ELI, the University of Pisa and the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München hosted the above Conference on Extra-Judicial Administration of Justice in Cross-Border Family and Succession Matters. The event, which brought together nearly 90 experts from across Europe to discuss the evolving landscape of cross-border family and succession law, took place at the University of Vienna and remotely. At the heart of the Conference were the seven Principles developed by ELI, in cooperation with the above Universities and with financial support from the European Commission, which aim to guide EU institutions and national legislators in adapting existing regulations, including the Brussels IIb Regulation and the Succession Regulation.

The Conference opened with welcoming remarks from Manuela Baccarini (Professor; Vice-Rector for Research and International Affairs, University of Vienna), Brigitta Zöchling-Jud (Professor; Dean of the Law Faculty, University of Vienna), Maria Vilar Badia (Legal Officer, European Commission, Directorate-General for Justice and Consumers, Unit A.2: Civil Justice), Christiane Wendehorst (ELI Scientific Director; Professor, University of Vienna) and Elena Bargelli (Project Co-Reporter; Professor, University of Pisa).

The discussions throughout the day highlighted the shift from judicial to extra-judicial mechanisms in family and succession matters, a trend increasingly observed across EU Member States.

The first panel provided an introduction to the project’s comparative findings, with researchers (Paul Patreider (Researcher, LMU Munich), Elisa Stracqualursi (Researcher, University of Pisa)) presenting the diverse practices in different Member States. A subsequent roundtable discussion featured experts from Greece (Eleni Zervogianni (Professor, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki)), Lithuania (Katarzyna Bogdziewicz (Professor, Mykolas Romeris University)), Romania (Luca Vlad (Lawyer, Bukarest)), and Spain (Laura Esteve Alguacil (Researcher, University of Valencia)), who shared national experiences and the challenges of de-judicialisation.

Experts went on to discuss seven Principles developed under the ELI project, covering critical areas such as jurisdiction (Anatol Dutta (Project Co-Reporter, Professor, LMU Munich) with comments from Ilaria Pretelli (Research Fellow, Swiss Institute of Comparative Law)), minimum standards (Elena Bargelli (Project Co-Reporter; Professor, University of Pisa), with comments from Rachael Kelsey (Lawyer, Edinburgh; President, International Academy of Family Lawyers)), and the extension of legal effects (François Trémosa (Project Co-Reporter; Notary, Paris/Toulouse), with comments from Costanza Honorati (Professor, University of Milano-Bicocca)). Further areas included preliminary reference (Elisa Stracqualursi (Researcher, University of Pisa), with comments from Camelia Toader (former Judge at the Court of Justice of the European Union; Professor, University of Bucharest)) and legal certainty (Nicola Chiricallo (Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Ferrara) and Paul Patreider (Researcher, LMU Munich), with comments from Stephanie Nitsch (Professor, University of Vienna)).

The event emphasised the importance of maintaining legal clarity and procedural consistency amid the growing role of non-judicial actors in family and succession law.

ELI is grateful to all the speakers and participants for their contributions.

More information about the project is available here.

Conference Brochure is available here.