About the Institute
International insolvency law has been steadily gaining importance for decades due to the increasing globalization of the world economy. Today, questions relating to international insolvency and restructuring law arise on a regular basis. In order to do justice to the increasing importance of these fields of law, the Institute for International and European Insolvency Law was founded in 2008. The Institute and its managing director, Prof. Dr. Christoph Thole, research on all areas of international insolvency and restructuring law. This includes questions of international jurisdiction, recognition of insolvency proceedings and applicable law. In the area of international jurisdiction, for example, an important question is which state has jurisdiction for the opening of insolvency proceedings. An important question in the field of recognition is whether foreign court decisions – such as the confirmation of an English restructuring plan – take effect domestically. And in the area of applicable law, it is necessary to determine which law applies to a specific legal relationship – such as current contracts to which the debtor is party – in the event of insolvency.
A particular focus of the research work at the institute is on the European Insolvency Regulation (EIR) and its interplay with other European regulations and national choice of law rules, also considering civil procedural law. Since preventive restructuring has been growing in importance in Europe recently, the institute's research work has focused more and more on the international aspects of this field of law. Questions of international jurisdiction, cross-border recognition and applicable law also arise in relation to (public and confidential) restructuring proceedings. The research results of the director and his staff are published in national and in international media. Prof. Dr. Christoph Thole regularly lectures on issues of international insolvency and restructuring law and is known to be an expert in these fields.
Moreover, the institute organizes an annual symposium together with its fundraising association (Förderverein). At these symposia, representatives of academia and practice discuss current developments and related challenges in national and international insolvency and restructuring law. The Institute for International and European Insolvency Law is the sister institute of the Institute for Civil Procedure and Insolvency Law.