Die Integration der primärrechtlichen Anerkennungsmethode in das IPR

Since Savigny, private international law (PIL) has been chiefly shaped by the referral method. More recently, EU primary law has appeared on the scene as a rival that threatens to override the traditional system as a result of the influence that the fundamental freedoms and the freedom of movement have on PIL. This can be observed in the case law of the ECJ dealing with the incorporation of companies and names as personal status rights. The ECJ has determined certain results based on EU primary law without touching upon the (national) conflict rules. This »second track« of determining the applicable law was already labelled as the recognition method almost twenty years ago. According to previous interpretations of case law, it is limited to the two areas of law mentioned above. In particular, controversial topics in the culturally sensitive area of international family law, such as the recognition of same-sex marriages, are according to the prevailing opinion not covered by the recognition method. However, various developments, such as the ECJs Coman decision and the discussion on underage marriage in German PIL, raise doubts as to whether this purported limitation is in line with the integration concept of EU primary law. The question therefore arises as to how a meaningful dovetailing of conflict-of-law rules and EU primary law can be achieved in PIL doctrine.