Purpose and academic context
On 25 March 2026, the III International Scientific Conference for Young Scholars, entitled “Postulates de lege ferenda constitutionalis in the Countries of Central Europe”, was held at the War Studies University in Warsaw in a hybrid format. The event was organized within the framework of the Polish–Hungarian Professors’ Network, coordinated by the Central European Academy of the University of Miskolc.
The conference continued a series designed to provide doctoral candidates, young doctors of law and early-career researchers with an international forum for presenting their work and exchanging views. Its central aim was to encourage comparative reflection on the evolution of Central European constitutions and on reforms that may be required more than three decades after the democratic transformations of the early 1990s. The participants considered whether the contemporary constitutional moment calls for targeted amendments, broader reconstruction of existing constitutional frameworks, or the introduction of new constitutional principles capable of responding to the challenges of the twenty-first century.
The opening remarks emphasized that constitutional reform has acquired renewed importance in the face of systemic change, tensions concerning the rule of law, the growing significance of security and digitalisation, and the need to ensure effective protection of individual rights. Particular attention was given to the contribution of young scholars, whose comparative, critical and forward-looking perspective can provide an important impetus for the development of contemporary legal scholarship.
Course of the conference
The proceedings were divided into two thematic panels. The first combined a general methodological perspective with comparative analyses concerning selected Central European constitutional systems. The second focused on the Polish constitutional order and brought together proposals relating to rights protection, constitutional institutions, the rule of law, sustainable development and national security.
The opening address was delivered by Prof. Paweł Sobczyk (University of Opole; War Studies University), who introduced the principal questions underlying de lege ferenda constitutionalis reflection in Central Europe. The keynote lecture by Prof. Jarosław Szymanek (Academy of Justice), entitled “Unconventional Ways to Amend the Constitution”, broadened the discussion beyond formal amendment procedures and drew attention to the diverse mechanisms through which constitutional systems may evolve.
The international dimension was developed by Bojan Petrovski, who examined the Macedonian Constitution as a hybrid constitution and identified challenges affecting the future of Macedonian constitutionalism, and by Gellért Nagy, who discussed whether a constitutional momentum exists in Romania and presented possible directions for institutional reform. These contributions demonstrated the value of comparative analysis: despite differences between national legal orders, Central European states confront related questions concerning institutional stability, constitutional adaptation and the limits of constitutional change.
The Polish panel addressed a particularly broad range of contemporary problems. The presentations considered the responsibility of public authorities for protecting children in cyberspace; the constitutional status of sustainable development; the meaning and instrumentalisation of the rule of law; the constitutional regulation of an acting presidency; reform of the National Council of the Judiciary; and the protection of victims in criminal proceedings. A distinct group of papers examined the constitutional dimension of security, including the place of security in the Constitution of the Republic of Poland, the constitutional foundations of military service, and the role of strategic state-owned enterprises in the national security system.
The concluding discussion confirmed that de lege ferenda analysis should not be reduced to an abstract exercise. Properly grounded in constitutional values, comparative experience and an assessment of institutional practice, it constitutes a practical instrument for identifying regulatory gaps and formulating responsible proposals for the future development of constitutional law.
Papers presented
- Paweł Sobczyk (University of Opole; War Studies University) – opening address: Postulates de lege ferenda constitutionalis in the Countries of Central Europe
- Jarosław Szymanek (Academy of Justice) – keynote lecture: Unconventional Ways to Amend the Constitution
- Bojan Petrovski (Ferenc Deák Doctoral School, Faculty of Law, University of Miskolc) – Macedonian Constitution as a ‘Hybrid Constitution’ – Challenges and Future of Macedonian Constitutionality
- Gellért Nagy (Ferenc Deák Doctoral School, Faculty of Law, University of Miskolc; Sapientia Hungarian University of Transylvania) – Constitutional Momentum? Possible Institutional Reforms in Romania
- Michał Służalec (Jan Długosz University in Częstochowa) – The Protection of Children as a Responsibility of Public Authorities in Cyberspace in Poland – de lege lata or de lege ferenda Proposal?
- Klaudia Kijańska (Jan Długosz University in Częstochowa) – Sustainable Development in the Polish Constitution: A de lege ferenda Perspective on Its Constitutional Status
- Andrzej Brzozowski-Oleksiak (Ferenc Deák Doctoral School, Faculty of Law, University of Miskolc) – The Rule of Law as a Principle or a Tool? On the Need for a New Constitution
- Weronika Pietras (Ferenc Deák Doctoral School, Faculty of Law, University of Miskolc) – The Acting Presidency in Poland in the Light of Contemporary Constitutional Challenges: de lege ferenda Remarks
- Dominika Krawiec (Academy of Social and Media Culture in Toruń) – Constitutional Crisis as a Legislative Impulse – Proposals de lege ferenda Regarding the Functioning of the National Council of the Judiciary
- Julia Starybrat (Ferenc Deák Doctoral School, Faculty of Law, University of Miskolc) – Victim Protection in Criminal Proceedings: de lege ferenda Postulates from the Polish Perspective
- Izabela Stańczuk (War Studies University) – Security in the Constitution of the Republic of Poland of 2 April 1997: Conclusions de lege ferenda
- Jacek Kołota (Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University in Warsaw) – Military Service – Obligation or Powers: Are the Provisions in the Current Constitution Sufficient?
- Jakub Ratajczak (War Studies University) – The Role of Strategic State-Owned Enterprises as a Part of National Security
Organisers and partners
The conference was organized by the Centre for Fundamental Rights Research of the University of Opole and the Department of State and Law Sciences at the Faculty of Law and Administration of the War Studies University. The Polish Association for Comparative Law and the Central European Association for Comparative Law participated as partners.
Results and significance
The conference achieved its principal dissemination and academic objectives. It created a platform for young scholars associated with several Central European academic institutions, connected national and comparative approaches, and enabled the presentation of concrete constitutional reform proposals in areas of direct public importance. The thematic breadth of the papers showed that contemporary constitutional debate encompasses not only the formal organisation of state authority, but also technological change, the protection of vulnerable persons, environmental responsibility and multidimensional security.
The event also strengthened scholarly cooperation within the Central European academic community and demonstrated the continuing value of the Polish–Hungarian Professors’ Network as a framework for intergenerational and international exchange. The presentations and discussion provided impulses for further research into the relationship between constitutional continuity and necessary adaptation, while maintaining respect for the distinct constitutional identity and institutional experience of each state.
In accordance with the requirements of the Central European Academy, the conference proceedings were recorded. All participants received certificates confirming their participation in the event. In line with the previously adopted schedule, the fourth conference in the series is planned to take place in autumn 2026.
