Short Courses on EU Law and Comparative Law

To support participants in the Private International Law session, the Academy offers two specialised short courses designed to provide essential background knowledge:

The first is a short ‘crash-course’ ‘course on European Union Law, which covers the fundamental principles of EU law. This course addresses a common challenge for participants from non-European jurisdictions or from countries where this subject is not part of the curriculum, as lectures in the Private International Law programme frequently refer to European Union law.

The second is a course on Comparative Law, which deepens participants’ familiarity with the diversity of legal systems encountered in Private International Law and enhances their ability to engage with the session’s content. This course is offered with the generous support of the International Academy of Comparative Law.

Together, these courses aim to ensure that all participants, regardless of their legal background, can fully benefit from the Private International Law session.

The course on European Union Law will be spread out over 3 evenings – Tuesday 28 July, Wednesday 29 July and Friday 31 July 2026 and will be taught by Dr. Thomas Vandamme, Lecturer at the University of Amsterdam.

The course on Comparative Law will take place on Saturday 2 August 2026 and will be taught by Prof. Dr. Rui Dias, Professor of Law at the Faculty of Law of the University of Coimbra.

The registration fee for each course is €40. Both courses are taught in either English or French and simultaneously translated into the other language. 

Please note that no specific certificate of attendance will be issued for these additional courses (EU and Comparative Law).