This tribute to Professor Arthur von Mehren from the Harvard Law School is a contribution to the evolving transatlantic dialogue on the conflict of laws. It contains ten contributions that discuss the problems conflict of laws is facing in a globalized world. The first five contributions deal with current legal topics in international civil litigation and transatlantic judicial co-operation ranging from the design of judgments conventions to the recently adopted Hague Convention on Choice of Court Agreements, and from problems involving negative declaratory actions in international disputes to recent transatlantic developments relating to service of process and collective proceedings. The remaining five contributions focus on choice of law in international relationships. They cover comparative and economic dimensions of party autonomy, reflect on discussions in the choice of law relating to intellectual property rights, and critically discuss the applicable law in antitrust law litigation, international arbitration, and actions for punitive damages.

Over the course of the last few decades, the European legislature has adopted a total of 18 Regulations in the area of private international law, including civil procedure. The resulting substantial legislative unification has been described as the first true 'Europeanisation' of private international law, and even as a kind of 'European Choice of Law Revolution'. However, it remains largely unclear whether the far-reaching unification of the 'law on the books' has turned private international law into a truly European 'law in action': To what extent is European private international law actually based on uniform European rules common to all Member States, rather than on state treaties or instruments of enhanced cooperation? Is the manner in which academics and practitioners analyse and interpret European private international law really different from previously existing domestic approaches to private international law? Or, rather, is the actual application and interpretation of European private international law still influenced, or even dominated, by national legal traditions, leading to a re-fragmentation of a supposedly uniform body of law?In bringing together academics from all over Europe, How European is European Private International Law? sets out to answer for the first time these crucial and interrelated questions. It sheds light on the conspicuous lack of 'Europeanness' currently symptomatic of European private international law and discusses how this body of law can become truly European in character in the future.

How to choose the most beneficial enforcement regime for cross-border claims of a client? A question considerably complicated by (1) the existence of various European Union enforcement tools and (2) particularities in the national legal systems that impact on the operation and suitability of the various enforcement tools. This book compares and analyses the practical utility and potential pitfalls of the 2nd generation regulations (European Enforcement Order, European Order for Payment, European Small Claims Procedure and European Account Preservation Order) and their relation to Brussels Ibis. Further, it analyses whether and to what extent all of the 2nd generation EU regulations prove their worth in the cross-border enforcement of claims, and which measures can be recommended for their practical improvement and for achieving greater consistency in European enforcement law. The work is based on an extensive evaluation of case law (more than 500 published and unpublished judgments), empirical data (150 interviews with practitioners) and literature from eight Member States (Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Poland, Spain) and the Court of Justice of the European Union. It provides an extensive and up-to-date picture of the cross-border enforcement of claims across Europe and is an important resource for academics and practitioners alike. With contributions from Elena D'Alessandro (University of Torino), Samia Benaissa Pedriza (Complutense University, Madrid), Gilles Cuniberti (University of Luxembourg), Veerle Van Den Eeckhout (Max-Planck-Institute Luxembourg), Agnieszka Frackowiak-Adamska (University of Wroclaw), Jonathan Fitchen (University of Aberdeen), Fernando Gascon Inchausti (Complutense University, Madrid), Valeria Giugliano (University of Milan), Agnieszka Guzewicz (University of Wroclaw), Jan von Hein (University of Freiburg), Burkhard Hess (Max Planck Institute Luxembourg), Stefan Huber (University of Tubingen), Tilman Imm (University of Freiburg), Xandra Kramer (University of Rotterdam), Thalia Kruger (University of Antwerp), Agnieszka Lewestam-Rodziewicz (University of Wroclaw), Gerald Masch (University of Munster), Johan Meeusen (University of Antwerp), Gabriele Molinaro (University of Milan), Elena Alina Ontanu (University of Rotterdam), Carmen Otero Garcia-Castrillon (Complutense University, Madrid), Fieke van Overbeeke (University of Antwerp), Max Peiffer (AssmannPeiffer Lawyers, Munich), Lidia Sandrini (University of Milan), Carlos Santalo Goris (Max-Planck-Institute Luxembourg), Bernhard Ulrici (University of Leipzig), Francesca Villata (University of Milan), Denise Wiedemann (Max-Planck-Institute Hamburg).

This tribute to Professor Arthur von Mehren from the Harvard Law School is a contribution to the evolving transatlantic dialogue on the conflict of laws. It contains ten contributions that discuss the problems conflict of laws is facing in a globalized world. The first five contributions deal with current legal topics in international civil litigation and transatlantic judicial co-operation ranging from the design of judgments conventions to the recently adopted Hague Convention on Choice of Court Agreements, and from problems involving negative declaratory actions in international disputes to recent transatlantic developments relating to service of process and collective proceedings. The remaining five contributions focus on choice of law in international relationships. They cover comparative and economic dimensions of party autonomy, reflect on discussions in the choice of law relating to intellectual property rights, and critically discuss the applicable law in antitrust law litigation, international arbitration, and actions for punitive damages.