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NEOLAiA - Open Conference "European Citizenship and Digital Transformation"

Focus Academy European Citizenship
Focus Academy European Citizenship
Dates

on the March 23, 2026

As part of the NEOLAiA Focus Academy “European Citizenship”, the University of Tours will host an open conference on 23 March 2026, from 10:00 to 12:00 (CET), in Amphitheatre E at the Deux Lions campus, with live online streaming available.

A European week dedicated to citizenship

This conference is part of an intensive training week organised by the Faculty of Law, Economics and Social Sciences of the University of Tours within the framework of the Focus Academy course catalogue ot the NEOLAiA European University alliance. On this occasion, around twenty students from the nine partner universities and eight guest lecturers from six universities within the alliance will gather in Tours to work together on contemporary issues related to European citizenship. Throughout the week, participants will explore these themes through collaborative and innovative learning activities, including the creation of a podcast and the development of a serious game simulating the functioning of European institutions.

A conference open to the university community and the general public

A characteristic of the Focus Academy format will be the conference “EU Citizenship and Digital Transformation”, which will be open to the entire university community as well as to the general public. The panel will bring together several specialists in European law and international relations from universities within the NEOLAiA alliance:

  • Jonatán Cruz Ángeles, Associate Professor, Public International Law and International Relations, Universidad de Jaén
  • Katalin Kelemen, Associate Professor in Law, Örebro University
  • Raluca Onufreiciuc, Lawyer and Assistant Professor, Stefan cel Mare University of Suceava / PhD candidate, Paris-Panthéon-Assas University
  • Colombine Madelaine, Associate Professor in Law, University of Tours
European citizenship and the challenges of the digital era Created in 1992 by the Maastricht Treaty, European citizenship lies at the heart of the evolution of the European project, which has gradually moved from an economic community focused on the common market towards a political and democratic European Union. Today, this evolution is facing new challenges related to the growing digitalisation of society. The conference will examine how digital transformation, and in particular the development of artificial intelligence, may reshape the exercise of rights linked to EU citizenship, sometimes at the risk of weakening its substance. Speakers will also discuss the responses developed by the European Union and its Member States to address these developments and safeguard the democratic values and pluralism that underpin our societies.

Practical information This conference is open to all students, university staff and anyone interested in the topic.