The event, organized by Dr. Benedikt Schmitz, Guest Professor at the University of Bremen and Assistant Professor at the University of Groningen, brought together legal scholars and practitioners to examine the normative and technological shifts currently transforming judicial institutions.
Conference Overview
The symposium addressed the fundamental tension between the efficiency gains offered by digital transformation—such as AI-assisted adjudication and remote proceedings—and the necessity of maintaining robust procedural guarantees. By focusing on a cross-jurisdictional dialogue between Germany and the Netherlands, the conference provided a platform to assess how legal systems can leverage digital innovation while remaining firmly rooted in the rule of law.

University of Bremen Faculty Contributions
The University of Bremen was prominently represented by two faculty members, whose contributions highlighted ongoing research into the intersection of technology and procedural justice:
•    Prof. Dr. Frederick Rieländer participated in the Private International Law panel. His presentation, "Transforming Transnational Litigation through Emerging Technologies: Opportunities, Risks, and Regulatory Safeguards," critically analyzed how emerging technologies are reshaping the cross-border legal landscape and identified key regulatory challenges that must be addressed to ensure fairness in transnational disputes.
•    Prof. Dr. Gralf-Peter Calliess contributed to the Civil Procedure panel with his talk, "Digital Access to German Civil Courts." His intervention explored the practical and theoretical implications of digital integration within the German judiciary, focusing on how modernization can improve access to justice without compromising procedural transparency.
The event featured a diverse program including civil, criminal, and administrative procedural law, culminating in a series of "elevator pitches" from emerging scholars who presented innovative approaches to digital accountability and the use of automated decision-making.

Upcoming Springer Publication
The scholarly discourse initiated at this symposium will continue beyond the event itself. The presentations, critical findings, and expanded contributions from the conference panels will be compiled and published as a forthcoming book by Springer, providing a comprehensive resource on the comparative digitalization of justice.
For more information on the conference outcomes, the full program, and future research initiatives stemming from this collaboration, you may visit the official event page.