Welcome

The Centre of Comparative, European and International Law (CDCEI) constitutes the extension of the teaching of Comparative Law and Private and Public International Law, European Law, German, French and U.S. Law. It is a research and documentation centre for professors, researchers, lawyers as well as any person with a vested interest in these fields. The Comparativa collection, which numbers 80 volumes, is proof of the comparative research effort conducted by this Centre. Moreover, the CDCEI is the centre of the MAS (LL.M.) in International and European Economic and Commercial Law.

The CDCEI was founded in 1963 by the Faculty of Law of the University of Lausanne. It first was named Institut de droit comparé. Professors Riesen and Neumayer were successively director of the Institute until 1967 when Professor Bernard Dutoit was nominated. Professor Dutoit stayed at the head of the Centre until 2002, when he retired. Then Professor Roland Bieber succeeded him in managing the Centre, until 2007, when he also retired. Professor Andrea Bonomi has been active as Director of the Centre since 2007 until the end of 2022. As of 1 January 2023, Professor Andreas Ziegler will be appointed Director of the Centre.

Many changes occurred during these years :

• in 1982, the Institut suisse de droit comparé (Swiss Institute of Comparative Law) was founded by the Swiss Confederation. To house it, a new building was built on the campus of the University of Lausanne. Consequently, our Centre changed its name to Centre universitaire de droit comparé ;
• in 1991, a DEA de droit européen et de droit international économique (MAS program in European and International Economic Law, now LL.M. in International and European Economic and Commercial Law) was created by the Faculty of Law and linked to the Centre. Afterwards, the Centre changed once more its name. It became the Centre de droit comparé et européen (CDCE) (Centre of Comparative and European Law) ;
• in 2000, the Institut de droit français (Institute of French Law) of the Faculty of Law was dissolved and French Law was integrated in the CDCE ;
• also in 2000, teaching of U.S. Law started at the Faculty of Law, and was integrated in the CDCE ;
• in 2001, German Law was integrated in the CDCE ;
• in 2002, the chair of Private International Law joined the Centre ;
• in Autumn 2002, due to the growth of the Centre, the name of Centre de droit comparé, de droit européen et de législations étrangères (Centre of Comparative, European and Foreign Laws) was designated ;
• and finally, in 2008, the chair of Public International Law was integrated in the Centre, which once more changed its name to Centre de droit comparé, européen et international (CDCEI) (Centre of Comparative, European and International Law).

Thus, the CDCEI now houses four chairs and the LL.M in International and European Economic and Commercial Law (MAS).