The strategic and economic significance of maritime law is growing rapidly, especially as Europe navigates complex challenges related to climate change, global trade, technological innovation, and sustainability. From shipping and port regulation to marine environmental protection and offshore energy, maritime law affects a wide spectrum of legal domains. The newly proposed Special Interest Group (SIG) on Maritime Law seeks to establish a forum within ELI for comparative legal analysis, expert discussion, and policy development in this evolving field.

Its proposed chairmanship is the Piri Reis University Faculty of Law (Turkiye), as an ELI Institutional Member, Prof Dr Başak Başoğlu (Assoc Professor, Pîrî Reis University) and Prof Samim Ünan (Director, Maritime Law Cente, Piri Reis University).

The SIG will explore how EU law interacts with international maritime frameworks as well as how EU legislation shape national legal systems. One of the group’s core aims is to identify and promote best practices from a comparative law perspective.

In response to the sector’s transformation, the SIG will engage with several emerging and cross-cutting themes, including:

• The promotion and regulation of green fuels in line with the European Green Deal and maritime inclusion in the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS),
• Legal frameworks for autonomous/unmanned ships, which challenge conventional norms of liability, navigation safety, and international compliance,
• The evolution of maritime insurance law, particularly regarding new risks such as cyber incidents, climate disruption, and technological innovation,
• The legal dimensions of maritime finance, including maritime liens and mortgages, green investment instruments, EU funding mechanisms, state aid rules for ports and fleets, and the financial impact of regulatory compliance under EU and IMO regimes,
• The growth of marine and coastal tourism, which requires balancing economic opportunities with sustainability, safety, and consumer protection, especially in relation to cruise operations, recreational boating, yachting and coastal management.

The SIG will organise expert seminars, contribute to comparative legal scholarship, and promote institutional cooperation with the aim of engaging in EU policy processes and participating in relevant research calls, developing ELI projects for policy recommendations.

The SIG welcomes involvement from legal scholars and practitioners working in maritime, transport, environmental, insurance, tourism and international law.

Kindly express your interest to the ELI Secretariat via the following email address.