Call for panels and papers
We are delighted to invite you to the 2026 ELU-S Conference, which will take place at the Universidade Católica Portuguesa, Lisbon, from 1-3 September 2026.
The conference theme is “Words or Deeds? The European Moment”. At a time of profound transformation, Europe is navigating the gap between declarations and demonstrations, between articulated values and their practical realisation. This year’s conference invites scholars, practitioners, and policymakers to examine what might be called “the European moment” – a period characterised by both possibility and precarity, where the discrepancy between institutional rhetoric and concrete action is perhaps more visible and consequential than ever before.
Who can participate?
Everyone is welcome, regardless of career stage, academic interests, or perspective on European law. The only requirement is an interest in law in Europe, be it private law, constitutional law, economic law, criminal law, social law or any other field of law. Participation is not restricted to legal scholars or practitioners. We welcome submissions from scholars from all disciplines (political science, sociology, history, philosophy, etc.) with an interest in law in Europe. We especially welcome submissions from scholars at the early stages of their career and/or belonging to under-represented communities.
We aspire to create an ‘unbound’ exchange about the future of European law, both organizationally and thematically: everyone who wishes can participate and approach any area of European law from any desired perspective.
Types of submissions
We welcome five types of submissions. The submissions need not be related to the conference theme. Please read the submission guidelines carefully for each submission type.
1. Fully-formed panels: sessions composed of multiple individual papers organized around a common theme
2. Roundtable discussions: sessions that centre around the discussion of a common theme or topic and that do not have papers presented
3. Author meets reader sessions: sessions that foster conversation and debate about one to three recently published academic books
4. Innovative formats sessions: sessions that enable creative interventions involving, for example, artistic work, poster sessions, or something similar
5. Individual papers: a single paper proposal
We welcome individual paper submissions but strongly recommend the submission of fully formed panels.
Each submission type has distinct requirements described on the specific submission pages provided below. In general, all submissions should include a title, an abstract of 150-250 words, and biographical details of participants.
How to Submit?
See the bottom of the page for submission links for different types of submissions
The entire conference process, including submissions, notifications of acceptance, conference announcements, and participation certificates, is managed through the conference management software Oxford Abstracts. Make sure that the email address associated with your Oxford Abstracts account is one you regularly use, as communication about the conference will be sent to that address. Use this email address consistently at all stages of the conference; failure to do so may result in problems such as not being registered.
Details on how to create an Oxford Abstracts account can be found here.
Please note, that all individuals involved in fully-formed panels, roundtables, and author meets reader sessions (including chairs and discussants) will need to make an individual submission in addition to the overarching proposal submitted by the panel/roundtable/session organiser.
Timeline and Conference Fees
Participation is possible only for those who have paid their conference fees. Fees are due after notifications of paper or panel acceptance have been sent. Two types of fees are available:
- the regular conference fee of €150,-
- a discounted fee of €90,- for PhD candidates and participants from non-OECD countries.
Submissions will remain open until 15 April 2026. You should receive notification of our decision by 15 May 2026 at the latest.
If your proposal is accepted, you can register for the conference and pay your conference fees via Oxford Abstracts. The relevant details and deadline for doing so will be included in the acceptance email.
Participation Limits and Requirements
- Participation as a presenter of papers or books, intervener in roundtable discussions, or contributor to innovative format sessions is restricted to two sessions.
- Being chair or (paper or book) discussant counts toward the maximum.
- The conference will be an in-person event. Anyone wishing to participate, in any capacity, should be prepared to travel to Lisbon.
- The default language for the conference will be English.