In the rapidly evolving digital age, the increasing economic, social, political, and cultural influence of digital players has prompted the European Union to propose and adopt a series of far-reaching Regulations. These include the Digital Market Act, the Digital Services Act, the Data Governance Act, the Data Act, the AI Act, the Regulation on Standard Essential Patents, and the European Media Freedom Act.
The implementation and enforcement of this emerging EU regulatory framework will bring forth new challenges for Member States, leading to the creation of new regulatory bodies and expansion of existing ones. This transformation will likely lead to an increase in multi-task agencies and foster coordination between different regulators at both the national and EU levels.
Core areas of discussion
In light of these developments, this scientific conference aims to stimulate an in-depth discussion of academic papers analyzing the evolving role of regulation and regulators in the digital age. The core areas of discussion, as outlined in the call for papers, are as follows:
- Scope, design, and rationale of Regulation in the Digital Age.
- Main challenges and policy options in its implementation, including the new tools and structure of regulators.
- Impact of EU regulation on national frameworks and the transnational network of regulators.
Format and programme
The Conference will showcase presentations of unpublished academic papers or working papers in early stages of publication processes, selected by the Scientific Committee. The discussions will be structured into parallel sessions over the two days of the Conference.
In addition to paper presentations, the event will include the following highlights:
- Keynote speech: "The Illusion of Control: Living with the Digital Others" by Helga Nowotny, Professor Emerita of Science and Technology Studies at ETH Zurich and Former President of the European Research Council (April 11th, 14:00-15:00)
- Roundtable of regulators: This session will present and debate the various organizational models adopted at the national level to implement the new tasks of digital regulation (April 12th, 12:00-13:15)
Both the keynote speech and the roundtable are open to everyone online. Interested individuals must register at this link to receive the webinar credentials.
Participation
Please note that participation in the scientific conference is limited to in-person attendance, except for the keynote speech and the roundtable with regulators. The registration fee for the seminar is 150 euros, covering the cost of the conference dinner, meals, and refreshments at the venue. Participants are responsible for their travel and accommodation expenses.
Best Junior Paper Award
A 'Best Junior Paper Award' will be presented to the most outstanding contribution among submissions by authors not older than 35 years of age.
Additional information
To learn more, please download the call for papers. For information about submissions and the programme please contact the organising committee: Danielle Borges and Roberta Carlini.
For information about accommodation and logistics, please contact the CDS secretariat.