ESIL-Supported Conference on New Technologies and International Legal Accountability [Hybrid, University of Perugia, Italy, 22-23 October 2026; Free Registration Open]

The Department of Political Science of the University of Perugia, Italy, is hosting a two-day international conference on New Technologies and International Legal Accountability on 22 and 23 October 2026. The conference carries the formal support of the European Society of International Law (ESIL) and is listed on the ESIL supported-events page.

As States and their essential services become increasingly dependent on cyber technologies and artificial intelligence, the potential impact of malicious cyber or AI-enabled operations grows significantly. Such operations, whether conducted in peacetime, in hybrid settings or during armed conflict, can cause severe damage and even impair the functioning of the targeted State. The conference assesses the availability and effectiveness of international law means and methods, including diplomatic, adjudicative and operational ones, to secure legal accountability of States and individuals for those operations, and the challenges those methods face.

The conference is organised by Emanuele Cimiotta, Professor of International Law at the University of Perugia; Nicholas Tsagourias, Professor of International Law at the University of Sheffield; and Benedetto Ponti, Professor of Administrative Law at the University of Perugia, who also form the scientific committee.

The programme is built around four thematic panels drawn from the original call:

• International Regulation - how international law can regulate cyber or AI-enabled operations in order to maintain peace and stability.
• International Dispute Settlement - how existing or new means and methods of dispute settlement can peacefully resolve inter-State disputes arising from malicious cyber or AI-enabled operations.
• Individual Criminal Responsibility - how individuals can be held criminally accountable for cyber or AI-enabled international crimes.
• European Union Law - the role EU law does or may play in regulating, preventing or addressing accountability for malicious cyber or AI-enabled operations.

Philippa Webb (University of Oxford) delivers the opening keynote address on 22 October, and Marco Roscini (University of Westminster) delivers the concluding keynote address on 23 October. Opening addresses come from Vittoria Ferdinandi, Mayor of Perugia; Massimiliano Marianelli, Rector of the University of Perugia; and Enrico Carloni, Head of the Department of Political Science.

The four panels are chaired by Alessandra Gianelli (Sapienza University of Rome), Russell Buchan (University of Reading), Marko Milanovic (University of Reading) and Ramses Wessel (University of Groningen), with sixteen selected papers from scholars at Stockholm, Verona, Belgrade, Granada, Oxford, Padua, Bhopal, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Cleveland State, Bristol, Tartu, Lodz, University College Dublin, Sheffield and the University of the Basque Country, among others. Day one runs from a welcome light lunch at 1:00 PM through to 6:30 PM; day two runs from 9:00 AM to the closing remarks at 1:00 PM.

Attendance is open to scholars, researchers, students and practitioners with an interest in international law, cyber operations, artificial intelligence, international criminal law and European Union law. The audience may join either in person in Perugia or online, and no ESIL membership is required to attend. Participants and presenters are encouraged, but not required, to become ESIL members before the conference in order to benefit from ESIL membership.

Attendance is free of charge. Registration is mandatory for both in-person and online attendance and is handled through the conference Eventbrite page, which is live and accepting free registrations. The organisers have not announced a registration cut-off date, so registration should be taken as open until the conference itself; the deadline shown on this listing is the conference opening day.

The conference is held in hybrid form. Day one, 22 October 2026, takes place at the Palazzo dei Priori, Sala dei Notari, Piazza IV Novembre, Perugia. Day two, 23 October 2026, takes place at the Department of Political Science of the University of Perugia, Via Pascoli, Room 1. Online access is provided to registered attendees. Speakers are expected to attend in person, with online participation possible only in exceptional cases.

The call for papers is closed and the speaking programme is final. Abstracts of up to 500 words were due by 15 April 2026 at newtechila@gmail.com, with acceptances notified by 15 May 2026 and position papers of up to 3,000 words due by 15 September 2026. What remains open is audience registration, in person or online. The original call is linked below for reference on the scope and themes of the conference.

The organisers will consider publishing a collected volume from the conference. One possible outlet named in the call is the Edward Elgar book series International Law and Technology. Further information is to be provided during the conference itself. This publication route applies to selected presenters, not to audience attendees.