The Future of European Law and Policy IX: the EU and the UK, 10 years after the referendum

Please see our call for papers

Vision

The Biannual “The future of European Law and Policy” conference organised by the Institute of European Law and Birmingham Law School since 2008, is the only open conference on EU law in the UK to which all interested academics, research students, and others may submit a paper proposal, rather than only on invitation. As such, the conference aims are:

• Educating one another about the national and supranational dimensions of EU law and policy, the latest research, and recent updates on law, policy, and education.
• Network-building to create connections between academics, lawyers, NGOs, and students interested in EU law, and enhance the impact of work on EU and UK policy making and legislation.
• Collaborating to generate new ideas and share good practice on the teaching of EU law.

After the success of the eight conferences since 2008, scholars and postgraduate research students in any discipline (law, politics, history, economics …) are invited again to present papers on any issue on the Future of EU Law + Policy, especially: on the constitution of the EU (institutions, decision making…), the EU and the individual (citizenship, human rights, …), the EU and the economy (internal market, competition, …), and the EU and the  outside world (external relations, rearmament and Ukraine, sanctions, US, TCA …).

We are planning panels on the topic The UK and the EU: 10 years after the Brexit referendum. Papers on this issue are particularly welcome.

Opening panel: The UK and the EU - the current and the future relationship

The opening panel of the conference will be introduced by a keynote address of the EU Ambassador followed by presentations of representatives of three relevant academic disciplines. We want to explore the relationship of the EU and the UK, the current state but also the future, from a political, legal, and economic angle.

• Keynote: H.E. Ambassador Pedro Serrano, Ambassador of the EU to the UK
• Professor Anand Menon (The UK in a Changing Europe): Politics
• Professor Catherine Barnard (University of Cambridge): Law
• Professor Jun Du (Aston University): Economics

Our line-up of speakers, selected from the proposals responding to our call for papers, will be announced when the conference opens for registration in May. Follow these links to see details of our previous speakers, for example our 2016 edition held on the day of and after the Brexit referendum.

Venue

The conference will be hosted in Edgbaston, Birmingham, at the University of Birmingham. Fully vegan catering will be provided. The venue is wheelchair accessible via ramps and lifts, with an accessible bathroom on site. You are welcome to share any accessibility needs when purchasing your ticket for the conference, and we will do our best to accommodate.

Format

The conference will consist of the opening panel described above and afterwards parallel workshops with a moderator and three papers on related topics each (selected from proposals sent in response to our call for papers), for academics, lawyers, policy makers, and students. A full programme will be circulated closer to the event, once all presenters have been confirmed.

Registration

The conference registration fee applies only to participants who are not presenting a paper, which includes vegan catering throughout: £25.00

The conference will open for registration in March 2026.

Please note that there is no funding for travel and accommodation but that speakers will not be subject to a conference fee.

Save the date: The EU Citizen’s Gathering

On Wednesday 1 July 2026, the day before the 9th Institute of European Law Biannual conference the University of Birmingham (Arts Building, Edgbaston Campus) will host the Annual EU Citizen’s Gathering organised by the EU Delegation in London. Details will be announced here closer to the date. Organising the two events on two consecutive days is intended to facilitate participation in two events with only one trip to Birmingham.