EU Digital Private Law

ongoing

The Chair in EU Digital Private Law is a post that promotes excellence in teaching and research with a specialisation in EU studies. The Chair brings an innovative approach to the ongoing development of the new EU digital regulations, in an open dialogue with policy makers, civil servants, civil society actors, media and the civil society at large. The Chair builds on the knowledge and experience gained in two previous projects, in which the applicant was the principal investigator: the Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence for the Automation of Law (CAL or Lawtomation, 2022-2025) and the Jean Monnet Module ‘Liability of Robots: a European Vision for a New Legal Regime’ (LEGROB, 2018-2021). They have equipped the applicant with the necessary background into the risks (LEGROB) and opportunities (CAL) of digital technologies (with a strong AI component) to be able to make the leap forward that the Chair requires. The project analyses the construction of an EU legal framework for the digital environment via the regulation of private relationships. Companies (with an emphasis on big tech) and not states/public administrations are signalled as obliged to achieve societal aims including the protection of fundamental rights, democracy and the rule of law. Therefore, the EU digital regulations put private law (the law for private relationships) in charge of said goals, expanding its traditional aims, which were purely economic. This entails a key disciplinary transformation. The central question is if EU private law is fit for that purpose, if it can protect democracy, fundamental rights and the rule of law or, contrary to that, leads to a ‘privatised democracy’ in the hands of companies. The answer to that question requires an assessment of the concrete instruments on which the digital laws rely. The Chair expects to become a reference in this innovative field by training future experts and generating knowledge that impacts the EU and beyond.