Alumni Projects

Alumni Projects

Alumni Network Map
© Joanna Scheffel

Incubator Fund

The re:constitution Alumni Network aims at strengthening connections among former fellows and encourages collaborations on both academic and practical projects. That is why the Incubator Fund as targeted funding for small-scale initiatives was introduced. It provides the Alumni network members an opportunity to experiment, connect and bring new ideas to life through cross-border and interdisciplinary exchange.

In 2025, five initiatives received funding, reflecting the diversity, creativity and commitment of the re:constitution Alumni community to advancing dialogue and new approaches in their respective fields.

Find more details about the events here:

Incubator Fund Events in 2025

  • Francesco Gatta & Aleksandra Ancite-Jepifánova: Migrants as a Sword or as a Shield? Instrumentalization of migration and hybrid threats through the prism of international and EU law, Workshop on Strategic Litigation with Students of the University of Palermo and extra-academic stakeholders, including NGOs, practitioners, lawyers and judges in Palermo with realisation of a third-party intervention (TPI) at ECtHR as part of Palermo’s Legal Clinic on Migration and Human Rights | 21.11.2025, Palermo

    More information and event documentation

  • Cecilia Rizcallah & Catherine Warin: Boosting rights protection by exploring synergies between EU fundamental rights law and UN human rights treaties: how can legal practitioners and courts consistently apply both EU law and international human rights law? -  Workshop with Passerell, an NGO that supports vulnerable migrants and advocates and the University of Luxemburg | 19.9.2025, Luxembourg

    More information and event documentation

  • Oliver Garner, Polly Ruth Polak & Ylenia Maria Citino: EU Member State withdrawal, accession, and regional secession within the supranational constitutional space from the perspectives of the European, Italian, Spanish, and UK constitutional jurisdictions – two events hosted in Italy & Spain | 18.6.2025, Pisa & 20.11.2025, Barcelona

    More information and event documentation

  • Amélie Jaques-Apke & Felipe Hernández: Territorial (Dis)Integrity: Navigating Present Challenges in Transatlantic Relations. Exploring Trump’s territorial policies, their implications for international law, and actionable response strategies – a Policy Workshop engaging experts from think tanks, universities, and policy institutions and Publication Project for the Americas and Europe | 23.-24.5.2025, Washington DC

    More information and event documentation

  • Cristina Blasi Casagran & Colleen Boland: Institutional Violence on the Basis of Gender: Reflections, Challenges and Proposals for Change – Multidisciplinary workshop with survivors, judiciary representatives, activists, lawyers, counsellors and academics | 16.5.2025, Barcelona

    More information and event documentation

Incubator Fund Events in 2026

  • Francesco Gatta & Matteo Bonelli: Protecting EU Values in the Member States in 2026: At a Turning Point? – a hybrid workshop with scholars from all over Europe organized in cooperation with the Law Department of the University of Palermo (Università degli Studi di Palermo) | 22.10.2026, Palermo

     

  • Ylenia Maria Citino & Polly Ruth Polak: Law and Power in the Age of Acceleration: Rethinking Public Authority in Domestic and International Orders – a hybrid research seminar jointly organized with the Law Department of the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (Univesidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria) | 16.10.2026, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria

     

  • Colleen Boland & Cristina Blasi Casagran: AI and Democracy in Europe: Risks, Power and Constitutional Futures – an interdisciplinary workshop with legal scholars, policymakers, technologists and civil society actors arranged in collaboration with the Autonomous University of Barcelona (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona) | 26.6.2026, Barcelona

     

A dinner table is set up on lawn in a garden with ca. 15 participants of the summer university sitting around it, chatting.
(c) re:constitution

Alumni Network Summer University “Rethinking Constitutionalism”

The Summer University was organised by the re:constitution Alumni Network from 3-6 August in Budapest. It brought together re:constitution Alumni for an intensive, discussion-based programme on constitutionalism after the waning hegemony of liberal constitutionalism.

The week combined common sessions, faculty-led breakout seminars and invited conversations with key actors from the Hungarian constitutional context.

For further information about the Summer University click here.

European Parliament Elections

Ahead of the European Parliament elections in 2024, alumnus Dániel G. Szabó (2022/23) developed the idea of protecting the integrity of the upcoming elections via preliminary ruling procedures at the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU). After seeking input and feedback from colleagues, he described the idea in more detail in the article “Protecting the Fairness of European Parliament Elections via Preliminary Ruling” that was published on Verfassungsblog on 7 December 2023.

Feedback was, among others, provided by alumnus László Detre (2019/20) whom Dániel G. Szabó had first met during his Fellowship. Contact with regard to the article mentioned above was re-established in the context of the emerging re:constitution Alumni Network. The programme further supported the initiative by sharing the article on its social media platforms to increase visibility.

Public panel debate, "A cornerstone of Media Regulation: What’s next for the European Media Freedom Act?"

European Media Freedom Act

In 2023, Fellow Viktoria Kraetzig (2022/23) and alumna Neus Vidal Martí (2019/20) joined forces to curate a Verfassungsblog symposium and co-organise a public panel debate on the topic of European Media Regulation. The symposium titled “Shifting Paradigms of European Media Regulation” comprises of nine contributions published between 12 and 16 June 2023. The public panel debate, “A cornerstone of Media Regulation: What’s next for the European Media Freedom Act?,” was held in Brussels on 16 June 2023 within the framework of the 3rd Fellows’ Exchange Meeting 2023. The event brought together six experts from academia and practise, including Viktoria Kraetzig, and was chaired by Neus Vidal Martí.

re:constitution supported the alumni collaboration with funds for the Verfassungsblog symposium and for the venue and catering for the event in Brussels. The programme furthermore supported through public relations work and event logistics.