Export business without a safety net is the reality for many national companies. Anyone buying or selling in foreign markets such as Europe, Southeast Asia, Latin America or the Middle East faces an uncomfortable truth: their own national law does not apply there. A contractual dispute can drag on for years, cost millions and, in the worst-case scenario, ultimately come to nothing.
Yet a tried-and-tested solution has been available for over 30 years; it is simply not widely known: the Unidroit Principles, an internationally recognised legal framework for cross-border contracts that gives companies planning certainty, regardless of the market.
On 30 September 2026, this instrument will be promoted at the World Congress of the International Academy of Comparative Law in Berlin.>360 leading legal experts from103 jurisdictions have jointly drawn up a practical report and signed the Berlin Declaration. The Declaration has been endorsed by a total of> 400 legal experts and organisations, including, for example, the German association of family-owned businesses DIE FAMILIENUNTERNEHMER e.V. – bundling 180.000 family-owned German companies employing approximately eight million people. Nearly 30 organisations from more than ten countries across four continents have also co-signed it, reflecting an exceptionally broad international consensus. For businesses, this means that a global standard for reliable contract drafting is taking shape.
The timing is no coincidence. At a time when supply chains are being reorganised, trade relations are becoming more fragile and legal uncertainty is holding back investment, Berlin offers a solution: Simplified Global Contracting, international contract drafting that works before disputes arise. In-house counsel and solicitors now have new options to consider and, where appropriate, use in the interests of their companies.
SMEs, family businesses and industrial companies can all benefit from greater legal certainty and simpler international contractual standards. Family-owned and industrial businesses, as well as traders, all depend on a reliable international framework as they make long-term investments and, in the case of family-owned businesses, often build international business relationships that span generations
Background Information on the World Congress: Two Centenaries
UNIDROIT
The International Institute for the Unification of Private Law (UNIDROIT) was founded 100 years ago in Rome as a subsidiary body of the League of Nations. Today, it has 65 member states and develops international legal instruments and model laws for global use (https://www.unidroit.org/).
The Unidroit Principles were developed between 1980 and 2016. Their development is comparable to Emperor Justinian’s codification of Roman law in the sixth century. They were developed by experts appointed by Unidroit under its auspices and guidance and have been recommended on several occasions by the United Nations, including through UNCITRAL, the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law.
The Principles have been applied both in high-profile cases, for example, in a Chinese-US corporate acquisition worth more than USD 60 billion and in an Asian-European arbitration involving USD 15 billion, and in day-to-day business transactions, including aid projects for Ukraine. Formally, they are not “classical state law”, but rather more flexible soft law in the form of generally recognised legal principles and rules of law.
The UNIDROIT Principles are a tool that has been tried and tested for 30 years but is still considered innovative. They will now be presented at the UNIDROIT centenary celebrations by an unprecedented combination of professors, young academics, lawyers and arbitrators from 103 jurisdictions at the World Congress.
International Academy of Comparative Law
The International Academy of Comparative Law was also founded 100 years ago. Its congresses take place every four years, alternating between different continents, and therefore take place in Europe approximately every 12 years. The most recent congress held in Germany took place in 1962 (https://iacl.hu-berlin.de/de).
Research into the Role of the Legal Profession in Law-Making
As part of the World Congress, a workshop led by Professor Grundmann of Humboldt University will use the UNIDROIT Principles as a case study to examine the extent to which lawyers and legal counsel can contribute to law-making by utilising existing soft law.
For Further Enquiries
- Unidroit Principles, the legal perspective: Professor Dr Eckart Brödermann, Special Reporter, former official observer at UNIDROIT, practitioner and author with 25 years’ practical experience with the Unidroit Principles; University of Hamburg and Brödermann Jahn Rechtsanwaltsgesellschaft mbH, Hamburg. He can provide practical, real-world examples from numerous industries, including automotive, energy, satellites, IT/IP and services. Email: [email protected]
- Business perspective — the user perspective: Henning Fehrmann, Vice-President of the German association of family-owned businesses, DIE FAMILIENUNTERNEHMER e.V.
Email: [email protected]
- World Congress — the academic perspective: Professor Dr Dr Dr h.c. Stefan Grundmann, Humboldt University.
Email: [email protected]
