PhD student: Mrs Dr K. Zimmermann

Promotors: Prof.em. J.H.M. van Erp, R. Schulze

Duration: 15/7/2015 - 31/8/2019

PhD defence: Maastricht, 2/6/2021

Abstract:

In a nutshell, the Ph.D. thesis will concentrate on the simplification of cross-border transfers of land in the European Union. The thesis will be structured in three main parts. In the first part of the thesis, a thorough comparative study of the land registration systems of the Netherlands, Germany, Spain, and England/Wales will be conducted. To ensure a good understanding of the registration process, special attention will be given to the main actors (i.e. the notaries, conveyancers, and registrars) and to the definition of the object subject to transfer. The second part of the thesis will start with a discussion of the desirability of European initiatives in the field. Further, an inventory and analysis of these initiatives, as proposed or realized by academics, notaries, land registries and cadastres, will be provided. On the basis of the first two parts, as well as by de-coding other innovative initiatives such as the Land Administration Domain Model and the International Registry of Mobile Assets, a legal framework for land registration in Europe will be developed in the third part.