The conference addresses a question of growing significance in contemporary legal scholarship, namely the conditions under which legal decisions may claim authority when adopted in contexts that exceed established frameworks of cognition. Thus, radical uncertainties designates a particularly acute form of uncertainty, in which it becomes impossible to predict future events, to measure their effects, or even to identify with certainty the relevant parameters of a given situation. Such conditions typically emerge in sanitary, climatic, geopolitical or technological crises, in which decision-makers are required to act under temporal pressure, often without the customary procedural and substantive guarantees that established legal principles afford.

Presentation

The international conference Legitimacy of Legal Decisions Adopted under Radical Uncertainties takes place on 21 and 22 May 2026 at the University of Lille, Faculty of Law, Politics and Social Sciences (Campus Lille Moulins). Convened within the framework of the Cross-Disciplinary Project Decision-making Processes under Extreme Radical Uncertainties (DePeru), the event is coordinated by Marie Copin and Clara Mathis, doctoral students in public law at the University of Lille, with the scientific support of Professor Elsa Bernard (CRDP-ERDP, University of Lille), Doctor Magali Dreyfus (CERAPS, University of Lille), and Professor Martin Belov (University St Kliment Ohridski, Sofia).

The conference addresses a question of growing significance in contemporary legal scholarship, namely the conditions under which legal decisions may claim authority when adopted in contexts that exceed established frameworks of cognition. Thus, radical uncertainties designates a particularly acute form of uncertainty, in which it becomes impossible to predict future events, to measure their effects, or even to identify with certainty the relevant parameters of a given situation. Such conditions typically emerge in sanitary, climatic, geopolitical or technological crises, in which decision-makers are required to act under temporal pressure, often without the customary procedural and substantive guarantees that established legal principles afford.

Drawing on a well-established tripartition between pragmatic, cognitive, and moral legitimacy, the contributions explore how legal and jurisdictional authorities mobilise normative and procedural resources to anchor the validity of their decisions when the conventional grounds of legitimacy are placed under strain.The scientific scope of the event is articulated around five thematic axes, namely environment, constitutional law democracy, european law, international law, and theory of law. 

Program

Thursday, 21 may 2026

13h30 — Welcome of the participants 

14h — Welcome speech - Marie COPIN, PhD student (CERAPS), and Clara MATHIS (CRDP-ERDP), University of Lille

14h20 — Keynote speech - Martin BELOV, Professor, University St Kliment Ohridski (Bulgaria), « On the Crossroad of Constitutional Time : Constitutional Polycrisis and Constitutional Polytransition »

15h-16h — Panel 1, Radical uncertainties and Theory of Law

Chairs : Pr. Themistoklis RAPTOPOULOS (CRDP - University of Lille, France) & Pr. Martin Belov (University of Sofia St. Kliment Ohridski - Bulgaria)

• Paul URANGA, PhD student, University of Bordeaux (France) and University of Laval (Canada) : « La pédagogie judiciaire comme moyen de légitimation des décisions juridictionnelles internationales en temps d’incertitude »
• Michael KALIS, Dr., Senior Research Associate, IKEM - Greifswald University (Germany) : « Futurization, Radical Uncertainty, and the Limits of Expert-Based Legitimacy in Contemporary Legal Decision- Making »
• Flaviana CERQUOZZI, PhD student, Sapienza University of Rome (Italy) : « Rule of Law Conditionality and Constitutional Identity under Radical Uncertainty : Economic and Geopolitical Challenges »

Friday, 22 may 2026

9h — Welcome of the participants 

9h30 - 11h — Panel 3, Radical uncertainties and International law

Chair : Elise RUGGERI ABONNAT (CRDP - University of Lille, France)

• Philomène ALENE ENGAMBA, Dr., University of Limoges (France) : « Légitimer l’exception : les sanctions sportives internationales à l’épreuve de la crise Russo- Ukrainienne »
• Rebecca BRUEKERS, PhD student, University of Nottingham’s School of Law (England) : « The International Court of Justice’s Decision-Making Processes in Times of Radical Uncertainties »
• Simon & Elie KLEE, PhD students, University of Aix-Marseille (France) and University of Ottawa (Canada) : « La légitimité des décisions juridiques adoptées par les États menacés de disparition »
• Franco DI PEDE, Dr., Universita degli studi della Tuscia (Italy) : « Human Rights Treaty Systems in Times of Growing Uncertainty »

11h-11h15 — break

11h20h - 12h30 — Panel 4, Radical uncertainties and European law

Chairs : Pr. Elsa BERNARD (CRDP - University of Lille, France) & Pr. Daniele GALLO (Luiss University, Rome, Italy)

• Julien DEBANDE, PhD student, Université Libre de Bruxelles (Belgium) « Institutionalising flexibility : Legitimacy challenges in the evolving EU financial toolkit for Ukraine »
• Artūrs ŠUSPĀNS, PhD student and lawyer, University of Latvia (Latvia) : « The Notion of ‘Geopolitical Context’ in the Application of the European Convention on Human Rights : A Weighty Argument for Uncertain Times ? »
• Aurelio CORNEO, PhD student, Humboldt University (Germany) : « International Law Legitimacy of European Responses to Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine : Between Political-Moral Imperatives and Uncertain Legality »

12h45-14h30 — lunch break

14h30 - 16h — Panel 5, Radical uncertainties and Environment

Chairs : Magali DREYFUS (CNRS CERAPS - University of Lille ) & Pr. Teresa CABRITA (University UC Louvain, Belgium)

• Alberto NICOTINA, Dr., University of Amsterdam (Netherlands) : « Stategic Climate Litigation in Europe : Direct and Indirect Consequences for Democracy »
• Zaki SHUBBER, PhD student, Queen Mary University of London (England) : « Radical Uncertainty, Shared Freshwater Resources and International Law »
• Nikolas KECKHUT, PhD student, University of Paris 1 (France) : « La légitimité des Cours européenne et interaméricaine face aux enjeux environnementaux et climatique, du verdissement au dialogue »

16h – 16h15 - Conclusive remarks

Pr. Elsa BERNARD (CRDP - ERDP University of Lille, France)

Practical information

Link to register : https://evento.renater.fr/survey/inscription-conference-the-legitimacy-of-legal-decisions-adopted-under-radical-uncertainties-w5sgm4tg

Link to Univ. Droit : https://univ-droit.fr/recherche/actualites-de-la-recherche/manifestations/62595-la-legitimite-des-decisions-juridiques-adoptees-dans-un-contexte-dincertitude-radicale

The Organising Committe

Clara Mathis (clara.mathis@univ-lille.fr) and Marie Copin (marie.copin@univ-lille.fr)PhD Students at the University of Lille