News
Second Bremen-Groningen PhD Researcher Meeting Fosters Exchange Across Different Areas of Law
On 9 April 2026, doctoral researchers from both universities convened for the second Bremen-Groningen PhD Researcher Meeting, this time co-chaired by Prof. Dr. Gralf-Peter Calliess (University of Bremen), Prof. Dr. Patrick C. Leyens (University of Bremen), and Dr. Benedikt Schmitz (University of Groningen).
The event focused on two distinct research projects: Jie Ouyang (Groningen) examined the concept of the "average consumer" and its potential to address the issue of greenwashing under the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive. The discussion focussed on how legal standards can protect consumers from misleading sustainability claims - a topic of growing societal relevance.
Paul Galyga (Bremen) presented a legal-historical analysis of judicial independence within the framework of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). Of particular interest was the influence of a minority opinion from English common law on the jurisprudence of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) - an example of how historical perspectives can enrich contemporary debates.
Whether in consumer protection or fundamental rights, the discussions demonstrated the fruitful exchange between different fields of law and legal cultures. The open and constructive atmosphere once again underscored the value of this format for academic networking.
The next Bremen-Groningen PhD Researcher Meeting is scheduled for October/November 2026.
PhD Researcher Meeting Groningen Bremen
On 16 February 2026, the first Bremer-Groningen PhD Researcher Meeting (“Doktorand:innentreff”) took place, jointly organised by Prof. Dr. Gralf-Peter Calliess (University of Bremen) and Dr. Benedikt Schmitz (University of Groningen). This new exchange format brings together doctoral researchers from both faculties to present and discuss their ongoing research projects in an international academic setting.
The inaugural session focused on two highly engaging dissertation projects: Kian Najjarzadeh (Bremen) presented initial reflections on his research concerning the definition of “consumer” in private international law. In particular, he addressed the doctrinal classification of the EU concept of the consumer and examined its practical implications for international jurisdiction and the applicable law.
Sophia Salziger (Groningen) shared key findings from her almost completed dissertation on non-material damages under the General Data Protection Regulation. The discussion explored the requirements, scope, and assessment of non-material damages, as well as recent developments in case law and academic debate.
The meeting provided an intensive and stimulating academic exchange in an open and collegial atmosphere. A follow-up session is already planned for April/May 2026.
Prof. Calliess and Dr. Mouttotos visit the YUFE-University of Cyprus
5th Annual Symposium of the Procedural Law Unit of the University of Nicosia
Prof. Dr. Gralf-Peter Calliess and Dr. Nicholas Mouttotos visited the University of Bremen YUFE partner, the University of Cyprus, where they held meetings on future cooperation with Prof. Dr. Nikitas Hatzimihail, Professor of Private Law, Comparative Law and Legal History and Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Social and Educational Sciences at the University of Cyprus. The visit built on longstanding academic links between Bremen and Cyprus and explored opportunities for joint teaching, research, and student mobility within the YUFE alliance. In particular, the discussions focused on strengthening collaboration in private law, comparative law, and transnational legal studies, drawing on the shared expertise of the partner institutions.
As part of the same trip, Prof. Dr. Calliess contributed to the 5. Annual Symposium of the Procedural Law Unit at the University of Nicosia on “Judicial Independence and Liberal Democracy Under Threat: The Challenge of Implementing the „Judicial Independence and Liberal Democracy Under Threat: The Challenge of Implementing the ELI Mt Scopus Standards on Judicial Independence". The symposium, organised by Dr. Nicolas Kyriakides in cooperation with the International Association of Judicial Independence and World Peace brought together experts from across Europe and beyond to discuss structural safeguards for judicial independence and their role in upholding the rule of law. In his intervention, Prof. Dr. Calliess focused on the constitutional trias of the rule of law, comprising the right to effective judicial protection (Art. 19 IV GG), the right to the lawful judge (Art. 101 GG), and the guarantee of judicial independence (Art. 97 GG), highlighting their significance beyond the German context and challenging the role of the Court of Justice of the European Union as the ultimate arbiter on judicial independence.
8th Maritime Law Conference
Climate-neutral Shipping
The 8th Maritime Law Conference on 6 November 2025 was held for the first time at the Domshof premises. Prof. Calliess und PD Dr. Till Markus acted as scientific advisors of the Maritime Law Research Network at the conference.
The topic of this year's conference was maritime climate protection. Bremen State Councillor Stührenberg welcomed those present and emphasised the relevance of climate-neutral shipping, particularly for Bremen as a shipping location. Prof. Michal Kucera Vice-Rector for Research and Transfer at the University of Bremen, emphasised the relevance of interdisciplinary exchange and cooperation between science, industry and politics.
Håvard Lien (VARD) provided an overview of alternative ship propulsion systems. Although some fuels have already been extensively researched, the higher costs compared to conventional marine diesel have so far been the biggest obstacle to green transformation.
Dr. Eva Ricarda Baddenhausen (Universität Bremen) presented the international and European legal framework for climate-neutral shipping. This is characterised by a multitude of regulations, some of which overlap. The rapid change in the relevant standards further increase the complexity of the regulatory regime. Last autumn, conflicting trends were also observed. Thereafter, Prof. Dr. Katharina Reiling (Universität Konstanz) discussed three possible theoretical approaches that could contribute to the design of cross-border regulation of climate-neutral shipping with the participation of public and private actors. The multitude of interests involved and the global relevance of the issue made it particularly challenging to develop a coherent regime.
A concluding panel discussion moderated by PD Dr. Till Markus (Universität Bremen) highlighted the economic significance of long-term investments in climate-neutral shipping. Michael Vinnen (Vinnen GmbH & Co KG) and Daniel Sahnen (Meyer Werft) represented the perspective of the maritime industry. Jochen Kreß, Head of Department, Senator for Economic Affairs, Ports and Transformation, Bremen) emphasised the need for planning security for government investment in green port transshipment.
The conference attracted a broad audience from academia, industry, politics, and administration. Approximately 80 people participated and exchanged ideas on maritime topics. We thank the Maritime Law Research Network for funding the conference and Robert Völkl, Bremen Shipowners' Association, for their organizational support.
The next conference on maritime law is planned for November 2027.
Special Issue: Proceedings of the Bremen Conference on Informed Consent to Dispute Resolution Agreements (ICtDRA)
The German Law Journal has published a Special Issue featuring the proceedings of the international conference on Informed Consent to Dispute Resolution Agreements, held in Bremen on 20–21 June 2024.
Scholars from leading institutions worldwide have contributed to the special issue carefully compiled by faculty members Gralf-Peter Calliess and Nicholas Mouttotos, which explores fundamental questions about consent to dispute resolution agreements. The collection takes stock of recent legal developments while examining whether consent to such agreements should be subject to heightened requirements.
With contributions from Symeon C. Symeonides, Nancy S. Kim, Gralf-Peter Calliess, Frederick Rieländer, Peter McColgan, Laura E. Little, Kermit Roosevelt III, Sören Segger-Piening, John F. Coyle, Hannah L. Buxbaum, Marta Pertegás Sender, Stephen Ware, Stefan F. Thönissen, and Nicholas Mouttotos, the special issue brings together diverse expertise in private international law, international civil procedure, and arbitration.
At its core lies a pressing contemporary problem: standard-form contracts routinely contain provisions dictating where and under what law disputes will be resolved, yet adhering parties often have little meaningful choice in accepting these terms. The contributions examine this paradox from multiple angles, tracing how the principle of party autonomy developed historically, questioning whether current disclosure mechanisms truly inform consent, and comparing how the legal systems in the United States and the European Union attempt to protect weaker contracting parties.
Volume 26, Special Issue 5 of the German Law Journal is freely accessible online. Readers can access the editorial here. As a Gold open-access journal operating since 1999, the German Law Journal provides unrestricted access to peer-reviewed research on comparative, European, and international law.
Annual Conference of the Journal of European Consumer and Market Law (EuCML)
On September 18 and 19, 2025, Dr. Nicholas Mouttotos and Eva Angeline Trinidad participated in the Annual Conference of the Journal of European Consumer and Market Law (EuCML). Their paper, titled “A requiem for the ‘illusion’ of consent in consumer contracts? Reasonable expectations as a standard for determining the validity of the consumer contract” was selected as one of the five finalists for the Best Paper Award. It addresses the emergence of the new generation of consumer law shaped by the potential use of artificial intelligence in the conclusion of consumer contracts. The authors examine the implications of agentic AI for the concept of consent, which under contract law remains the linchpin for enforceability. They analyze how consent is currently regulated under EU and US consumer protection models, explore the additional challenges posed by automated decision-making to traditional contract law, and assess the European Law Institute’s Guiding Principles and Model Rules on Digital Assistants in Consumer Contracts as a framework enabling such forms of automation.
The paper sparked lively debate due to the challenges agentic commerce poses to traditional understandings of consumer contract law. The Best Paper Award was ultimately presented to Sarah Hinck of the University of Düsseldorf for her study on the technological rule-setting power of digital platform ecosystems. Other finalists included:
- Silvia Martinelli (University of Turin), with her paper on product liability and “by design” regulation;
- Thitinan Ngamsanguan (University of Exeter), with her paper on digital fairness, algorithmic manipulation, and behavioural exploitation;
- Jie Ouyang (University of Groningen), with his paper on the EU’s sustainable consumption strategy.
All finalist papers will be published in issue 6 of the Journal of European Consumer and Market Law (EuCML).
Lecture by Professor Gilles Cuniberti and Institute of Commercial Law's Summer Party
On June 5th, 2025, the Institute for Commercial Law hosted its summer festival, which was preceded by a lecture from Professor Gilles Cuniberti, a leading scholar in international commercial law, arbitration and comparative law currently a professor at the University of Luxembourg. Professor Cuniberti presented his ongoing research on the market for international commercial cases, providing his empirical findings regarding which courts and (contract) laws are mostly chosen by parties in international commercial cases. Cuniberti’s most influential work in this area is his empirical study “The International Market for Contracts: The Most Attractive Contract Laws”, notable for its scale and methodological rigor. This research is currently extended to cover the jurisdictional aspect.
The latter is important given also the ongoing competition for judicial services and the recent adoption of the Law on the Strengthening of Germany as a Place to Settle (Commercial) Disputes (Gesetz zur Stärkung des Justizstandortes Deutschland durch Einführung von Commercial Courts und der Gerichtssprache Englisch in der Zivilgerichtsbarkeit (Justizstandort-Stärkungsgesetz)). As a result, the Free Hanseatic City of Bremen has introduced the Hanseatic Commercial Court for Aerospace, Logistics and Maritime Trade (HCCB).
Professor Cuniberti’s research assists in addressing potential factors influencing the choices made by parties in international commercial cases, which is important for policymakers in designing the courts/process as well as (potentially) the law applicable to those cases. In that sense, the research goes beyond empirical observation, exploring the rationality of commercial actors in their legal choices. Cuniberti does not assume that actors are necessarily rational in their choices since they do not have perfect information, highlighting particularly the role of heuristics, familiarity and even misconceptions in shaping decisions. The Institute for Commercial Law recognizes the importance of informed decision-making by commercial actors and legal practitioners, regarding the choice of forum for international commercial disputes. By providing information about the HCCB, the Institute will, in the future, strive to reduce information asymmetries, helping parties understand the court’s jurisdiction, procedures, and advantages compared to other forums.
After the lecture, the Institute hosted its traditional summer festival - for the first time at the Forum am Domshof. The chairman of the Association for the Promotion of Commercial Law at the University of Bremen, Honorary Professor Dr. Dirk Weitze-Scholl, attorney and notary public at Rosenboom Menges Klindwort in Bremen, presented the 2024 award for the best graduates in the International and European Business Law specialization program to Jennifer Merling. – Congratulations!
Seminar "Mergers & Acquisitions: Cycle of a corporate transaction"
On 28.6.2024, the block event of this year's seminar in the university elective "International and European Business Law" took place. The topic was: "Mergers & Acquisitions: Cycle of a corporate transaction". The seminar was organized by Prof. Dr. Patrick C. Leyens, LL.M. (London), together with Dr. Markus A. Braun, M.Jur. (Oxford), lawyer (Rechtsanwalt) and specialist lawyer for commercial and corporate law and associated partner at the law firm NOERR Munich. The picture shows the conclusion of the event at a dinner hosted by the law firm NOERR.
Participants are: Y. Acet, M. Fiene, S. Kaya, L. Krieger, J. Koop, T. Lehnau, M. Meyer, R. Müller, J. Romeiser, E. Uhlig as well as Julius Goetsch, Valentin Hubert and Sebastian Köhnlein.
Conference on Informed Consent to Dispute Resolution Agreements
University of Bremen, 20-21 June 2024
On Thursday and Friday, 20-21 June 2024, Prof. Dr. Gralf-Peter Calliess and Dr. Nicholas Mouttotos convened an international conference on the topic of Informed Consent to Dispute Resolution Agreements. The Conference aimed at exploring the latest developments in contract law and private international law in relation to consent to such agreements. The Conference started with a keynote speech by Professor Symeon Symeonides, a leading authority in private international law both in the US and in Europe. Professor Symeonides set the scene with his presentation on the history and present of the principle of party autonomy, namely, the freedom of the parties to choose the forum or the law under which their dispute will be decided.
The first day included two panels, with the first dealing with the issue of consent and the constitutional rights that may be waived or unintentionally relinquished through acts which are signified as manifesting such consent. This panel included presentations by Professors Nancy Kim and Gralf-Peter Calliess who both noted the importance of dispute resolution agreements as ‘gatekeeper’ or ‘reflexive’ clauses, having the potential to impact the autonomy of the individual, usually without their actual consent. The second panel dealt with the contractual understanding of consent and how standard form contracts pose challenges for identifying when an individual has agreed to a certain clause or term. This panel included many proposals for the potential abandonment of the current model in favor of a model that will be more tailored to the needs of each individual consenter. Professor Frederick Rieländer, Professor Daniel Barnhizer and Dr. Peter McColgan provided fascinating insights on the topic and a necessary forward-looking perspective in correcting the doctrinal issues that are raised.
The second day of the Conference dealt with each type of dispute resolution agreement. Three different panels took place beginning with the choice of law session, the choice of jurisdiction or courts and ending with the arbitration agreements session. The choice of law session included presentations from the American Law Institute reporter of the Conflict of Laws (Third) Restatement, Professor Kermit Roosevelt III, and associate reporter Professor Laura Little. This panel was followed by the panel on choice of jurisdiction agreements with presentations from esteemed experts in the field, Professors John Coyle, Hannah Buxbaum and Marta Pertegás Sender. The final and most controversial dispute resolution agreement/clause, the arbitration agreement, was dealt with by Professors Stephen Ware and Camelia Toader. The final session included a wrap-up and a comparative perspective of the discussions that took place by the conveners of the conference.
The papers of each of the contributors will appear in a Special Issue of the German Law Journal (Vol. 26, 2025). The Conference was sponsored by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG), the law firm GÖRG and the Conrad Naber Foundation.
For more information please refer to our flyer.
7th Bremen Conference on Maritime Law
On 26 and 27 October, the Research Association for Maritime Law organised the 7th Bremen Conference on Maritime Law. Representatives from science, industry and administration discussed the topics autonomous shipping and resilience of maritime critical infrastructures with about 50 participants. As a result of the conference, regulatory demands on the legislator were defined with regard to both topics. A conference report will be published in the journal Transportrecht.
Bremen Insolvency Law Day 2023
Following two training events in the years 2012 and 2013 on the fundamental changes to the Insolvency Code brought about by the ESUG (Act on the Further Facilitation of theInsolvency Procedure), which focussed primarily on the judiciary, the Faculty of Law in cooperation with GÖRG Lawyers organised the Bremen Insolvency Law Day for the fourth time on 1 Septemer 2023. The conference was once again mostly aimed at practitioners and provided a comprehensive presentation and discussion of topics of practical relevance at a high scientific level. The welcoming address by Prof. Dr. Gralf-Peter Calliess for the faculty and Prof. Dr. Gerrit Hölzle as host was followed by a specialist programme including Prof. Dr. Christoph Thole (University of Cologne), Prof. Dr. Georg Bitter (University of Mannheim), Prof. Dr. Ulrich Haas (University of Zurich) and Dr. Andreas Schmidt (Hamburg local court). Once again, the participants highly praised the format of event, which is an incentive for the 5ht Bremen Insolvency Law Day on 30 August 2024.
The UNIDROIT principles on international trade agreements and sustainable development
Third place: Nicholas Mouttotos
Nicholas Mouttotos won third place in the essay competition 'UNIDROIT and Sustainability'.
He is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Bremen on a Walter Benjamin Fellowship of the German Research Foundation (DFG) at the Institute of Commercial Law. He holds an LL.B. from the University of Cyprus and an LL.M. and Ph.D. from the University of Maastricht. Nicholas' research interests include the unification of contract law, the relationship between private international law and substantive contract law, and the role of comparative law in the development of national and international rules.
Block seminar on the independence of the judiciary in comparative law: EU rule of law mechanism Poland, Germany
Even seven years after the election victory of the PiS and the start of its restructuring of the Polish judiciary, the discussion about the state of the European rule of law is still topical. The focus is on the concepts of judicial and court independence. On the other hand, the German judiciary is also facing certain criticism - for example in the area of personnel management. Accordingly, the EU has significantly intensified its efforts to protect the principles of the rule of law over the last decade. The seminar deals with the dimensions of judicial independence from a legal-historical, political and comparative perspective and examines the question of how European institutions should deal with the "Rule of Law Crisis" in Europe.
It is possible to acquire credits in the SG Jura according to § 31 para. 2 no. 1 PO. In addition to the oral presentation, a written seminar paper must be submitted by 22 June 2023. For more information on the block seminar programme and possible topics, please contact the
preliminery meeting on Thursday, 13. April at 12:00 hrs in GW1 A 2350 IGMR Bibliothek (following the lecture on antitrust law)
Thur., 29. June 2023, 14:00-18:00 hrs, GW-HS H1000
Fri., 30. June 2023, 09:00-18:00 hrs, GW-HS H1000
Register via StudIP or at galyga@uni-bremen.de
Joint seminar on property law
On Thursday, 19 January 2023, Prof. Dr Gralf-Peter Calliess, Prof. Dr Dietrich Grashoff and Prof. Dr Dirk Weitze-Scholl held a joint seminar on real estate law on the premises of the law firm Ebner Stolz as part of the specialisation in international and European business law. The seminar was intended to give students an insight into property practice and thus complemented the lectures on contract and property law from the third semester.
Legal issues relating to property transactions were discussed from a historical, financing, liability and tax law perspective.
Our picture shows the participants of the seminar on property law.