska, Private Notary of Zolochiv Notarial District of Lviv Region (Ukraine)
• Ilia Lassin, HCCH / Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”
• Eva Litina, University of the Aegean
• Helga Luku, University of Antwerp
• Tobias Lutzi, University of Augsburg
• Léonard Maistriaux, NautaDutilh and UCLouvain
• Vassiliki Marazopoulou, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens/Hellenic Energy Exchange S.A.
• Armela Maxhelaku, Faculty of Law, University of Tirana
• Martina Melcher, University of Graz
• Baver Mert, Turkish German University
• Pauline Modra, Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg/Max-Planck-Institute Luxembourg
• Giulio Monga, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart in Milan
• Dominika Moravcová, The Faculty of Law of Trnava University in Trnava
• Grace Mouanga Moussenvoula, Yokohama National University
• Nicholas Mouttotos, University of Bremen
• Bebizuh Mulugeta Menkir, Private practitioner, formerly Lecturer of Laws at University of Gondar
• Luiza Nadstazik, Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University in Warsaw
• Meltem Ece Oba, Koç University, Istanbul
• Giedrius Ožiūnas, Professional Law Partnership RIDD Vilnius / Mykolas Romeris University
• Marco Pasqua, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart in Milan and LIUC University
• Manuel Penades Fons, King’s College London
• Priskila P. Penasthika, Erasmus University Rotterdam
• Luis Pérez-Orozco, University of Castilla-La Mancha
• Lukas Petschning, University of Vienna
• Ross R-S Pey, University of Western Ontario
• Phuong Thao Phan, University of Turin
• Blas Piñar Guzmán, Arias SLP
• Ennio Piovesani, University of Turin
• Michiel Poesen, KU Leuven
• Neža Pogorelčnik Vogrinc, Faculty of Law University of Ljubljana
• Marco Politti, Roedl & Partner
• Fabian Pollitzer, University of Vienna
• Despoina Poutakidou, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
• Emeric Prévost, University of Vienna/Meiji University
• Luisa Reininghaus, Université de Genève
• Bettina Konstanze Rentsch, Free University of Berlin
• Ioannis Revolidis, University of Malta
• Konstantinos Rokas, University of Nicosia
• Rob Rooman, KU Leuven
• Anna Ruiz, Universitat Oberta de Catalunya and Universitat de Barcelona
• Christian Rüsing, University of Münster
• Georgia Sagri, Democritus University of Thrace
• Sara Sánchez Fernández, IE University (Madrid, Spain)
• Ruth Sander, Bucerius Law School
• Sofia Santinello, University of Padua
• Dafina Sarbinova, Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”
• Benjamin Saunier, Paris-Panthéon-Assas University
• Jonathan Schenk, University of Antwerp
• Benedikt Schmitz, University of Groningen
• Anna Pauline Schweinbach, Universidad de Sevilla
• Bianca Scraback, University of Bonn
• Claas-Eike Seestädt, Arendt&Medernach
• Manuel José Segovia González, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Mexico, Office of the Legal Adviser
• Eva Šišková, Ministry of Justice of the Czech Republic, International Private Law department
• Athanassios Skontzos, Max Planck Institute Luxembourg
• Leonard Soldo, University of Vienna, Department of Commercial and Business Law and Centre for Comparative Corporate Finance Law
• Antonia Sommerfeld, Max Planck Institute for Comparative and International Private Law
• Kim Steffens, University of Glasgow
• Līga Stikāne, Faculty of Law of the University of Latvia
• Francisco Javier Suárez Schanely, University College London
• Onerva-Aulikki Suhonen, University of Eastern Finland, Law School
• Ivan Sukhorukov, Mykolas Romeris University
• Ferenc Szilágyi, Pázmány Péter Catholic University, Faculty of Law
• Esra Tekin, Dicle University
• Leon Theimer, Humboldt University of Berlin
• Willem Theus, KU Leuven
• Martina Tičić, Faculty of Law Rijeka
• Michele Troiano, University of Rome 2 “Tor Vergata”
• Eirini Tsikrika, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens
• Johannes Ungerer, University of Oxford
• Ece Uyanık, Kadir Has University
• Birgit van Houtert, Maastricht University
• Vytautas Vaicekauskas, Vilnius University
• Cedric Vanleenhove, Ghent University
• Bryan Verheul, Universiteit Leiden
• Eleni Varvarousi, Democritus University of Thrace
• Simona Vilkelyte, Vilnius university
• Martina Vivirito Pellegrino, Storari Law Firm
• Maren Vogel, Free University of Berlin
• Nischa Vreeling, University of Groningen
• Awnrumpa Waiyamuk, Burapha University, Thailand
• Felix M. Wilke, University of Bayreuth
• Wojciech Wydmański, Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski University in Warsaw
• Anna Wysocka-Bar, Jagiellonian University in Krakow
• Wiebke Voß, Max Planck Institute Luxembourg
• Alison Xu, Waseda University
• Dora Zgrabljić Rotar, University of Zagreb
• Anton Zimmermann, Heidelberg University
• Natalja Žitkevitš, Independent researcher
• Jovan Živanović, Central European Academy
• Patricia Živković, School of Law, University of Aberdeen
• Justina Zokaitė, Vilnius University
• Elizabeth Zorrilla, Hague Conference of Private International Law (HCCH)