Reinhard Zimmermann, emeritus director at the Institute, has received the Cross of Merit First Class of the Federal Republic of Germany. The award, bestowed by Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, recognizes Zimmermann’s outstanding contributions as an innovative thinker and successful leader in multiple fields. The Cross was presented to him on 5 April 2024 during an award ceremony at the Rathaus in Hamburg, with Katharina Fegebank, senator for the sciences and deputy mayor for the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg, officiating.

Marco Speranzin is full professor of business law at the University of Padua and attorney at law. He was a guest researcher at the Institute from mid-February to mid-March.

Elke Heinrich-Pendl, former Institute research fellow, has received the Josef Krainer Prize for her post-doctoral dissertation (Habilitationsschrift). The award is bestowed each year for exceptional academic performance based on international criteria.

From the European Single Market to the global interweaving of multi-national businesses or financial firms to our increasingly international everyday lives, the world around us is steadily converging. At the same time, our laws are encountering the limits of their application. The Max Planck Institute for Comparative and International Private Law embraces the task of critically studying the social, economic and legal challenges of globalisation.

The Institute library is Europe’s largest library specialising in foreign and international private law and is recognised worldwide for its scope and services. It has a collection of specialist literature from more than 200 countries around the world. The library has a particular focus on acquiring literature from countries that are not easily accessible, such that these can be gathered and made available at one location.