from February 27, 2026 to February 28, 2026
Published on February 16, 2026– Updated on February 16, 2026
EUTOPIA Connected Learning Community Legal History Peak Event in Barcelona
On February 27-28, the EUTOPIA Connected Learning Community Legal History will meet in Barcelona for the Peak Event 2026. Participants will work on the theme The End(s) of War.
Students from the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (Prof. Frederik Dhondt), CY Paris University (Prof. Caroula Argyriadis-Kervégan), the University of Ljubljana (Prof. Katja Skrubej), and Pompeu Fabra University (Prof. Alfons Aragoneses) will work together, both virtually and in-person around the theme The End(s) of War bringing together research on domestic, transnational and international legal dimensions of how conflicts end and law is used as a technique to accompany this stage and its sequels — across the diverse legal traditions represented within our network.
Conformably to the European University EUTOPIA's strategic orientation, we highlight student-driven connected learning communities, with the involvement of external experts, wherein multilingualism is an important aspect: the primary legal sources from the past (legislation, doctrine, case law, potentially also other archival sources) presented by our students are embedded in their own legal tradition and culture, involving national and regional languages.
Programme
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 27
- 9:00-09:30 Reception of participants
- 09:30-09:45 Welcome addresses
- 09:45-11:00 The Wars before 1914. Chair: Prof: Alfons Aragoneses.
The Ljubljana Congress (1821) in the aftermath of Napoleonic wars: between the legacy and memory in select Slovenian late 19th and 20th century sources, Nives KoŠnjek (UL).
Immigration in Permanently Neutral Belgium, 1830-1914, Aichat Okueva (VUB).
Violence and the Congo Free State, Christine Bwanassani (VUB).
- 11:00-11:30 Coffee Break
- 11:30-13:00 The inter-war period 1919-1939. Chair: Prof. Frederik Dhondt.
The role of telecommunication in establishing the new authorities of Slovenian National Government at the end of the I WW and the break-up of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Klara BabiČ (UL)
Private law and the Great War in Belgium (1914-1940), Galina Hermans (VUB).
The repression of Republicans during and after the Spanish Civil War, Lauren Ferrie, Annika Marie Cross, and Guillem Marcer (UPF).
After the Spanish Civil War: exile and concentration camps in Southern France, Manel Bautista, Anna Jurado, Aurora Peggion, Greta Pescosolido (UPF).
- 13:00-14:30 Lunch and visit of the Campus
- 14:30-15:30. The End of WWII: Between Justice for War Crimes and national reconstruction. Chair : (Chair : Prof. Katja Skrubej).
Paul Touvier: when post-war justice confronts the horrors of crimes against humanity:
- Alessia Finamore: A Fugitive in the Cathedral: Protections and Delayed Justice, Alessia Finamore (CY)
- Emir Hodzic-Islamovic: Crime against humanity, Verdict and Memory, Emir Hodzic-Islamovic
The short-lived Slovenian branch of the TANJUG Press Agency (1944-45) and the new »Federal Yugoslavia«, Luka DrŽiĆ (UL).
15:30-16:15 A new Europe: projects of unification and other wars. Chair : Prof. Caroula Argyriadis Kervegan.
The Foundations of New Europe after WWII: the case of the Coal and Steel Community, Isabelle Hannam, Ellie Cullen, Matilde Gremmo and Eduardo Cordoba (UPF).
Reframing the discourse on constitutional values in the context of post-war-, state-disintegration- and political system changes : the case of reproductive rights and right to abortion in the late 20th century Slovenia. Izabela Letonja (UL).
16:15-17:00: General, discussion, Conclusions and closing words
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 28
- 11:00-13:00 Guided tour of the Archaeological site at El Born (The End of the War of Succession in Spain
- 15:00-17:00. Free visit of the exhibitions on War and Art at the National Museum of Art.
