XVII Congress of the International Academy of Comparative Law
From 17 - 22 July 2006 the Institute participated in the XVII Congress of the International Academy of Comparative Law, hosted by the University of Utrecht.
The International Academy is a corps of scholars from all over the world, the principal objective of which is the comparative study of legal systems. As early as 1900, a first congress on comparative law was held in Paris under the aegis of a French association, the Société de législation comparée. However, it would take until after the First World War before the International Academy of Comparative Law was founded in The Hague, on 13th September 1924. It is constituted in accordance with the laws of The Netherlands and has its seat in The Hague. The Congress is held every four years and represents a formidable opportunity for treatment of an intense breadth of subject matter.
Launch of Cees van Dam's European Tort Law: Friday 21 July
Following the UK launch of Cees van Dam's book, European Tort Law (Oxford University Press, 2006) by Lord Bingham of Cornhill at the Institute's Annual Conference on 16 June, the book's offical European launch took place at the Congress on Friday 21 July.
The book was launched by Professor Ewoud Hondius, Professor of Civil Law at Utrecht University, who is very familiar with Prof van Dam's work, having been his PhD supervisor in Utrecht. Professor Hondius quoted several passages from Prof van Dam's book, the first textbook to be published on European tort law. The book integrates national law, comparative law, European Community law and European human rights law, and is set to be widely used on university courses, such as the course on European tort law at Maastricht University.
Papers from Previous Congresses
Papers from the previous two Congresses, in 1998 and 2002, were published by BIICL in conjunction with the United Kingdom National Committee of Comparative Law (UKNCCL) in the following books:
- UKNCCL Volume 19: UK Law for the Millenium - 2nd Edition, which contains the complete collection of the United Kingdom National Reports presented at the XVth International Congress of Comparative Law at the University of Bristol in the Summer of 1998.
- UKNCCL Volume 20: Comparative Law Facing the 21st Century, an indispensable repository of information and comparative analysis. The book contains a collection of the general reports delivered at the XVth International Congress of Comparative Law held in Bristol in 1998
- UKNCCL Volume 21: Studies in UK Law 2002, comprising the UK contributions to the XVI Congress of the International Academy of Comparative Law, held in Brisbane, Australia, in 2002.
All of these books may be purchased via the Institute's website. The Institute is currently examining publication of contributions from the latest Congress. General rapporteurs and other participants to the conference are invited to contact the Institute's Publishing Department.