Research institutes
Maastricht European Private Law Institute
The Maastricht European Private Law Institute (M-EPLI) conducts fundamental research in the field of European private law, covering not only the law of contract, property and tort, but also European procedural law, European legal theory and European legal history. Special focus is on exploring the consequences of Europeanisation and globalisation in the field of private law.
Fast facts
- MEPLI-researchers lead the European download lists on Social Science Research Network (SSRN)
- two members of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW)
- regularaly publishing in top journals and with top publishers
- 12 of the 15 PhD researchers are externally funded
- led by Prof. Jan Smits and Prof. Gijs van Dijck
News
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Call for Papers for the 18th Joint Seminar of the European Association of Law and Economics and The Geneva Association
Monday, July 9, 2018Read moreMilan, 13-14 June 2019
Law and economic issues of insurTech
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Bram Akkermans Appointed TPR Visiting Chair
Tuesday, June 6, 2017Read moreM-EPLI associate director and Associate Professor of European Private Law Bram Akkermans has been appointed to the TPR Visiting Chair for the academic year 2017-2018 at the Catholic University of Leuven. During the upcoming academic year Bram will hold several lectures and plan other activities at KU Leuven.
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M-EPLI fellows at the New Civil Rights and the Rule of Law conference in China
Thursday, November 17, 2016Read moreFrom 7-9 November 2016, M-EPLI PhD candidates Jiangqiu Ge and Liuhu Luo presented their papers at the conference New Civil Rights and the Rule of Law in China.
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What is Private Law For? A MEPLI Round Table Conference
Wednesday, October 19, 2016This Round Table conference explores the limits of, and justification for, the exercise of private autonomy in five main fields of private law: the law of contract, tort, property, succession and family relationships.
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New Working Paper on The Reform of the French Law of Obligations
Monday, October 3, 2016A new MEPLI working paper by Jan Smits and Caroline Calomme on 'The Reform of the French Law of Obligations: Lex Jeux Sont Faits'.
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New MEPLI working paper by Fabian Junge on The Necessity of European Harmonization in the Area of Trade Secrets
Thursday, September 29, 2016New MEPLI working paper by Fabian Junge on 'The Necessity of European Harmonization in the Area of Trade Secrets'.
Read more
Research
M-EPLI conducts fundamental research in the field of European private law and related areas. Our belief is that in an age of Europeanisation and globalisation law should be studied as an international phenomenon. M-EPLI crosses borders between both national jurisdictions and the classical areas of law. A post-national legal science cannot take the distinction between public and private law as a starting point, but has to question the relevance of this distinction. Where useful, it also involves other disciplines (such as political science, economics and psychology).
Education
All M-EPLI researchers are involved in teaching, one way or the other. In bachelor’s and master’s programmes, their focus is on European Private Law. Students also have the opportunity to participate in M-EPLI research projects in various ways.
Law Blogs Maastricht
Would you like to know more about our research? Visit Law Blogs Maastricht and find more information about the Faculty of Law's research output.
Jan Smits
“I always like to tell my students that private law is the ‘law of the people’: everyone in his or her daily life is confronted with questions that relate to this field, ranging from concluding contracts and inheriting to owning property or being liable in damages.”
Bram Akkermans
“At M-EPLI we try to push the boundaries to improve each other’s research. We work on common projects and frequently meet to discuss developments and new ideas. For me the people and the working environment are the primary reason to base my research at M-EPLI”
Mark Kawakami
“My research is on what private actors can do to reduce labor exploitations in the global supply chain. I feel blessed to be surrounded by such lovely folks in Maastricht and I really cannot imagine doing my PhD anywhere else.”
Blogs
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Read moreinGeneral
Imagine you, a researcher, are given a bag of money, unlimited time and personnel. What research would you do? Gijs van Dijck, Professor of Private Law, would like to set up an experiment with the larger insurance companies in the Netherlands, focussing on the best way to deal with compensation.
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Read moreinGeneral
While the internationalisation of higher education is under pressure in the Netherlands, legal education is an example of how a language policy can be successful: dependent on the aim and contents of the curriculum, lawyers can also be taught in other languages than their own.
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Read moreinGeneral
When a marriage no longer works, you break up. Divorce proceedings are started and if all goes well, both partners can go on to live their own lives. At least, that is how it works with a civil marriage. What kind of problems do women encounter in a religious divorce?
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