The second week of the 2025/26 PEPP programme took place from 25 January to 1 February in Zagreb, the capital of Croatia. Following the successful opening event in Münster the previous October, the participants were excited to reconnect with each other.
The academic programme covered a wide range of topics from all areas of European private law. The discussions on the first day focused on the ECHR and its influence on European legal development, sparking interesting and sometimes controversial debates. The evening reception, hosted by the University of Zagreb’s Law Faculty, offered further interesting insights, this time into the legal history and culture of Croatia, as well as providing an opportunity to meet faculty members and participants from previous PEPP rounds.
The following days consisted of lectures and discussions on topics such as the digitalisation of European private law, consumer protection after the Green Deal, European corporate governance, the role of autonomy in European company law, international commercial arbitration, and the proprietary aspects of crypto assets. Also included was a visit to the Croatian National Bank, where participants discussed current plans and legal challenges involved in introducing a digital euro with one of the bank’s vice presidents.
Thursday was certainly a highlight of the week, with some of the participants having the opportunity to present their current research. The presentations and subsequent discussions provided new ideas and insights for both lecturers and members of the audience and showed the wide range of interesting research topics within European private law. In the afternoon, participants were introduced to legal linguistics and learned about current methods in this interdisciplinary field of legal research.
The academic programme was complemented by various social events, which allowed participants to explore Zagreb and, even more importantly, deepen their connection with each other. The group is therefore very much looking forward to meeting again in Cambridge in April.
