Moderated by legal journalist Joshua Rozenberg, the session on 3 September addressed the central question underlying the 2026 Conference: how can the rule of law remain resilient, maintain public trust, respond to profound societal, technological and geopolitical change, and draw strength from culture in all its forms?

President Guyomar approached the discussion from the perspective of the European Court of Human Rights, considering the challenges facing courts in increasingly demanding political and geopolitical environments. Chief Justice O’Donnell brought both the Irish perspective and that of the Network of the Presidents of the Supreme Judicial Courts of the Member States of the European Union, with the discussion encompassing respect for judicial decisions, separation of powers and the constitutional role of courts.

A second strand examined technological transformation: how changing technologies affect access to legal information, engagement with legal institutions and access to justice, as well as which fundamental principles of judicial decision-making should remain constant irrespective of technological change.

The keynote provided a framework for many of the questions explored throughout the remainder of the Conference: institutional resilience, public confidence, judicial independence and the capacity of legal systems to adapt without losing the principles on which they rest.