Call for papers: Effective Judicial Protection in EU Equality Law (University of Gothenburg)

The University of Gothenburg is organising a conference on Effective Judicial Protection in EU Equality Law. Their Call for papers is now published.

Judicial Protection in Equality Law Call for papers 

Legal recognition of the right to equal treatment for women and minorities is steadily expanding. However, the judicial procedures through which these rights are to be enforced remain largely unexplored, creating not only a gap in our understanding of the judicial protection against discrimination, but also quite possibly a serious deficiency in the effectiveness of the right not to be discriminated against.

Discrimination cases present new challenges, for which the principles currently underpinning civil procedure are ill-suited. The injury suffered is often predominantly moral rather than pecuniary in nature, and affects not only the individual right holder discriminated against but also the collective to which they belong and in whose interest the non-discrimination legislation has been conceived. These realities challenge established notions of legal interest, upon which access to the courts depends. Furthermore, disputes concerning discrimination typically occur between parties that are unequal in terms of both resources and knowledge as well as stakes in the procedure. The workshop will examine what effective judicial protection entails in equality law cases adjudicated before the courts of the Member States. The organiser welcomes papers that address either cross-cutting procedural issues of relevance for discrimination cases, included but not limited to standing, collective redress, access to evidence, party autonomy, and access to appeal, or procedural issues specifically connected to one (or more) of the discrimination grounds.

Submission Guidelines

Abstracts should be 300–500 words, accompanied by a short bio of the authors(s) and their institutional affiliation, and submitted by email to anna.ghavanini@law.gu.se no later than 30 September 2025.

Selected contributions will be invited to be included in an edited collection following the workshop. When submitting your abstract, please indicate whether you are interested in pursuing this publication option.

Participation

In-person participation in the workshop is strongly encouraged. There will however be a possibility to participate remotely. Applicants should expect to cover their own travel and accommodation expenses.

Important Dates

• Abstract submission deadline: 30 September 2025
• Notification of acceptance: 20 October 2025
• Paper submission deadline: 15 January 2026
• Workshop: 29–30 January 2026

Contact

The workshop is part of the project Judicial enforcement of the right to non-discrimination: A rocky road or a walk in the park?, funded by Riksbankens Jubileumsfond and headed by associate professor Anna W. Ghavanini. She can be reached by email: anna.ghavanini@law.gu.se.