The ELI-UNIDROIT Project Members, Advisers and Observers convened in the Palais Trautson of the Austrian Ministry of Justice to discuss draft rules on European civil procedure developed by further working groups of the Project from the 16—17 November 2017. During the two-day event, Members of the Project heard presentations and debated on such topics as pendency, parties, costs, and judgments in civil procedure. The overarching working group 'Structure' presented an updated version of the first consolidated draft of European principles of civil procedure. 

The welcome address was delivered by Members of the Steering Committee, Diana Wallis (Past ELI President) and Anna Veneziano (UNIDROIT Secretary-General ad interim) and a host of other Co-reporters gave updates and allowed others to discuss the progress and direction of their Working Group.

On 16 November 2017, Frédérique Ferrand (University of Lyon) and Burkhard Hess (Max Planck Institute Luxembourg) from the ‘Lis Pendens and Res Judicata’ Working Group presented their draft rules, followed by Astrid Stadler (University of Konstanz) and Emmanuel Jeuland (University of Paris) from the ‘Parties’ Working Group. The day ended with a dinner attended by participants at Melker Stiftskeller.

On the following day, Paul Oberhammer (University of Vienna) presented the various issues pertaining to costs in European civil procedure traditions. A presentation and discussion of the latest version of the consolidated draft of three sets of rules (‘Access to information and evidence’, ‘Provisional and protective measures', and ‘Service and due notice of proceedings’) was given by Loïc Cadiet (Université Paris 1) and Xandra Kramer (Erasmus University Rotterdam). Finally, rounding up the day, Christoph Kern (University of Heidelberg) presented the draft rules on ‘Judgments’.

It was decided that there will be two events next year, a spring meeting in Rome, Italy on 9—10 April 2018 and an event in November 2018 in Trier, Germany.