[Conference] Adapting private international law in an era of uncertainty

Is private international law up to the challenge?

This one-day conference will explore how private international law is adapting to a world marked by rapid change, digital disruption, and increasing legal complexity.

Private international law deals with cross-border legal disputes. It answers questions like: which country’s court should hear a case? And which country’s laws should apply? These questions are becoming harder to answer as people, businesses, and conflicts move across borders more easily—and unpredictably.

The event will bring together leading legal scholars, practitioners, and emerging researchers. They will examine how private international law can remain fair and effective in an era shaped by inequality and digital platforms that blur traditional boundaries.

The programme begins with a keynote address. Three panels will follow. The first looks at how digital technology is challenging traditional legal frameworks. The second asks whether weaker parties are being protected fairly in cross-border disputes. The third gives the floor to promising early-career researchers sharing fresh ideas.

The event is designed to spark debate, share research, and foster new thinking about the future of legal cooperation across borders. With expert panels, open discussion, and space to meet others working in this field, the conference offers a timely opportunity to reflect on how private international law must evolve to meet today’s realities.

This event is part of the Asser Institute’s 60 Years Series. Although broader in scope, private international law topics of the conference are aligned with private law aspects of the research strand Transnational public interests: constituting public interest beyond and below the state. This strand explores how the idea of ‘public interest’ may be shifting—away from national governments and towards international bodies, cities, and even private actors. 

Read the full programme

Speakers

Geert van Calster (KU Leuven)

Hans van Loon (former Secretary-General, HCCH)

Louwrens Kiestra (HCCH)

Machiko Kanetake (T.M.C. Asser Institute)

Marco Giacalone (VUB Brussels)

Marion Ho-Dac (Artois University)

Steven Stuij (VU Amsterdam)

Uglješa Grušić (University College London)

Veerle van den Eeckhout (CJEU, University of Antwerp)

Vesna Lazić (T.M.C. Asser Institute, Utrecht University)

Xandra Kramer (Erasmus University Rotterdam & Utrecht University)