Institute for
Law and Governance Open main menu
Blick auf das D4 und das AD Gebäude

International Conference “The Autonomy of EU Law Under Pressure?” at WU

22/01/2025

An international conference on “The Autonomy of EU Law Under Pressure? The Changing Landscape of the Interactions Between EU Law and International Law” organized by the Institute for Law and Governance took place at WU from 16-17 January 2025.

An international conference on “The Autonomy of EU Law Under Pressure? The Changing Landscape of the Interactions Between EU Law and International Law” organized by the Institute for Law and Governance took place at WU from 16-17 January 2025. The conference brought together scholars and practitioners from across Europe and beyond, working on the interactions between EU and international law in various fields, including economic law and arbitration, environmental law, migration law, and human rights (for further information, see the Book of Abstracts).

The opening keynote by José Antonio Gutiérrez-Fons of the Court of Justice of the European Union on “Autonomy and the Identity of the EU” provided an inspiring kick-off for two days of high-quality presentations and discussions among the more than 60 participants. In addition to eight excellent and well-attended panels shining a light on many facets of the complex interplay between the EU and international legal order, the conference featured two events open to a broader audience.

In a fireside chat on Thursday evening, LawGov’s Birgit Hollaus quizzed two eminent experts in the field – professors Ramses A Wessel of the University of Groningen and Katja S Ziegler of the University of Leicester – on the consequences of the EU’s increased international engagement – also for the academic worlds. This insightful talk was preceded by LawGov’s Verena Madner sharing her main take-aways from the new book “Interactions Between EU Law and International Law: Juxtaposed Perspectives” co-authored by Ramses A Wessel and LawGov’s Tamás Molnár.

The closing roundtable moderated by LawGov’s Stefan Mayr was joined by Josephine Norris of the European Commission Legal Service, Ambassador Gregor Schusterschitz of the Austrian Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs, and Ramses A Wessel of the University of Groningen and provided not only insight into the interactions between EU and international law – as well as the EU and its Member States – in practice, but also an outlook on future challenges at the interface of EU and international law.

The Institute for Law and Governance is grateful to all participants for their valuable contributions to making this conference a real success. We look forward to continuing the conversation!

Back to overview