Individual Autonomy, Fundamental Rights, and Institutional Safeguards
Conference theme
The autonomy of the individual is a core concept in many, interrelated scientific fields. In law, it is a key aspect of the individual’s private sphere to be protected and also of their capacity to make decisions that have legal effects. In public law, the question of decision-making capacity is linked to the exercise of fundamental and procedural rights, while it is the duty of the states and supranational organs to recognize and respect the decisions of individuals and their communities in a meaningful way.
While the autonomy of persons is directly linked to the right to self-determination and human dignity and therefore requires strong protection, in the case of certain groups of persons (e.g., children, persons living with cognitive disabilities), the actual ability to exercise and enforce their rights may be hindered. In the case of groups of persons (communities, organizations), the expression of their collective autonomy and identity is a cornerstone of high-quality democracy as well. ‘New challengers’ (e.g., future generations, nature, artificial intelligence) also appear in legal disputes challenging the obligations of states and the international community in relation to these specific entities, and indirectly, to individuals.
Papers are invited to address the conference theme from a variety of perspectives, including administrative law, constitutional law, human rights law, and public international law. Topics explored may include (but are certainly not limited to) the following:
- Doctrinal approaches focusing on the concept of legal capacity to exercise rights and their relation to individual autonomy in the case of different right holders;
- Institutional safeguards and proceedings available at the national or supranational level designed to protect individual autonomy and its manifestations;
- Obstacles and particular guarantees related to the manifestation of individual autonomy in legal proceedings in the case of vulnerable groups of persons (e.g., children, persons with disabilities, ethnic, religious or sexual minorities);
- The protection of bodily autonomy, such as in reproductive health matters and as a corollary to privacy rights;
- Questions raised by ‘new challengers’ (e.g. future generations, nature, artificial intelligence) in national and supranational fora;
- The role of the autonomous individual in the functioning of democracy, classical and new participatory democratic procedures, and the interplay between autonomy and the quality of democracy;
- The protection and limitation of individual autonomy in emergencies, especially in the Central and Eastern European region.
The conference will be an all-English, in-person event. (There is no opportunity for online or hybrid participation.)
Keynote panel
The conference keynote panel will address the main theme of the conference from different perspectives. Judit Sándor (Central European University, Austria) will address the issue of autonomous end-of-life decisions in a European context. Katalin Sulyok (ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Hungary) will present dilemmas related to national and international judicial cases involving ‘future generations’. Paloma Krõõt Tupay (University of Tartu, Estonia) will analyze the impact of artificial intelligence on the exercise and protection of fundamental rights.
Side events
An interactive roundtable will be devoted to the challenges faced by doctoral students and young scholars in planning their academic careers. The roundtable will also focus on experiences and best practices with the participation of senior scholars who are active in international academic life. The roundtable will be chaired by Matija Miloš (University of Rijeka, Croatia).
Other side events will be announced together with the final conference program.
Who can apply?
Submissions are invited from scholars at all levels, from senior to junior scholars, including PhD students. All areas of public law and all methodological approaches (doctrinal, theoretical, empirical etc.) are welcome. Comparative approaches are also encouraged. Scholars from typically underrepresented groups are especially welcome. Individual submissions and submissions of fully-formed panels (pre-arranged panels composed of multiple presentations) are both welcome. Membership in ICON-S is desirable but is not a requirement to participate in this conference.
Costs
There is no cost to participate in the conference. Participants are responsible for securing their own funding for travel and accommodation.
How to apply
Individual submissions should include the title and an abstract of no more than 250 words.
Fully-formed panel submissions should include at least three and no more than five participants who have agreed in advance to participate. The panel must be formed in accordance with the Society’s commitment to gender balance. The panel proposal should include (a) the title and description of the panel (no more than 250 words), (b) the names of the speakers (chair, presenters, discussants) and their abstracts (no more than 250 words each), and (c) the contact information of all participants. The panel proposal shall be submitted by the panel organizer, who will also act as its chair.
Submissions should be sent using the online registration form (below). The deadline for submissions is 5 February 2024. Notifications of selection for the conference will be sent out by the end of February 2024.
Post-conference publication plans
The ELTE Law Journal is interested in publishing a selection of papers presented at the conference. As a Scopus-indexed, peer-reviewed journal, the ELTE Law Journal is one of the leading English-language law journals in Hungary. While the ELTE Law Journal is linked to the Faculty of Law of ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, its aim is to attract not only a Hungarian but also a regional and international readership, including scholars, law-makers and practitioners. This aim is also reflected in the international composition of the Advisory Board, which provides support and advice for the Editorial Board. The Journal invites authors to submit original articles that explore contemporary, practical issues in the field of private law, criminal law, constitutional and administrative law, international law and European law. The Editorial Board has a strong preference for submissions with a comparative approach and for articles exploring legal issues from the perspective of European law and/or international law.
About the organising institutions
The ICON-S CEE Chapter was established in April 2018. Its mission is to promote the values of the International Society of Public Law and, in particular, its commitment to an interdisciplinary approach to public law that engages constitutional, European, administrative, and international law scholars and practitioners so as to better understand global and transnational legal developments. It endeavors to create a space for Central and Eastern European legal scholarship to grow and enter into a global dialogue.
The ELTE Eötvös Loránd University is the oldest, largest and most prestigious university in Hungary, founded in 1635. Tuition at the Faculty of Law began in 1667. No other Hungarian Faculty of Law has a longer uninterrupted record, and it ranks well among Central Europe’s law schools in terms of its distinction. The Faculty of Law and Political Sciences maintains wide-ranging international relations, primarily with universities in Europe, and is proud to be involved in educational and research projects with peer institutions abroad. Integrating research and education at the Faculty into the European Higher Education Area and fostering international educational and scholarly ties are key components of its vision.
Further details
With any questions, please contact the ICON-S CEE Chapter at iconceechapter@gmail.com.