LINK ZUR DEUTSCHEN VERSION

17/18 September 2001

To celebrate its 75th anniversary, the Institute holds a conference and publishes the commemorative volume Aufbruch nach Europa (Embarking upon Europe). The title is fitting: under the leadership of directors Klaus J. Hopt, Jürgen Basedow, and Reinhard Zimmermann, the Europeanization of private law is a major research topic at the Institute, with numerous publications, position statements, and international studies devoted to European law. Some of the efforts seek to achieve a common European private law. The directors publish the Handwörterbuch des Europäischen Privatrechts in 2009, republished as The Max Planck Encyclopedia of European Private Law in 2012.

The occasion of the anniversary invites reflection on the Institute’s unique position within the German, European, and global legal landscapes. With all three director positions in new hands, the Institute places greater emphasis on international collaborations and the creation of academic networks. The Institute is involved in efforts both to develop a common European private law and to unify the law on a broader international scale. Comparative research at the Institute becomes the platform for these aims. Basedow and Zimmermann lay the groundwork for a common European contract law, while Hopt explores the topic of corporate governance in German, European, and US contexts.

The Institute’s personnel structure is also changing. Whereas tenured positions were the norm under Zweigert’s directorship, most research staff, after completing their doctorate or habilitation, now leave the Institute to pursue careers in academia or legal practice. Consequently, fostering the next generation of scholars becomes a shared priority for the directors. On Basedow’s initiative, the Institute co-founds the International Max Planck Research School (IMPRS) for Maritime Affairs in 2002. From 2002 to 2014, this interdisciplinary graduate program explores the legal, economic, and geophysical aspects of the use, protection, and regulation of the seas.

The growing staff makes it necessary to expand the Institute’s facilities. The library is enlarged, and the existing buildings are structurally joined. Technological upgrades are also carried out. In 2001, the Institute’s first website goes online, and in 2003 internet research becomes possible on computers installed in the library.