Call for Session Proposals: European Rule of Law Conference 2027, Brussels [11-12 May 2027]

re:constitution - Exchange and Analysis on Democracy and the Rule of Law in Europe is a programme spanning academia and practice that promotes cross-border and interdisciplinary exchange, debate, capacity-building and analysis for scholars and practitioners working on the rule of law and democracy in Europe. It awards mobility fellowships, publishes analysis and runs a pan-European alumni network.

re:constitution is a joint programme of the Forum Transregionale Studien (Berlin) and Democracy Reporting International, funded by Stiftung Mercator.

The next European Rule of Law Conference, titled re:connecting Democracy and the Rule of Law, will be held on 11 and 12 May 2027 in Brussels. It will bring together policymakers and legal practitioners, academic experts, the judiciary, civil society, journalists, and people from culture, business and other fields, from Europe and beyond.

The conference will take stock of where the rule of law stands in the EU and wider Europe, examine the challenges it faces (democratic regression, populism, polarisation, disinformation, geopolitical and security pressures) and explore how its protection, resilience and development can be shaped. The organisers want open, substantive and, where appropriate, opposing perspectives from across the political and intellectual spectrum.

Session proposals should link to one or more of five thematic clusters. Cross-cutting proposals, and proposals on important dimensions of the rule of law beyond these clusters, are also welcome.

• Cluster 1 - Back to Basics: Foundations of the Rule of Law. The values, institutional design and actors behind any rule of law order; what the rule of law fundamentally protects; moving from a defensive posture to a constructive, forward-looking framing.
• Cluster 2 - Institutional Approaches to Rule of Law Resilience. The role of courts, legislatures, executives and other institutions under stress; strategic litigation versus lawfare; non-judicial mobilisation; access to justice.
• Cluster 3 - Rule of Law Culture: People, Trust, Communication and Pluralism. Public legitimacy, why citizens vote for parties engaged in rule of law regression, disinformation, trust, pluralism versus polarisation, and the role of academics.
• Cluster 4 - Rule of Law as a Renewed Commitment: Comparative Trajectories of Undoing and Redoing. Restoration after democratic regression, transitional phases, constitutionalism after populism, including Poland, Hungary and non-European experiences.
• Cluster 5 - Rule of Law Beyond Borders. How legal norms, governance models and illiberal practices circulate across regions; international organisations and non-state actors; war, migration, sanctions and foreign influence operations.

This is a call for parallel session proposals, not for papers. Each parallel session 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.

Welcome formats include workshop formats (fishbowl, Oxford-style debate, world cafe, hackathon or ideathon, design sprint, open space or unconference, lightning talks, red team / blue team, legislative or forum theatre, speed-consulting or "human library", games and quizzes), training or skills sessions, panel discussions with strong audience interaction and opening statements of no more than 5 minutes, roundtables, closed-door conversations, networking and community-building activities, and cultural interventions such as film screenings, art or music.

The call is open and does not restrict proposers by country or profession. The organisers 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.

The online submission form asks for:

• session title;
• proposer name(s) and affiliation(s);
• 2 to 3 keywords on the session;
• proposed session format, including the audience engagement and visualisation approach;
• session objectives;
• a short abstract of 2 to 5 sentences.

You do not need confirmation from all proposed speakers or facilitators at the time of submission. Proposals will be assessed by the re:constitution team and members of the re:constitution Alumni network.

The call does not mention any fee for submitting a proposal. It also does not mention travel, accommodation or visa support, so applicants from India should plan for the cost of travelling to Brussels themselves unless the organisers confirm otherwise.

Submit your proposal through the Forum Transregionale Studien application platform by 18 October 2026. Acceptance will be notified on 17 November 2026. Queries can be sent to reconstitution@trafo-berlin.de.