Research
Research
Refugees in identity crisis (2021)
The research will empirically investigate these pressing legal issues and aims at unravelling the interactions between migration law and private international law. To this end, the research first aims at mapping the legal problems related to refugees' personal and family status. In a second phase, it will investigate whether and how the mapping and the awareness of these interactions can lead to a better coordination of these two legal frameworks with the aim of enhancing the protection of refugees.
Researcher: Geertrui Daem
Promoter: Prof. Jinske Verhellen
The Private Side of Transforming our World - UN Sustainable Development Goals 2030 and the Role of Private International Law (2021)
In this regard, Prof. Sabine Corneloup (Université Paris 2 Panthéon-Assas) and Prof. Jinske Verhellen (Ghent University) have examined Target 16.9 of the SDGs, which aims to provide legal identity for all, including birth registration : Sustainable Development Goal 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions) and Private International Law.

Handbook for guardians of unaccompanied minors (2020-2021)
CUREDI - Cultural and Religious Diversity under State Law across Europe (2018-ongoing)
Yasmina El Kaddouri (2018-2020) and Frederik Welvaert (2019-2020) have contributed to this project through short research assignments.
BOF project I cross the border and carry with me… (2015-2021)
The increasing mobility of people leads to the worldwide circulation of documents that record the civil status of people (e.g. birth, marriage, death). The recognition of these documents traditionally belongs to the field of private international law which aspires cross-border harmony and continuity in the life of people. A noble objective, yet hard to put in practice. As a result, some people carry a different civil status (e.g. unmarried) in their host country in comparison with the status in their country of origin (e.g. married). Such discrepancies – also called limping legal relations – generate legal uncertainty and unpredictability. This research aims to study a new approach to cross-border civil status. Departing from the right to respect for private and family life, the research will examine whether and to what extent the human rights approach is able to reduce the negative effects of limping legal relations (increasing the cross-border portability of a certain civil status).
Researcher: Sarah Den Haese
Promoter: Prof. Jinske Verhellen
Leerstoel Marcel Storme (2019)
In 2019, the Institute for Private International Law hosted dr. Susanne Gössl for the Chair Marcel Storme. You may access the slides of the lecture on 21 February 2019 titled “Questions of a “third sex“ in the international and European arena”, here.
The interactions between PIL and Migration Law on the agenda of the European Parliament (2017)

Cross-Border Proceedings in Family Law Matters before National Courts and CJEU (2015-2017)