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Draft General Law on Private International Law aims to bring Brazil from the 19th into the 21st century
Guest post by Gustavo Ferraz de Campos Monaco, Full Professor of Private Internacional Law – University of São Paulo
In Brazilian law, the regulation of conflicts of laws is still based on a legislation from 1942, during a dictatorial regime, which explains its inspiration from the Italian fascist regime. The values prevailing in Brazilian society back then were quite different from those we hold today, especially in matters concerning family relationships. At that time, the family unit was viewed as having a single domicile, and questions related to the definition of parenthood were unthinkable outside traditional presumptions.
On at least two occasions over the past 83 years, attempts to draft new regulations were undertaken by leading figures in the field – Haroldo Valladão, Jacob Dolinger, and João Grandino Rodas – but both initiatives failed during the process, without the Plenary of the Legislative Houses having expressed an opinion on the merits of the projects. Read more
Brazilian Supreme Court on the Hague Child Abduction Convention
Guest post by Janaína Albuquerque, International Family Lawyer; Research Associate at the NOVA Centre for the Study of Gender, Family and the Law; Legal Coordinator at Revibra Europa. Janaína represented Revibra, Instituto Maria da Penha and Instituto Superação da Violência Doméstica as amici curiae in the cases discussed below.
The Brazilian Supreme Court has recently delivered a landmark judgment in two Direct Actions of Unconstitutionality (Ações Diretas de Inconstitucionalidade, or ADIs), namely ADI 4245 and ADI 7686, concerning the application of the 1980 Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction(1980HC). Despite their denomination, these actions did not aim to invalidate the Convention, but rather to harmonize its interpretation with the principles enshrined in the Brazilian Federal Constitution.[1] Read more
EU modernises consumer dispute resolution: An overview of the new ADR Directive
By Alexia Kaztaridou (Linklaters)
On 25 September 2025, the Internal Market and Consumer Protection Committee (IMCO) of the European Parliament approved the text of the political agreement on the Alternative Disputes Resolution for Consumer Disputes Directive. This Directive establishes a framework for resolving through ADR procedures contractual domestic and cross-border consumer disputes arising from the sale of goods or provision of services between consumers and traders within an EU context. The amendments to the prior Directive aim to modernise the existing framework in light of new consumer trends, such as the growth of e-commerce, and bring significant changes across several areas, enhancing the protection for consumers and clarifying obligations for traders and ADR entities. The Directive maintains its minimum harmonisation approach, allowing Member States to provide for stronger consumer protection. Read more
News
Conference at Bilkent University on Private International Law and Sustainable Development
Bilkent University Faculty of Law is pleased to invite you to an upcoming conference titled “Private International Law and Sustainable Development.”
We are honored to host a panel of world-renowned experts to discuss the evolving role of Private International Law in achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Date: 13th April 2026, Monday
Time: 13:30 – 15:30
Venue: FFB 2
Moderator: Prof. Dr. Bilgin Tiryakio?lu
Distinguished Speakers:
Prof. Dr. Ralf Michaels (Max Planck Institute) – The Place of Private International Law in Sustainable Development
Prof. Dr. Veronica Ruiz Abou-Nigm (University of Edinburgh) – Sustainable Consumption and Production (SDG 12): Circularity in Fashion
Prof. Van Loon Hans (Former Secretary General of the HCCH) – The Role of the Judge in Climate Cases (SDG 13)
Assoc. Prof. Dr.Gulum Özçelik (Bilkent University) – Recognition of Personal Status Acquired Abroad (SDGs 5, 10, 16)
The conference will be live-streamed on our official YouTube channel: @bilkentuniversitesihukuk.
The event will be held in English.
All interested participants are welcome.
Students who attend the event will be awarded GE 250/251 points.
Call for Papers: 6th PIL Early Career Researchers’ Conference (9/10 April 2027, Munich)
Hot on the heels of the publication of the proceedings of the 5th PIL Early Career Researchers’ Conference, the organizers of the 6th conference have just published the Call for Papers (German version).
The conference will take place on 9 and 10 April 2027 at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich under the title ‘Crises in PIL – Crises of PIL’, which the organizers introduce as follows:
We are living in an age of polycrisis: war and environmental destruction are forcing thousands upon thousands to flee; growing social inequality and the concentration of economic power are undermining social cohesion; political polarization and the rise of renationalization threaten the project of European integration and international cooperation. At our conference, we aim to explore the implications of these crises for private international law (PIL). What new questions do the political, social, economic, and ecological crises of our time raise for PIL? How does PIL contribute to crisis management, or, conversely, to the exacerbation of crises? And might the discipline of PIL itself be in crisis?
The keynote speech will be given by Heinz-Peter Mansel (University of Cologne).
More information can be found on the conference website.
HCCH Monthly Update: March 2026
Membership
On 4 March 2026, Guatemala deposited its instrument of acceptance of the Statute, becoming the 93rd Member of the HCCH. More information is available here.
Conventions & Instruments
On 1 March 2026, the 2019 Judgments Convention entered into force for Albania and Montenegro. At present, 33 HCCH Members are either bound by the 2019 Judgments Convention or a Contracting Party for which the Convention has not entered into force yet (Andorra). More information is available here (for Albania) and here (for Montenegro).
On 1 March 2026, the 2005 Choice of Court Convention entered into force for Monaco. At present, 38 States and the European Union are bound by the 2005 Choice of Court Convention. More information is available here.
Meetings & Events
From 3 to 6 March 2026, the Council on General Affairs and Policy (CGAP) of the HCCH met in The Hague. The meeting was attended by 560 participants joining both in person and online. During the meeting, the Members of the HCCH reviewed progress made to date and agreed on the work programme for the year ahead, taking important decisions on work relating to possible new legislative instruments, post-Convention work, and governance matters. More information is available here.
From 9 to 11 March 2026, the Regional Workshop on Sharing Experiences on the Effective Implementation of the 1993 Adoption Convention in Africa was held in Cape Town, South Africa. More information is available here.
On 24 March 2026, the first meeting for Central Authorities on the operation of the 1965 Service, 1970 Evidence and 1980 Access to Justice Conventions was held online, hosted by the PB of the HCCH.
Publications
On 3 March 2026, the Permanent Bureau announced the publication of the HCCH 2025 Annual Report. More information is available here.
Upcoming events
Registration is open for the 14th International Forum on the electronic Apostille Programme (e-APP), which will take place in hybrid format on 12 and 13 May 2026 in Marrakesh, Morocco. The registration deadline is Friday 1 May 2026, 5.00 p.m. (CEST). More information is available here.
Vacancies
Applications are now open for three- to six-month legal internships for the period from September 2026 to February 2027. The deadline for the submission of applications is 20 April 2026. More information is available here.
These monthly updates are published by the Permanent Bureau of the Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH), providing an overview of the latest developments. More information and materials are available on the HCCH website.