European Law Institute (ELI)

European Law Institute

The European Law Institute is an independent, democratic, membership-based organisation established as an ‘Association Internationale Sans But Lucratif’ under Belgian law on 1 June 2011. ELI’s mission is to initiate, conduct and support research, issue recommendations and provide practical guidance on developments in European law. ELI’s activities cover all areas of law – substantive, procedural, public and private. In its efforts to improve law-making, ELI seeks to understand and bridge the often-perceived tensions between different legal cultures, as well as between legal theory and its practical application.

ELI’s membership network comprises approximately 1,800 individual members and 180 institutional members. Notable institutional members include the European Parliament, the Court of Justice of the European Union, the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights, as well as several supreme, supreme administrative and constitutional courts across Europe, law firms, faculties and professional associations.

ELI also organises its annual conference each year, which is one of the institute’s main events. The conference provides a forum for experts, judges, lawyers, academics and policymakers to discuss the most urgent legal challenges in Europe. The conference also plays a key role in providing information on ELI’s ongoing projects and shaping its future work through dialogue with its diverse network of interested parties.