Procedural Law Unit represented at UNIDROIT Centenary Academic Conference

The Procedural Law Unit of the University of Nicosia participated in the UNIDROIT Centenary Academic Conference, organised by the International Institute for the Unification of Private Law (UNIDROIT) in Rome as part of the celebrations marking the organisation’s 100th anniversary. The conference brought together leading academics and practitioners from around the world to reflect on a century of transnational private law and to discuss the future development of legal harmonisation.

The Director of the Procedural Law Unit, Dr Nicolas Kyriakides co-presented online, together with Dr Nicholas Mouttotos, our paper entitled ‘From Transnational Principles to National Practice: A Legal Analysis of the ELI/UNIDROIT Rules of Civil Procedure and their Impact on European Civil Justice Reform’. The paper was selected under the conference theme examining recent UNIDROIT instruments, with particular emphasis on the ELI/UNIDROIT Model Rules of Civil Procedure.

The paper explores the growing influence of the ELI/UNIDROIT Model Rules as a reference point for civil justice reform across Europe. It argues that although the Rules are not legally binding, they increasingly shape legislative and judicial thinking by promoting common principles of procedural fairness, proportionality, cooperation, effective case management and access to justice. The research further examines how the Rules respond to contemporary challenges, including digital justice, cross-border cooperation and procedural efficiency, while addressing the continuing balance between national procedural autonomy and transnational convergence.

The participation was particularly meaningful as the University of Nicosia is a member of the UNIDROIT Academic Network, reaffirming its commitment to advancing research in comparative and transnational civil procedure. The conference also provided an important forum for scholarly dialogue on the future of civil justice and the evolving role of soft-law instruments in shaping legal reform.

The Procedural Law Unit congratulates the organisers on an excellent event and looks forward to the publication of the conference proceedings.