France: European Law Institute Annual Conference 2026 in Paris
Membership in the European Law Institute (ELI) is an important part of my professional life, and I look forward to attending the 2026 ELI Annual Conference in Paris from 2 to 4 September 2026.
The conference will focus on “Europe and the Rule of Law: Cultural Engagement and Legal Resilience.” It will bring together judges, legal practitioners, academics, policymakers and representatives of European and international legal institutions to discuss some of the most pressing challenges facing law and justice in Europe. The ELI Annual Conference is one of the Institute’s flagship events and also provides an important forum for shaping its current projects and future research agenda.
The 2026 programme places the rule of law in Europe at the centre of the discussion. Planned sessions address the relationship between law, justice and cultural engagement, the protection of lawyers, institutional pressures on courts, public understanding of the rule of law and the role of legal institutions in strengthening democratic resilience.
The programme also reflects the growing impact of technological, social and political change on European law. Among the areas to be discussed are the governance of biometric technologies, judicial workloads and institutional capacity, sanctions enforcement and asset seizure, legal harmonisation, dispute resolution and the interaction between law and emerging technologies.
One of the keynote discussions will feature Mattias Guyomar, President of the European Court of Human Rights, and Donal O’Donnell, Chief Justice of Ireland and President of the Network of the Presidents of the Supreme Judicial Courts of the European Union. Their participation reflects the high institutional level of the conference and its close connection with current European debates on courts, justice and the rule of law.
For me, participation in the ELI Annual Conference is more than attendance at a major European legal event. It is an opportunity to engage directly with an international community of scholars and practitioners working on questions that closely intersect with my own professional and academic interests.
As a political scientist, lawyer and mediator, I am particularly interested in discussions concerning:
- the resilience of European legal and democratic institutions;
- the protection of the rule of law during political and security crises;
- law, technology and digital governance;
- access to justice and alternative dispute resolution;
- the relationship between legal institutions, public trust and democratic legitimacy;
- the contribution of European legal cooperation to Ukraine’s recovery and European integration.
The Paris conference will also mark important institutional anniversaries. On 1 September, the programme includes the UNIDROIT Centenary Regional Conference for Europe and the celebration of the 15th anniversary of the European Law Institute. These events will connect contemporary debates with the longer development of European and international legal cooperation.
I look forward to meeting colleagues from across Europe, learning more about current ELI projects and contributing to conversations on how law can respond to democratic fragility, technological transformation and new challenges to European legal order.
Event Details
Event: European Law Institute Annual Conference 2026
Theme: Europe and the Rule of Law: Cultural Engagement and Legal Resilience
Location: Paris, France
Conference dates: 2–4 September 2026
Related anniversary programme: 1 September 2026
Organiser: European Law Institute
Image: ELI Annual Conference 2026. Source: European Law Institute – official event page
