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The European Centre of Tort and Insurance Law was founded in Vienna ten years ago. Amongst other objectives, the aim was to establish a solid institutional basis for a highly ambitious project of the European Group on Tort Law, which was founded by Jaap Spier in 1993. The goal of this project, the Principles of European Tort Law, was and continues to be to draft a future European tort law.
Since its establishment in 1999 ECTIL has undertaken pioneering work in the harmonisation and comparison of European tort law. In the last decade important milestones have included the creation of a partner institute, the Institute for European Tort Law of the Austrian Academy of Sciences (ETL) in 2002; the publication of the Principles including Commentary in 2005 as well as the publication of the Tort and Insurance Law Yearbook series since 2001. The extensive research activities undertaken by ECTIL – mostly in cooperation with ETL – are reflected in the vast number of publications – in total over 40 books have been published in the last ten years.
An important principle underlying the work of ECTIL has always been the endeavour to go beyond legal research conducted in an “ivory tower” and to concentrate on issues related to the practice of law. This application-oriented research is also determined by the individuals and institutions that sponsor ECTIL.
On the occasion of its tenth anniversary, the European Centre of Tort and Insurance Law would cordially to invite you to a function at the Austrian Ministry of Justice. Representatives of sponsors and judges will give short presentations on the influence on their work of European tort law scholarship, with particular reference to ECTIL research projects, especially the Principles of European Tort Law: Siegfried Grigg/ Austrian Insurance Association, Irmgard Griss/ Austrian Supreme Court, Georg Kathrein/ Austrian Ministry of Justice, Encarnación Roca Trias/ First Chamber of the Spanish Supreme Court, Lord Rodger of Earlsferry/ Supreme Court of the United Kingdom, and Nicholas Roenneberg/ Munich Re (in alphabetical order).
Date: Thursday, December 3, 2009
Venue: Austrian Ministry of Justice, Museumstrasse 7, 1070 Vienna, Austria
Time: 4:30 pm
With the growing discourse on the subject of punitive damages, the consensus is that it seems worthwhile and even an urgency to discuss, thoroughly and on a comparative basis, the nature, role and suitability of such damages in tort law and private law in general.
ECTIL would like to bring to the attention of its patrons a one-day conference, organised by the Institute for European Tort Law, which brings together a distinguished panel of scholars and practitioners from jurisdictions that openly endorse punitive damages as well as those jurisdictions which vehemently deny their existence although some of them covertly incorporate punitive damages into the framework of their tort systems. A presentation of punitive damages from a Law and Economics perspective and one on the controversies surrounding the insurability of such damages will also be made. Chaired by Sir Henry Brooke, a former Chairman of the Law Commission for England and Wales, it will appeal to academics, practitioners, judges, policy makers and those in the insurance industry and will provide a forum in which attendants can interact, network and enrich our discussions on the topic.
If you would like to receive further information on this event, please visit www.etl.oeaw.ac.at. You can also download an information folder. |