Handwörterbuchs des Europäischen Vertragsrechts / Max Planck Encyclopedia of European Private Law – HWB-EuP 2009 / Max-EuP 2012

Subsequent to the release of the “Handwörterbuch des Europäischen Vertragsrechts” (2009) as well as its English-language counterpart, the “Max Planck Encyclopedia of European Private Law” (2012), as printed editions, the Institute has made both works available as digital editions. These are now conveniently searchable open access on the Internet and can also serve as point of reference for terminology and translation issues.

Aims and scope

Drawing on the comparative and historical expertise of the Institute and utilizing the material available at the time, the two works examine developments made in all areas of private law as well as associated harmonization projects. Over a decade later, the volumes still provide an overview of European private law and serve as a resource for academics, practitioners and policymakers alike. In accordance with an encyclopaedia layout, entries are arranged alphabetically and contain cross-references to other entries.

Institutional framework

Soon after publication of the two works, comprising a total of four printed volumes, readers and contributors pointed out that the encyclopaedic format would function exceptionally well as an online tool. The publishers Mohr Siebeck in Tübingen and Oxford University Press endorsed the Max Planck Institute's efforts in this direction, and the result is HWB-EuP 2009 and Max-EuP 2012, online resources offered by the Institute on a Mediawiki platform. 

A unique feature of these tools is that each entry has been linked to its counterpart in the corresponding German- or English-language edition – a feature appreciated by all those dealing with terminology and translation issues in the field of European private law.