New edition: Hess’ Europäisches Zivilprozessrecht

Burkhard Hess, Europäisches Zivilprozessrecht, De Gruyter 2021.

Just over ten years after the first edition of Europäisches Zivilprozessrecht (European Civil Procedure) by Burkhard Hess (director Max Planck Institute for Procedural Law, Luxembourg) a second –  even more voluminous and impressive – edition was published early 2021. While updating this book after a decade that marks not only the further expansion  but perhaps also the coming of age of European Civil Procedure is an immense task in itself, this new addition also expands in breadth. Particularly noteworthy is the new part on the interaction between European law and national civil procedure, including out-of-court procedures.

A must-read or even must-have for German readers having an interest in European Civil Procedure!

The blurb on the publisher’s website reads:

This book explores the European law of civil procedure from a systematic and dogmatic perspective by comprehensively assessing and providing a detailed explanation of all the instruments adopted in this area of the law. Based on the case law of the Court of Justice of the European Union, it expounds on the legislative powers of the Union, the different regulatory levels of European procedural law, its underlying concepts and legislative techniques. Against this background, it addresses the interfaces of the European law of civil procedure with the civil procedures of the EU Member States and the judicial cooperation with third States. The 2nd edition of this treatise also focusses on latest developments such as the protection the independence of the judiciary and of the rule of law in the Member States of the European Union. Moreover, it tackles alternative dispute resolution and arbitration, as well as the latest policy of the EU Commission in the digitization of national justice systems. To further contextualize the development of the European law of civil procedure, it also provides the reader with a thorough understanding of preliminary reference procedures before the Court of Justice. In its final chapter, it addresses the current policy debate towards a European code of civil procedure.

This reference book is an essential reading for academics, regulators, and practitioners seeking reliable and comprehensive information about the European law of civil procedure. It also addresses trainee lawyers and students interested in cross-border litigation and dispute resolution, as well as those who wish to specialize in European business law.