On the occasion of its 20th anniversary, ESIL held its 19th Annual Conference in Vilnius, Lithuania, from 4 to 6 September 2024. The conference, 'Technological Change and International Law', brought together a dynamic group of researchers, scholars, and practitioners from Europe and beyond to critically examine how technological advancements are reshaping international law from historical, political, and economic perspectives.
A highlight of the conference was the keynote address delivered by Professor Simon Chesterman, Vice Provost of the National University of Singapore, titled 'The Tragedy of AI Governance'. His thought-provoking speech tackled pressing issues in relation to regulating artificial intelligence and balancing innovation with citizen security.
The conference featured 18 panels on a wide array of topics related to technology and international law, a mentoring session for early-career researchers, and a discussion with publishers and editors of international law journals. Preceding the conference, 18 ESIL Interest Group workshops covered diverse topics, including gender, technology, and international organisations in the digital age.
During the conference, ESIL prizes were awarded to Arianna Whelan, who received the ESIL Monograph Prize for her book Reciprocity in Public International Law (CUP, 2023) and to Immi Tallgren, who won the ESIL Collaborative Book Prize for her book Portraits of Women in International Law (OUP, 2023). In addition, the Early-Career Scholar Prize was awarded to Denise Koecke for her paper Merging Man and Machine: A Legal Assessment of Brain-Computer Interfaces in Armed Conflict.
ESIL celebrated its 20th anniversary with a panel discussion featuring former presidents and vice presidents of the Society, who reflected on the role ESIL has played in building an international legal community in Europe, how it has evolved and contributed to academic debate, and what its future role should be in Europe and beyond.
Looking ahead to 2025, the Society will hold its Research Forum in Catania, Sicily, on 20-21 March 2025, on the theme 'International Law in the Age of Permacrisis', and the Annual Conference in Berlin on 10-13 September 2025, on the theme 'Reconstructing International Law'.
The Secretariat of the European Society of International Law (ESIL) is based at the EUI's Academy of European Law. Membership of the Society is open to anyone with an interest in international law. Full details can be found on the ESIL website.