Rule of Law Conference 2027

Rule of Law Conference 2027

11-12 May 2027 | Brussels

re:connecting Democracy and the Rule of Law

 

Call for Participation 

The next edition of the European Rule of Law Conference organised by re:constitution -  Exchange and Analysis on Democracy and the Rule of Law in Europe will take place on 11 and 12 May 2027 in Brussels. The conference will bring together protagonists of the rule of law in Europe and beyond, including policymakers and legal practitioners, leading academic experts, the judiciary, civil society and journalists, actors from culture, business and other fields whose perspectives can contribute to a broader understanding of the rule of law.

The conference will provide a space to take stock of where the rule of law stands in the EU and wider Europe, to examine the challenges it faces and to explore how its protection, resilience and further development can be shaped. Europe and its democratic and constitutional orders are undergoing profound political, social and geopolitical change. Long-held assumptions about the authority of law, democratic institutions and the relationship between legal frameworks and political power are increasingly contested. Democratic regression, populism, polarisation, disinformation, geopolitical pressures and security challenges have exposed vulnerabilities in the rule of law architecture, while also generating new forms of resistance, adaptation and institutional renewal.

The conference aims to strengthen a robust, impact-oriented, vibrant, critical and interdisciplinary community around the rule of law in Europe and beyond. It seeks to create genuinely controversial, open and substantive debates, bringing together different, and where appropriate opposing, political and intellectual perspectives. Therefore, it aims at bringing together different forms of expertise, critical voices from across the political and intellectual spectrum and people and communities that do not usually meet in conventional rule of law debates.

We warmly invite submissions of proposals for parallel sessions linked to the five thematic clusters as the main framework of the conference programme as specified below.

 

Please submit your proposal here

 

Thematic Cluster

Cluster 1

Back to Basics: Foundations of the Rule of Law

Please find further details on Cluster 1 here. 

Cluster 2

Institutional Approaches to Rule of Law Resilience

Please find further details on Cluster 2 here.

Cluster 3

Rule of Law Culture: People, Trust, Communication and Pluralism

Please find further details on Cluster 3 here.

Cluster 4

Rule of Law as a Renewed Commitment: Comparative Trajectories of Undoing and Redoing

Please find further details on Cluster 4 here.

Cluster 5

Rule of Law Beyond Borders

Please find further details on Cluster 5 here.

 

Please note:

We have identified five thematic clusters to structure the programme and stimulate discussion. Contributions are nevertheless not expected to fit neatly within a single cluster. We particularly welcome cross-cutting contributions that engage with several clusters, as well as proposals that address important dimensions of the rule of law beyond the themes outlined below.

 

Parallel sessions will:

  • last 90 minutes;

  • use participatory and/or interactive formats to engage participants;

  • address a topic connected to the overall conference theme and/or one or more of the thematic clusters;

We welcome formats such as:

  • workshops;

  • training or skills sessions;

  • impulse presentations followed by debate;

  • Oxford-style debates;

  • fishbowls;

  • world cafés;

  • games or quizzes;

  • closed-door discussions;

  • other experimental and participatory formats.

 

Diversity and participation

We encourage proposals that bring together different disciplines, professional perspectives, geographical and cultural contexts and forms of expertise and that challenge established assumptions about the rule of law.

 

Proposal submission

In the form for proposal submissions on the platform you will be asked to provide the following:

  • session title;

  • proposer name(s) and affiliation(s);

  • 2–3 keywords on the session;

  • proposed session format, including audience engagement and visualisation approach;

  • session objectives;

  • a short abstract of 2–5 sentences.

It is not necessary to have confirmation from all proposed speakers or facilitators at the time of submission.

Please submit your proposal via the submission platform until 18 October 2026.

Proposals will be assessed by the re:constitution team and members of the re:constitution Alumni network.

 

Please submit your proposal here

 

Dates and deadlines

18 October 2026 — Deadline for submission

17 November 2026 — Acceptance notification

11–12 May 2027 — European Rule of Law Conference, Brussels