In Europe, there are only three independent institutes for comparative law, that are not the part of some university. One of them is in Lausanne in Switzerland, the other one is in London and the third one is in Belgrade. The Belgrade’s Institute was founded in 1956 with the aim to make scientific researches on foreign law, to collect knowledge about the different legal issues. The main task is to inform Serbian (political and academic) public, about  foreign law. So, from the Institute’s researches it could be seen how, which way some things are regulated in other countries, especially in Europe. In that sense, investigations about EU law are nowadays especially in the focus of the Institute’s work.

Some of the most prestigious Serbian lawyers used to work in the Institute. Some of them became members of the Serbian Academy of Science and many of them became professors at different faculties of law. The Institute currently has 17 researchers permanently employed of which 10 of them have PhD degree. All of them speak at least two foreign languages. There are also 5 workers that work in the administration of the Institute. Some of Institute’s researchers are engaged as consultants by World Bank, OSCE and some other world institutions. Some Institute’s scientists are engaged by Serbian Ministry to work from time to time on drafting new legislation in different fields.

The Institute is mostly financed by the Ministry of Science, but the Institute works also on some other market projects, together with some other domestic and foreign institutions. When we speak about foreign projects, a project concerning the harmonization of the Serbian law with the EU law, that was financed by the Swiss Development Agency and that was done in 2002, 2003 and 2004 has to be mentioned. Another important project are the project concerning the fight against the organized crime in Serbia. That project was done in 2007 and 2008, together with the UNICRI (United Nations Institute for Criminological Researches) from Turin - Italy and the Faculty of Law from Florence. The result of that project was one of the first book that was published in Serbia about problems of organized crime. Some proposals about the improving the fight against organized crime, that were made in that book were accepted by Serbian legislator and implemented in the Serbian legal system. In 2009. the international network conference about the experience of Eastern Europen countries in implementing EU law was organized in Belgrade. On that conference, experts from Estonia, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia, Croatia, Macedonia, Bulgaria, and Serbia and Switzerland participated and presented main problems they had and main activities they have done in the process of the harmonization of the law of their countries with EU law. The Belgrade’s Institute published a book about that.

The Institute worked with some other Ministries who wanted to hear the opinion and recommendations about some legal proposals. Some were accepted, some not, but the cooperation was very successful when the word is about the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of Diaspora, the Ministry of Culture.

The Institute is publishing 3 times in a year a journal called “Strani pravni život” - “Foreign Legal Life” (could be read on line) in which different articles written by Serbian and foreign experts on different legal issues are published.

Serbian judges, prosecutors, but first of all young lawyers/researchers, academics, come to the Institute to get information which they need in their work. The library in the Institute has more than 22.000 books (on Serbian, English, German, Russian, French, etc) that are available for all of those who are interested in foreign law and comparative researches. The Institute’s library exchanges publications made in the Institute with the publications made in more than 20 institutions in Serbia and abroad.

During 55 years of existing, the Institute has published more than 200 books monographies on different legal issues. Some of the new ones could be read on-line, for example: “Law of the Countries in the Region”; “Serbian Law in  Transition – Changes and Challenges”;  “Introduction to the Law of the USA”.  

Main Activity of the Institute

The main activity of the Institute of Comparative Law is comparative research. From its founding to the beginning of nineties, the Institute performed its operation lege artis and in accordance with international standards. Since then, the Institute operates in extremely unfavourable conditions, without contemporary legal literature and without enough equipment. However, it succeeded to preserve its main activity.
The beginning of XXI century brought new chances for the Institute of Comparative Law to continue its operation successfully.

Institute of Comparative Law:

• collects, translates and researches data on legislation, legal science and practice in other countries and analyses important issues of international and comparative law;

• researches the European Union law and is engaged in the harmonisation of Yugoslav law with the European law;

• through its publications and in other ways, informs the Yugoslav professional public on foreign and international law and acquaints the foreign public with the situation in Yugoslav legislation, practice and achievements in legal science;

• performs fundamental researches in the comparative and international law domain;

• participates in the reform of legislation, especially by law drafting in various fields, gives expert opinions, makes elaborates, studies, analyses etc.;

• publishes monographs, periodicals and other publications;

• organises scientific conferences and expert meetings regarding especially significant and current issues;

• cooperates with corresponding scientific and expert institutions in country and abroad;

• collects and keeps necessary documentation (collections of regulations, official gazettes, books, periodicals, etc).

Cooperation of Institute of Comparative Law with the similar institutions

Institute permanently cooperates with domestic partners:

    Institute of European Studies
    Institute of International Commerce
    Institute of Criminology and Sociology Researches
    Institute of Humanity Sciences
    Faculty of Law in Belgrade
    Faculty of Law in Novi Sad
    Faculty of Law in Kragujevac
    Institute of Economic and Social Researches
    Belgrade Centre for Human Rights
    Centre for Advanced Legal Studies,
and from time to time with the other similar institutions and no governmental organizations.

Institute permanently cooperates with foreign partners:

    Centre Européen Universitaire de Nancy – France
    Institute for Federalism, Fribourg, Switzerland
    Aire Centre, London, UK
    Central European University, Budapest, Hungary
    Europe Institute, Zurich, Switzerland

    From the beginning of 2001, Institute of Comparative Law is in long term and also from time to time aided and supported by:

• Ministry of Science and Environmental Protection)
• Ministry of Education of the Republic of Serbia
• Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Serbia
• Ministry of human and Minority Rights of the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro
• Ministry of Diaspora
• Ministry of Defence
• Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation
• Open Society Fund Belgrade
• Centre culturelle français
• GTZ (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit, GmbH)
• Heinrich-Boell-Stiftung
• USAID