CloseThis event has ended. Dear participants, We would like to extend our gratitude to each and every one of you for making the second Annual Conference of the European Commission Legal Service a resounding success. We are excited to announce that the audiovisual recording of the live streaming sessions is now available for viewing. Whether you missed a session or want to revisit a particular talk, you can access the recordings at the following link: https://webcast.ec.europa.eu/2nd-annual-conference-of-the-european-commission-legal-service-2024-03-08. Once again, thank you for your invaluable contribution to the success of the conference. We look forward to welcoming you to our future events. Best regards, The Conference Organisation Team artificial intelligence | competition policy | trade policy | State aid Friday 8 March 2024, 08:00 - 17:30 (CET)Brussels, BelgiumLive streaming available Files 15 MARCH 2024Privacy Statement Programme 8 Mar 2024, 08:00 - 09:00 (CET)Registration and welcome coffee09:00 - 09:15 (CET)Welcoming remarks Mr Daniel Calleja Crespo, Director-General of the Legal Service, European Commission09:15 - 12:00 (CET)FIRST SESSION: Navigating the Future: Addressing Challenges and Opportunities in the regulation of Artificial Intelligence9:15 - 9:45 - Keynote speechMs Věra Jourová,Vice-President for Values and Transparency, European Commission9:45 - 10:15 - Guest of Honour speechMr Maciej Szpunar, First Advocate General of the Court of Justice10:15 - 12:00 - Roundtable Moderator: Ms Klára Talabér-Ritz, Legal Adviser at Directorate M (European Civil Service Law) and Knowledge Management and Artificial Intelligence Team Leader of the Legal Service, European Commission Panellists: Mr Roberto Viola, Director-General of the Directorate-General of Communication Networks, Content and TechnologyMs Sandra Wachter, Professor of Technology and Regulation at Oxford UniversityMr Dragoș Tudorache, Member of the European Parliament, Co-rapporteur of the AI Act12:00 - 13:00 (CET)Networking Lunch (buffet provided for the conference attendees)13:00 - 14:30 (CET)World Jurist Association event13:15 – 13:25 – Presentation of the World Jurist Association and of the World Law Foundation by Mr Javier Cremades, President of the World Jurist Association and of the World Law Foundation13:25 – 13:40 – The challenge of Artificial Intelligence to the Rule of Law and its impact on fundamental rights by Mr Egils Levits, President of Latvia 2019-2023, Judge at the European Court of Justice 2004-201913:40 – 14:00 – Award by the World Jurist Association14:00 – 14:10 – Closing remarks Mr Javier Cremades, President of the World Jurist Association and of the World Law Foundation14:10 – 14:30 - Break14:30 - 17:10 (CET)SECOND SESSION: Open Strategic Autonomy and the Internal Market: How Open? How Autonomous?14:30 - 14:50 - Keynote speechMr Margaritis Schinas, Vice-President for Promoting our European Way of Life14:50 - 15:10 - Guest of Honour speechMr Anthony Whelan, Adviser to the President of the European Commission15:10 - 17:10 - Roundtable Moderator: Mr Leo Flynn, Principal Legal Adviser of Directorate C (State Aids) of the Legal Service, European Commission Panellists: Ms Isabelle de Silva,Conseillère d'État, former president of the Competition Authority (2016 - 2021)Ms Sabine Weyand, Director-General of the Directorate-General for TradeMr David A. Zapolsky, General Counsel, AmazonMr Ben Smulders, Deputy Director-General for State Aid at the Directorate-General for Competition, European CommissionShow 1 more items17:10 - 17:30 (CET)Closing remarksMr Clemens Ladenburger, Deputy Director-General of the Legal Service, European Commission Practical information WhenFriday 8 March 2024, 08:00 - 17:30 (CET)WhereAlcide De Gasperi room, Charlemagne building Rue de la Loi 170, 1000 Brussels, Belgium LanguagesEnglish, French, German Description Annual conference of the European Commission Legal ServiceThe Legal Service has chosen two topics currently hotly debated in legal circles and in other settings, both of which address key Commission priorities for the years 2019-2024: Navigating the Future: Addressing Challenges and Opportunities in the regulation of Artificial Intelligence and Open Strategic Autonomy and the Internal Market: How Open? How Autonomous?The first topic will discuss the ethical framework and regulatory landscape of artificial intelligence, with special regard to the upcoming Artificial Intelligence Act. The panel will foster a comprehensive discussion on how to ensure that AI in Europe is safe, respects fundamental rights, democracy, rule of law and environmental sustainability, while strengthening our capacity to innovate and protect vulnerable sectors of our economy. The panel will explore the multifaceted challenges and opportunities in regulating artificial intelligence in key areas, such as AI and privacy, bias and fairness, transparency and explainability, enforcement and compliance, regulatory implications of rapidly evolving AI advancements and international collaboration in harmonising AI regulation on a global scale.The second topic will look at how the Union positions itself in the face of increasingly prominent calls for it to de-risk supply chains and be an autonomous actor in a world becoming less accommodating of openness, and still protect its most important achievement, the Internal Market. What are the trade-offs between the goals of openness and of autonomy, and to what extent does pursuing those ambitions in a global setting place strain on the Union’s internal market and its competition rules? Those and other choices that fall to be made in responding to that issue will be at the heart of the panel’s discussions.The conference will offer ample opportunity to engage in informal in-person discussions.Join the conference either in person, in Brussels, or follow the debates on-line.We count on your participation, expertise and support in inviting as many relevant stakeholders as possible to join us, in order to have a fruitful dialogue and to broaden understanding of these topics.The participants of the conference will have access to the recent publication of the Legal Service “70 years of EU law. A Union for its citizens”. The on-line version is available here.We look forward to welcoming you to this new forum of exchange! Contacts General contact SJ Conference NameSJ ConferenceEmailSJ-conferenceec [dot] europa [dot] eu Related events13Nov2025Conferences and summitsEuropean Strategy and Policy Analysis System (ESPAS) - annual conference 2025Online only01Jul2025Public debatesImplementation dialogue – data policy Belgium04Apr2025Conferences and summitsThird Annual Conference of the European Commission Legal ServiceBrussels, BelgiumLive streaming availableSee all
Annual conference of the European Commission Legal ServiceThe Legal Service has chosen two topics currently hotly debated in legal circles and in other settings, both of which address key Commission priorities for the years 2019-2024: Navigating the Future: Addressing Challenges and Opportunities in the regulation of Artificial Intelligence and Open Strategic Autonomy and the Internal Market: How Open? How Autonomous?The first topic will discuss the ethical framework and regulatory landscape of artificial intelligence, with special regard to the upcoming Artificial Intelligence Act. The panel will foster a comprehensive discussion on how to ensure that AI in Europe is safe, respects fundamental rights, democracy, rule of law and environmental sustainability, while strengthening our capacity to innovate and protect vulnerable sectors of our economy. The panel will explore the multifaceted challenges and opportunities in regulating artificial intelligence in key areas, such as AI and privacy, bias and fairness, transparency and explainability, enforcement and compliance, regulatory implications of rapidly evolving AI advancements and international collaboration in harmonising AI regulation on a global scale.The second topic will look at how the Union positions itself in the face of increasingly prominent calls for it to de-risk supply chains and be an autonomous actor in a world becoming less accommodating of openness, and still protect its most important achievement, the Internal Market. What are the trade-offs between the goals of openness and of autonomy, and to what extent does pursuing those ambitions in a global setting place strain on the Union’s internal market and its competition rules? Those and other choices that fall to be made in responding to that issue will be at the heart of the panel’s discussions.The conference will offer ample opportunity to engage in informal in-person discussions.Join the conference either in person, in Brussels, or follow the debates on-line.We count on your participation, expertise and support in inviting as many relevant stakeholders as possible to join us, in order to have a fruitful dialogue and to broaden understanding of these topics.The participants of the conference will have access to the recent publication of the Legal Service “70 years of EU law. A Union for its citizens”. The on-line version is available here.We look forward to welcoming you to this new forum of exchange!
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