Conference

Setting the Agenda: The EU as a Guardian of Digital Fairness and Sustainable Consumption

Date: Thursday 21 May 2026 - Friday 22 May 2026
Location: Academy Building
Rapenburg 73
2311 GJ Leiden
Room: Academy Building (Thursday) & Old Observatory (Friday)

The ConsumerID team kindly invites you to a conference and stakeholder meeting on the theme Setting the Agenda: the EU as a Guardian of Digital Fairness and Sustainable Consumption. The meeting will take place at Leiden University on 21 and 22 May 2026 and is hosted by Prof. Vanessa Mak and Dr. Tom Bouwman.

The European Union has in the past decades developed a strong framework of market regulation grounded in the values laid down in the EU Treaties. Starting from the objective of building a social market economy, specific policy aims for consumer markets include the pursuit of a high level of consumer protection, integration of environmental protection in EU legislation, and the protection of personal data. The rights and policies developed are now under threat, as Europe seeks to maintain a competitive position in a geopolitical landscape marked by power relations. Will the EU be able to guard its citizens and maintain adherence to its own values? We examine these questions for consumer markets in light of the Consumer Agenda 2030.

Our aim is to bring together participants from academia, legal practice, law and policy making, enforcement and industry with a view to exchanging ideas on the position of the EU as a guardian of digital fairness and sustainable consumption. On Thursday 21 May, the focus is on digitalization and, on 22 May, the focus is on sustainability. On each day, there will be a keynote, a panel and a roundtable.

Please find the provisional programme here. The list of (keynote)speakers, chairs and moderators includes: Mateusz Grochowski (Tulane University), Marijn Sax (University of Amsterdam), Dries Cuijpers (Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets), Monika Namysłowska (University of Lodz), Kasper Drążewski (KU Leuven), Theodora (Laura) Bakola (Leiden University), Vanessa Mak (Leiden University), Anna van Duin (University of Amsterdam), Evelyne Terryn (KU Leuven), Marija Bartl (University of Amsterdam), Anna D'Agostino (Leiden University), Tom Bouwman (Leiden University), Josje de Vogel (Erasmus School of Law) and Hans-Wolfgang Micklitz (European University Institute).

Furthermore, we are also very keen to hear your views. There will be plenty of opportunities for discussion during the roundtables. We hope that many different voices will be represented. Sign up and join the discussion!