The Polish Association of European Law (Polskie Stowarzyszenie Prawa Europejskiego, PSPE) is honoured and humbled to announce that the next FIDE Congress will be held in Katowice. The XXXI FIDE Congress will take place on 28-31 May 2025, during the Polish Presidency of the Council of the European Union, which will further emphasise the importance of European law and European integration in general.
Adam Bodnar
Dr. of legal sciences, professor at SWPS University, from 2023 Senator of the Republic of Poland of the 11th term and Minister of Justice of the Republic of Poland, from 2021-2023 Dean of the Faculty of Law in Warsaw at SWPS University, visiting professor at the University of Cologne (Academy for European Human Rights Protection), senior fellow at the Democracy Institute of the Central European University (CEU) in Budapest; Ombudsman of the 7th term (09.2015 - 07. 2021); from 2004 to 2015 fellow of the Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights (as coordinator of the Precedent Cases Program and later as secretary and vice president of the board); currently member of advisory boards of national and international organizations, including the World Organization Against Torture (OMCT), International IDEA, World Justice Project, Liberties and the Foundation for Civil Democratic Movements; columnist with Gazeta Wyborcza and the online edition of Polityka on a regular basis; also hosted the author's BOS program on TOK FM Radio (prior to that, he hosted the Right Adam program on Radio Newonce for a year); winner of national and international awards for contributions to the protection of the rule of law and human rights.
Koen Lenaerts
Koen Lenaerts is the President of the Court of Justice of the European Union.
He holds a Ph.D. in Law (University of Leuven), a Master’s in Law and a Master’s in Public Administration (Harvard University). He has been a Professor of European Law at the University of Leuven since 1983. Previously, he was a Professor at the College of Europe, Bruges (1984-89) and a lawyer in private practice at the Brussels Bar (1986-89), as well as a Visiting Professor at Harvard Law School (1989). He was a Judge at the Court of First Instance of the European Communities (now the General Court), from 25 September 1989 to 6 October 2003. He has been a Judge at the Court of Justice since 7 October 2003. He served as President of Chamber for two successive terms from 9 October 2006 to 8 October 2012, as Vice-President from 9 October 2012 to 7 October 2015, and has served as President since 8 October 2015.
Sacha Prechal
Sacha Prechal is Professor of European Law at Utrecht University and former Judge at the Court of Justice of the European Union (2010-2024). She holds a PhD in Law from the University of Amsterdam (1995) and has extensive experience in academia and EU institutions. Prof. Prechal is a member of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences and has received honorary degrees from Tilburg University (2013) and the European University Institute (2024).
Silvana Sciarra
Silvana Sciarra is Emeritus President of the Italian Constitutional Court and President of the Italian High School of the Judiciary. She served as the first woman elected by Parliament as a Judge at the Italian Constitutional Court (2014-2023), becoming Vice-president in 2022 and President later that year.
On 14 December 2021, starting from 1st March 2022, the Council of the European Union (Decision 2021/2232) nominated her for four years as a member of the Panel set up by the Lisbon Treaty (art. 255 TFEU).
Prof. Sciarra is Emeritus Professor at the University of Florence Law School. She has held prestigious academic positions, including at the European University Institute, and has been a visiting professor at several international universities. Prof. Sciarra is a member of the Accademia dei Lincei and has received numerous honors, including the Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic.
Eleanor Sharpston
Eleanor Sharpston KC read economics, languages and law at King’s College Cambridge and did inter-disciplinary research at Corpus Christi College Oxford before being called to the English Bar in 1980 and the Irish Bar in 1986. She spent the next 25 years practising EEC / EC / EU law as well as taking pro bono cases involving the ECHR and became a ‘silk’ (Queen’s Counsel: ‘QC’, now ‘KC’) in 1999. In parallel, she had a distinguished academic career, lecturing in EU law and comparative law first at University College London and then for many years at Cambridge University.
She served as an Advocate General at the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) from 2006 to 2020, where she presented over 340 Opinions covering many major aspects of EU constitutional, substantive and procedural law.
Having left the CJEU in 2020 following Brexit, she now serves as a member of the Aarhus Convention Compliance Committee and does occasional consultancy and pro bono EU / ECHR legal work. She maintains academic links with the United Kingdom, notably with Cambridge, Oxford, and Edinburgh. She is also a visiting professor at the Riga Graduate School of Law in Latvia and an adjunct professor at Trinity College Dublin; and holds honorary documents from Glasgow, Nottingham Trent, Stockholm and Edinburgh.
She remains firmly based in Luxembourg, her adopted country, whose nationality she is proud to hold in parallel with her British nationality of origin. When not doing something connected with the law, she is usually to be found walking in the Luxembourg woods with her beloved dogs, Boris the samoyed and Rudy the hovawart, or playing or listening to classical music.
[Professor Eleanor Sharpston will deliver the inaugurating lecture titled "Young Wolves Should Be Eager To Make Their Mark: Some Ideas and Suggestions from an Older Wolf" at the Young FIDE Seminar, held on the eve of the XXXI FIDE Congress in Katowice (Wednesday, 28.05.2025)]
Joseph H.H. Weiler
Joseph H.H. Weiler is University Professor at the NYU Law School and a Senior Fellow at the Center for European Studies at Harvard. He served previously as President of the European University Institute, Florence. Prof. Weiler is Co-Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Constitutional Law (ICON).
Marc van der Woude
Marc van der Woude is the president of the General Court of the European Union. He started his career as a tutor at the College of Europe in Bruges (1984-1986) and as a lecturer at Leiden University (1986-1987). He then joined the European institutions where he worked for DG Competition (1987-1989, 1992-1993), the European Court of Justice as a legal secretary (1989-1992) and the Commission’s legal Service (1993-1995). He resigned from the European civil service to become a member of the Brussels bar, where he practiced European and competition law for fifteen years (1995-2010). Marc van der Woude became a professor in competition law at the Erasmus University of Rotterdam (since 2000) and acted four years as an advisor on energy policy for the Dutch government (2002-2006). Marc van der Woude is an author of numerous publications on European and competition law and still teaches at Rotterdam University.
Eminent scholars, including former Members of the Board of the Polish Association who immensely contributed to its creation and its success, accepted our invitation to join the Honorary Committee of the XXXI FIDE Congress in Katowice.
The Honorary Committee is composed of:
Early Bird
[UPDATE: Thanks to concerted efforts and favorable circumstances, we were able to accommodate the requests concerning the extension of the Early Birds registration. The Early Bird registration will close on 28 February 2025.]
One of the key ambitions of our Presidency is to promote the participation of younger attendees, including both researchers and practitioners. In pursuit of this goal, we have undertaken significant measures to provide a reduced registration fee for them. Specific details regarding this initiative are outlined in the registration form.
Early Birds Fees
Participants who have not reached the age of 30 on the day of the Congress (29 May 2025) are eligible for a reduced participation fee. The eligibility will be verified based on the participant's date of birth as indicated in their official identification document. To be eligible for the reduced fee, the participant must have been born on or after 30 May 1995. |
Moreover, guided by the focus on supporting early-career representatives of the legal academia and practice, we are pleased to announce the organization of a Young FIDE Seminar. Further information about this event will also be provided below.
A preliminary draft of the event program is now available.
Please note that, at this initial stage, Congress fees may be paid via bank transfer; other payment methods will be added in due course.
In the meantime, we remain at your disposal for any inquiries at: fide2025@systemcoffee.pl.
The map of air connection
By airplane:
Katowice - 30 km
by bus: take the AP Line from the Airport. For the timetable see: https://rj.metropoliaztm.pl/plan/?lang=en. The bus stop closest to the conference venue is Katowice Strefa Kultury. The stop closest to the train station and the main square is Katowice Dworzec.
by taxi: there are plenty of taxi drivers available at the airport at all times. However, a more affordable option might be an Uber drive. A regular taxi may cost between 150 and 170 PLN, while an Uber drive is between 90 and 110 PLN.
by flixbus: There is a flixbus connection from the airport to Katowice. For the timetable see: https://www.flixbus.co.uk/.
Note: the number of daily connections is limited. The bus arrives at the stop Katowice Sądowa Dworzec, which is located a 15-minute walk westwards from the main square. by train: even though there is a train station near to the airport, there is no direct train connection from the airport to the city of Katowice.
Cracow - 70 km
by flixbus: There is a flixbus connection from the airport to Katowice. For the timetable see: https://www.flixbus.co.uk/. The bus arrives at the stop Katowice Sądowa Dworzec, which is located a 15-minute walk westwards from the main square.
by train: You need to take a train from the station Kraków Lotnisko to Kraków Główny, and then transfer for a train from Kraków Główny to the station Katowice. For timetable see: https://rozklad-pkp.pl/en.
by taxi: there are plenty of taxi drivers available at the airport at all times. However, a more affordable option might be an Uber drive. A regular taxi may cost over 300 PLN, while an Uber drive is around 220 PLN.
Warsaw - 300 km
by plane: the Warsaw airport is the most common transfer airport. If you arrive there, you may transfer for a plane to the Katowice Pyrzowice Airport. The flight takes around 30 minutes.
by train: you first need to take a train from the station Warsaw Chopin Airport to Warszawa Zachodnia, and then from Warszawa Zachodnia to the Katowice station. For timetable see: https://rozklad-pkp.pl/en.
by flixbus: take the line from Warsaw Airport to Katowice Sądowa (which is located a 15-minute walk westwards from the main square in Katowice).
Note: a trip by flixbus usually requires a transfer in another city, e.g. Krakow. For timetable see: https://www.flixbus.co.uk/.
Ostrava (CZ) - 130 km
By train: Katowice Station
For connections and train timetables see: https://rozklad-pkp.pl/en
There is a number of direct train connections from major European cities to Katowice. These include: Berlin-Katowice, Budapest-Katowice, Vienna-Katowice, Prague-Katowice, and Bratislava-Katowice. To find the particular connection and ticket that best fits your schedule, visit: https://www.thetrainline.com/ or https://www.raileurope.com/en.
By bus: stop Katowice Sądowa - by flixbus: For connections and train timetables see: https://www.flixbus.co.uk/.
The International Congress Centre (MCK) is located in the heart of the city, close to the market square and the campus of the University of Silesia in Katowice, bordering on the Culture Zone – a space popular with the residents of Katowice and the region as well as tourists. You can walk from the railway station (2.5 km/15 min.) or take the tram (lines T2, T11, T13, T23, T43 to the Katowice Rondo stop – 8 min.). The nearest bus/tram stops are: Katowice Strefa Kultury NOSPR, Katowice Rondo and Katowice Uniwersytet Śląski.
Plac Sławika i Antalla 1
40-163 Katowice
POLAND
The map of the MCK with the car parks
Terms and conditions of the venue (PDF)
The participation fee does not cover accommodation expenses. In line with arrangements established during previous editions of the FIDE Congress, participants are kindly requested to arrange their own accommodation.
In Katowice, you will find a range of hotels situated in the city centre, within a walking distance from the Congress venue itself.
For your convenience, we have prepared detailed information on recommended hotels, some of which offer preferential rates.
Accomodation and recommended hotels (PDF)
If you need further assistance regarding accommodation, please contact us at fide2025@systemcoffee.pl.
Here you will find the event programme (updated on 13 February 2025). Please note that this is a draft document. Session/event timings are subject to change.
The XXXI FIDE Congress in Katowice will focus on three topics that were conceptualized with the involvement of:
The aforementioned three topics being:
Topic I: EU Emergency Law
Topic II: EU Digital Economy: general framework (DSA/DMA) and specialised regimes
Topic III: Energy solidarity and energy security – from green transition to the EU’s crisis management
The Congress will be held in the International Congress Center in Katowice. The International Congress Centre (ICC) in Katowice is among the best facilities in Poland for business events. Finished in 2015, the building is characterized by its post-industrial aesthetic and functional design. It is ideal for congresses, conferences, exhibitions, fairs, and other spectacles. The facility can accommodate up to 15,000 people and, together with Spodek next door, is one of the largest business/entertainment arenas in Poland. Check out more: www.mckkatowice.pl/en.
photo by MCK / SPODEK
Programme
Here you will find the event programme- please note that this is a draft document and session/event timings are subject to change.
Call for papers for the Young FIDE Seminar
On the eve of the XXXI FIDE Congress in Katowice, on Wednesday, 28 May 2025, the University of Silesia will host the Young FIDE Seminar.
The seminar will open with an inaugurating lecture by Professor Eleanor Sharpston, titled:
“Young Wolves Should Be Eager To Make Their Mark: Some Ideas and Suggestions from an Older Wolf”
Faculty of Law and Administration. University of Silesia in Katowice. Bankowa 11b, 40-007 Katowice
28 May 2025, 9:00 AM
The Young FIDE Seminar brings together junior EU law scholars, PhD students and practitioners and gives room to discuss the three topics of the main FIDE Congress with the eminent EU law professors and with the peers.
The topics discussed during the XXXI FIDE Congress are:
Formal requirements and deadlines:
The accommodation expenses (two nights, 27 and 28 May) for 9 selected speakers at the Young FIDE Seminar in Katowice will be borne by the organizers. Speakers will be responsible for covering their own transportation expenses.
[UPDATE: the deadline for abstract submissions for the Young FIDE Seminar has been extended to 28 February 2025 and the other relevant dates will be adjusted accordingly].
All the submission should be sent to Dr Małgorzata Myl-Chojnacka under the email address: young.fide@us.edu.pl.
Please note that participation in the Young FIDE Seminar does not require registration for the FIDE Congress, schedulded for 29-31 May 2025.
Vice versa, we kindly ask registrants of the XXXI FIDE Congress (29-31 May 2025) who would like to attend also the Young FIDE Seminar to notify us by sending an email to the address specified above.
Venue of Young FIDE Seminar
Faculty of Law and Administration
University of Silesia in Katowice
Bankowa 11B, 40-007 Katowice