Professor Christian Twigg-Flesner is one of 28 members of the European Law Institute (ELI) elected by the general assembly to serve on its Council (the main decision-making body), at its Annual Conference held in Vienna earlier this month. The Council consists of 56 elected members and 4 ex officio members, with half the Council members being elected every two years. Christian will serve on the Council for a four-year term.

The European Law Institute, founded in June 2011, is an independent organisation, which aims to improve the quality of European law. It offers a forum for scholars and practitioners from across the continent of Europe to:

- Collaborate on researching new legal issues;

- Make recommendations for law reform and tackling novel aspects;

- Provide practical guidance in the field of European legal development.

The focus is on a European contribution to law, with an emphasis on global issues. There are over 1,400 individual members, as well as many institutional members and observers.

Having been elected to Council, Christian will be an active member of the governing body and contribute to discussions about which projects to pursue, funding aspects and developing ELI's relationship with other key bodies, such as the UN Commission on international trade law (UNCITRAL) or the European Union.

The Council represents the different legal traditions in Europe. Christian will be able to bring the perspective of an English common lawyer to deliberations as despite the UK's withdrawal from the EU, UK perspectives will continue to feature strongly in the work of ELI.

Christian told us, “I am thrilled to have been elected to serve on Council, and to be able to offer a UK perspective, as well as my expertise in both European contract/consumer law and international commercial law. This is an exciting time for ELI's work, with many projects on the legal implications of the digital revolution - a topic close to my own research interests.”

Congratulations Christian.