Nadjma Yassari, senior research fellow and head of the research group on Islamic Law at the Institute, will assume the role of director at the Swiss Institute for Comparative Law (SIR) as of 1 August 2024.

The Institute grieves the death of Director emeritus Ernst-Joachim Mestmäcker, who passed away on 22 April 2024 at the age of 97.

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.