International Conference: Colonialism and the EU Legal Order

Rome Treaty

In 1957, when the European Union (then EEC) was founded, four of the original six Member States were colonial powers: France, Belgium, Italy and the Netherlands.

This conference will bring lawyers, legal historians, sociologists and political scientists together to discuss the ways in which colonialism has shaped the EU legal order. The reverberations of colonialism will be addressed with respect to the construction of EU law in areas such as development aid; trade and free movement; the interpretation and application of specific legal categories; as well as the in the re-emergence of actors; and the setting up of institutions. The conference will feature a keynote address by Kako Nubukpo, Commissioner of the West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA).

Ultimately, this conference will reflect on the implications of these imprints of colonialism, and their iterations in the postcolonial period until today, for the individual subjected to EU law and for the societies that the EU legal order touches.

Practical information 

Read more about this conference (PDF) 

Download the programme (PDF) 

  • Venue: Auditorium 22.0.11, South Campus, Emil Holms Kanal 2, DK-2300 Copenhagen S
  • Time: Thursday 29 September (09:00-18:00) and Friday 30 September (09:00-13:15)

Registration: to sign up for this event please click here - registration is a requirement for participation. Registration will close Monday 26 September at 12:00.

For more information please contact Hanna Eklund (hanna.eklund@jur.ku.dk)

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska- Curie grant agreement No 119427.