Conference "A Research Agenda for Migration Law and Governance"
This two-day interdisciplinary conference features research in law, socio-legal studies, anthropology, public policy, and international relations on migration law and governance. Expert authors introduce new methods to study migration law and governance, while critically revisiting traditional approaches. The contributions explore new research directions at the intersection of legal and policy areas and reflect on their implications. Authors present insights for future study and practice, drawing on novel research lines.
The contributions to the conference will be published as A Research Agenda for Migration Law and Governance volume (Edward Elgar, forth. 2027, edited by Lilian Tsourdi).
This hybrid conference is co-convened by Prof. Lilian Tsourdi (Professor in European Migration Law and Governance) in the framework of a Jean Monnet Chair and a European Research Council Grant (PI: Lilian Tsourdi), together with the Maastricht Centre for European Law. You can participate online or physically in Maastricht.
The conference preceedes Lilian’s inaugural lecture taking place on Friday 27th March at 16:30. For more information on the inaugural lecture please see here:
https://www.maastrichtuniversity.nl/events/inaugural-lecture-dr-e-lilian-tsourdi.
Event program
THURSDAY 26th MARCH 2026 | |
| 10:00-10:30 | Registration (Statenzaal) |
| 10:30-10:40 | Brief welcome from the convener (Statenzaal) - Lilian Tsourdi, Maastricht University |
| 10:40-12:40 | Panel I (Statenzaal) |
| Chair: Monica Claes, Maastricht University | |
| Contributions: | |
The Evolving International Migration Law, Vincent Chetail (Geneva Graduate Institute) | |
| Public International Law Perspectives on the Research of International Migration Law, Maria Gavouneli (National and Kapodistrian University of Athens) | |
Constitutional Perspectives on the Research of EU Migration Law, Bruno De Witte (University of Maastricht) | |
EU Values as a Shield and a Sword in EU Migration and Asylum Law, Iris Goldner Lang (University of Zagreb) | |
| Charting an Agenda on Migration Law/Policy and Demography, Philippe De Bruycker (Université libre de Bruxelles) | |
| 12:40-13:40 | Break |
| 13:40-15:30 | Panel II (Feestzaal) |
| Chair: Ellen Vos, Maastricht University | |
| Contributions: | |
Studying the Governance of Migration between Theory and Practice, Melissa Siegel (University of Maastricht) and Valeska Onken (University of Maastricht) | |
Studying Migration Law and Policy through the Lens of Transnational Justice Theories, Galina Cornelisse (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam) | |
Migration Law and Citizenship, Daniel Thym (University of Konstanz) | |
Investigating the Role of Migration in Addressing Skills Shortages, Tesseltje de Lange (Radboud University Nijmegen) | |
Insights from the Study of the Legislative Power of Government in Migration Law, Lieneke Slingenberg (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam) | |
| 15:30-16:00 | Coffee Break (Lenculenhal) |
| 16:00-18:00 | Panel III (Feestzaal) |
| Chair: Mariolina Eliantonio, Maastricht University | |
| Contributions: | |
Decentering the Study of Migration Law and Policy: An International Relations Perspective, Sarah Wolff (University of Leiden) and Federica Zardo (University Krems) | |
Migration Law and Artificial Intelligence, Niovi Vavoula (University of Luxembourg) | |
Researching the Soft Enforcement of EU Migration Law and Policy, Evangelia (Lilian) Tsourdi (Maastricht University), Andreina De Leo (Maastricht University), Pauline El Khoury (Maastricht University), and Emma Pecqueux (Maastricht University) | |
Analysing the Role of Courts in Shaping Access to Asylum, Madalina Moraru (University of Bologna) and Paul McDonough (University of Bologna) | |
Studying Immigrant Integration in the EU, Moritz Jesse (University of Leiden) | |
Emergency Governance under the EU’s New Pact of Migration and Asylum, Alberto-Horst Neidhardt (European Policy Centre) and Felix Peerboom (Maastricht University) | |
FRIDAY 27TH MARCH 2026 | |
| 09:00-10:30 | Panel IV (Feestzaal) |
| Chair: Marijn van der Sluis, Maastricht University | |
| Contributions: | |
International Refugee Law, International Criminal Law, and International Humanitarian Law, Geoff Gilbert (University of Essex) | |
Migration Law and Criminality, Sarah Singer (Refugee Law Initiative, School of Advanced Study, University of London) | |
Researching Value Collisions in International Migration Law, Violeta Moreno Lax (Hertie School of Governance and Queen Mary University of London) | |
Using UNHCR’s Institutional Archives to Advance Knowledge on the Function(s) of International Refugee Law, Maja Janmyr (University of Oslo) | |
Active Refugee Admission Policies: Theoretical and Empirical Insights, Zvezda Vankova (University of Lund) | |
| 10:30-11:00 | Coffee Break (Lenculenhal) |
| 11:00-12:55 | Panel V (Feestzaal) |
| Chair: Matteo Bonelli, Maastricht University | |
| Contributions: | |
Researching Migration Law and Policy through the Lens of Legal Anthropology, Ellen Desmet (Ghent University) and Ruben Wissing (Ghent University) | |
Studying the Effectiveness of International Refugee Law, Cathryn Costello (University College Dublin) | |
EU Migration Law and EU Social Security Law, Anne Pieter van der Mei (University of Maastricht) and Pauline Melin (University of Maastricht) | |
EU Migration Law and Cross-Border Mobility, Hildegard Schneider (University of Maastricht) and Lavinia Kortese (University of Utrecht) | |
Agencification and Datafication of EU Borders: Can Novel Approaches Ensure Accountability?, Mariana Gkliati (Tilburg University) and Sarah Tas (University of Maastricht) | |
| 12:55-13:00 | Brief closing from the convener (Feestzaal) - Lilian Tsourdi, Maastricht University |
