The 2026 Annual Conference and Meetings

The principal programme of the 2026 ELI Annual Conference took place from 2–4 September in Paris, bringing together leading representatives of the judiciary, legal professions, academia, international organisations and civil society under the overarching theme Europe and the Rule of Law: Cultural Engagement and Legal Resilience. It was preceded by Unidroit Centenary Regional Conference for Europe, held in Paris on 1 September 2026.

Hosted at some of Paris’s most distinguished legal and academic institutions, the Conference explored the rule of law from a broad range of perspectives. Senior representatives of France’s Constitutional Council, Court of Cassation and Council of State opened the substantive programme with reflections on the role of courts and constitutional principles. Further sessions examined the protection of lawyers, the resilience of courts facing increasing caseloads, public engagement with the rule of law, international legal harmonisation, cultural heritage, biometric technologies and some of ELI’s most significant ongoing law reform work.

Our Annual Conference (agenda here) was a timely and important gathering with the rule of law at its centre. It was held under the Patronage of President Emannuel Macron and brought together more than fifty eminent speakers from the judiciary, European and international institutions, the legal professions, academia, journalism and the arts. The judicial participation included the President of the European Court of Human Rights; the President of the French Constitutional Council; the Vice-President of the French Council of State; and the First President of the French Court of Cassation. We were also honoured by the participation of the Lady Chief Justice of England and Wales; the Chief Justice of Ireland and President of the Network of the Presidents of the Supreme Judicial Courts of the European Union; the President of Luxembourg’s Superior Court of Justice and Constitutional Court; and the President of the Supreme Court of Montenegro. The Conference was also an occasion to celebrate the centenary of UNIDROIT and the sixtieth anniversary of UNCITRAL. It was enriched by the participation of the Secretary General of the HCCH, the Secretary General of the European Judicial Training Network, the Director of the American Law Institute, and leading representatives of Council of Europe bodies, including the CCJE, CDPC and CDCJ. The Conference provided an especially valuable opportunity to deepen existing relationships and open a number of promising avenues for future cooperation.

The programme also featured the Eighth Ole Lando Memorial Lecture, delivered by Bénédicte Fauvarque-Cosson, as well as a dedicated strand exploring the relationship between law, art, culture and public understanding.

The final day turned to questions of European business law, sanctions enforcement and the law of sexual offences, before Ukrainian human rights lawyer and Nobel Peace Prize recipient Oleksandra Matviichuk joined ELI President Teresa Rodríguez de las Heras Ballell for the Closing Session. The Conference demonstrated ELI’s convening role as a forum in which different legal traditions, professions and institutions can engage in open dialogue on how law can remain effective, trusted and resilient in periods of profound change.

See Canapii here. 

The Conference was supported by:

The University of Vienna

Founded by Duke Rudolph IV in 1365 the University of Vienna is one of the oldest universities in the German-speaking world. With its long and rich history, the University of Vienna has developed into one of the largest universities in Europe, and also one of the most renowned. An extended Framework Partnership Agreement will see ELI receive further funding from 2023–2027. 

European Union

Following the specific call for proposals aiming at establishing four-year framework partnership agreements with EU-level networks for 2022–2025 and Operating Grants for the respective years, ELI was selected for co-financing by the European Union. This year's Conference is supported under this scheme.

City of Vienna

The Vienna City Council sponsors certain public events in a bid to promote cultural diversity. ELI’s Annual Conference is one such sponsored event.

Interleges

Interleges is a well-established and closely linked alliance of independent law firms with offices across the countries of the European Union, Eastern Europe, Middle East and America. One of the first networks of its kind, Interleges was created in 1989, and now includes firms in over 20 countries as well as correspondents approved by Interleges in many other countries.

C.H.BECK

For some years now the German publishers C.H.BECK and NOMOS have joined forces with Oxford-based Hart Publishing to publish a series of legal books in English under the common brand 'Beck · Hart · Nomos'. The main focus of the joint programme are article-by-article commentaries on international and European law. This method of presentation suits the peculiarities of the largely codified European law and is increasingly appreciated by lawyers from common law countries as even there statutory law becomes more and more important. In addition to the commentaries, Beck · Hart · Nomos publish handbooks, monographs and textbooks.

Canapii

Canapii is a digital event management platform that provides tools for organising, delivering, and analysing in-person, hybrid, and virtual events. It supports registration, scheduling, engagement, and real-time data insights, helping organisations manage events efficiently. Canapii has partnered with ELI to support the seamless organisation and delivery of its conferences and meetings, enhancing participant experience and facilitating smooth event operations and the commitment to digitalization.