The Institute, the first in the UK dedicated to the study of European Public Law, was inaugurated on 1st May 1992 by Sir Leon Brittan, Q.C., then Vice President of the European Commission and Director of the Competition Directorate, DG IV, of the European Commission. The Institute exists within the Law School of Hull University, its establishment having been agreed by the Law School which initially provided its annual budget. The aims and objectives of the Institute are the promotion of research and the provision of post-graduate teaching in the area of European Public Law. The research interests relate to the relationship between the public law of Member States, the relationship between the public law systems of Members States and European Community Law and their mutual influence and interaction.
Research undertaken is of a theoretical, empirical and applied nature.
The Institute undertakes consultancies for both the private and public sectors. Under the terms of its constitution there are appointed a Director and an Assistant Director, an Advisory Board and an Executive Board.