Konrad Duden (University of Hamburg): Squaring the Circle - Recognising Rare Family Forms and Gender Identities Within the EU

About the speaker:
Konrad Duden is a professor of law at the University of Hamburg. His research focuses primarily on Private International Law and International Civil Procedure. He is particularly interested in the law of families and persons from an international and comparative perspective.

About the topic:
The principle of recognition has long been a feature of European private international law - increasingly also in matters of family law and the law of personal status. Recent case law has focused on so-called rainbow families - same-sex marriages and parenthood - and changes in legal gender markers. These are issues that are treated very differently across the EU, with extensive protection and equal treatment in some Member States, and clear and in some cases constitutional rejection in others. The CJEU is therefore trying to reconcile two contradictory principles: The exclusive competence of Member States in substantive family and civil status law on the one hand and the Union-wide recognition of families and gender identities registered in one Member State on the other. This presentation will examine how the CJEU attempts to resolve this conflict and what conclusions can be drawn from the case law on the nature and scope of the principle of recognition..

About the virtual workshop series:
The virtual workshop series „Current Research in Private International Law” is organised by Ralf Michaels and Philomena Hindermann. The series features guest speakers and Institute staff members who present and discuss their work on current developments and research topics in private international law. The workshops are geared to scholars who are researching in the field of private international law, but attendance is open to all individuals having an academic interest (including doctoral candidates and students).

The virtual lecture will be held as a video conference via Zoom. Please register no later than Monday, 5 May 2025 using this LINK.

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