Current challenges in international and European law took centre stage at the international conference hosted by the Faculty of Law, University of Pécs

On 28–29 May 2026, the Faculty of Law of the University of Pécs organised the inaugural International & EU Law Horizons Conference. This international scientific event focused on the most pressing current issues in international and European Union law.

The aim of the event was to establish a forum for academic discussions on the challenges, emerging research trends, and cross-border collaborations shaping the development of international and European law. Furthermore, the conference provided an excellent opportunity for networking and academic dialogue among researchers, lecturers, and PhD students from Central and Eastern Europe and beyond.

At the opening ceremony, Dr Katalin Szili, a Member of the Board of Trustees of the Universitas Quinqueecclesiensis Foundation (the university's maintaining institution), welcomed the participants. The academic programme commenced with an opening address by Dean Professor Ágoston Mohay, followed by welcoming remarks from the organisers, Dr Bence Kis Kelemen and Dr István Szijártó.
 

The keynote lecture of the two-day event was delivered by Professor Elisabeth  Sándor Szalay, who analysed current issues in European minority protection and the monitoring of minority rights. In her presentation, she emphasised that Europe’s diversity is a value whose protection holds paramount importance not only at the national but also at the international level.

The conference programme encompassed a wide range of highly relevant and forward-looking topics. Participants addressed, among other things, the practical and theoretical questions of human rights, the legal status of national minorities, the legal challenges of modern armed conflicts, the evolution of judicial cooperation within the European Union, as well as the international and European legal implications of artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies.
During the panel sessions, particular attention was paid to highly topical contemporary issues, including asylum regulations, forms of crime linked to the digital sphere, international security challenges, and the relationship between new technologies and fundamental rights.

The international nature of the event was well reflected by the participation of representatives from several foreign universities and research institutes alongside the UP Faculty of Law. In addition to lecturers from the University of Pécs, experts from the Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, the University of Maribor, and the Dutch National Police also contributed to the scientific committee's work.

The International & EU Law Horizons Conference was launched as a new initiative with the long-term ambition of becoming one of the region’s defining academic forums for international law. The organisers intend for the conference to serve as a regular meeting point for researchers and professionals addressing the questions that shape the future of international and European law.

The event was organised by the Centre for European Research and Education (CEREE) of the UP Faculty of Law.