International scientific Petar Šarčević conferences are organized biannually in honour of respectable legal scholar Professor Petar Šarčević, who is also known as one of the founding editors of the Yearbook of Private International Law. The speakers and participants of Petar Šarčević conferences are globally recognised legal experts, judges and advocate generals of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU), as well as legal practitioners.

This year’s conference is organized in a hybrid model, which enables registered participants to join us online and onsite, in accordance with COVID-19 protective epidemiological measurements. Participation is free of charge.

The 7th Petar Šarčević international scientific conference is dedicated to consumer protection, in particular to issues of digital transformation and better enforcement of consumer rights. As emphasized by the New Consumer Agenda and recently adopted Digital Markets Act, the adjustment of consumer law and policy to digital transformation is one of the greatest challenges of the new digital era.

In their keynote speeches, the most prominent scholars will address the impact of digital transformation and of new technologies upon consumer law and protection. Professor Geraint Howells will discuss the role of online platforms in consumer protection and Professor Hans-Wolfgang Micklitz will address the consumer empowerment through legal tech. The latest Digital Markets Act will be presented by the Professor Jürgen Basedow, while the product liability in the digital age is to be discussed by Professor Christian Twigg-Flesner. Professor Pascal Pichonnaz is going to analyse the role of artificial intelligence in consumer law and disputes. Challenges of the effective enforcement will be discussed from several standpoints presented by distinguished Croatian judges and legal scholars, as well as by the CJEU judges Professor Vesna Tomljenović and Professor Marko Ilešič and the First Advocate General of the CJEU Professor Maciej Szpunar.