We have reached the seventh edition of the Congress that, every two years since 2012, has been organized under the aegis of the Italo-Spanish Seminar. It has become a true brand, which, hosted by the University Parthenope, will land in Naples in 2024. Finally in Naples. Which city, better than Naples, could provide a setting for a Seminar that aims to represent the affinity between Italian and Spanish cultures? As always, also this seventh Congress will offer the opportunity to debate and discuss between Italian and Spanish constitutionalists. Additionally, this Conference will be further enriched by the atmosphere of places and traditions whose origins tell a fully Italian-Spanish and, consequently, also European story.

The minimum common denominator of this edition will be the concept of the plural declination of the term “transition”. This is a meaningful word for constitutionalism, which has gained additional meanings in recent years. Considering the impact that its titles have had on the development of the Seminar so far, we have realized that the events and phenomena that have marked Europe over the past twelve years have, indeed, represented real transitions. By way of example, remember the 2012, the year in which the Seminar was founded, has been characterized by the financial crisis, which led to the approval of the Fiscal Compact and inaugurated a season of constitutional revisions, particularly in Italy and Spain. Remember the health emergency, which forced the European Union and Member States to rethink their economic and productivity models facing the unforeseeability of a pandemic. Above all, we cannot fail to refer to the technological and environmental challenges, specifically those relating to artificial intelligence and climate change. Lastly, reference should also be made to the wars and humanitarian emergencies affecting parts of the world that are increasingly moving closer to Europe.

Therefore, these twelve years of history are also a history of transitions, whether implemented, in progress, or yet to be enacted. And constitutionalism cannot remain indifferent in front of such transitions. Hence the seventh Congress of the Italian-Spanish Seminar, aiming to offer opportunities on all major issues of constitutional law and embracing a fully pro-European spirit as always, will be dedicated to “The Constitution at the time of transitions”, i.e. to the reflection on the Constitution’s crucial role in a changing world. Also for this Edition, we are pleased to count on the support offered by the European Commission, which has founded for the third consecutive time (after the previous editions coordinated by the Universities of Murcia and Granada) the Jean Monnet module EUCONS (this time under the coordination of the Università degli Studi di Napoli “Parthenope”). The title of this new Jean Monnet Module, strongly intertwined with the title of the seventh Congress, is “The constitutional bases of Europe: towards a sustainable democracy”.  

Through this presentation, we open the Call for Papers of the seventh Congress and invite young scholars to submit communication proposals in one of the identified thematic topics (link), according to the modalities outlined here (link). As always, the proposals will be subjected to a blind selection and the best proposals will be chosen to participate in the traditional discussion between young scholars and mentors. The Congress will be exclusively in person and will be held on 2, 3 and 4 October 2024 in Naples, coordinated by the Università degli Studi di Napoli “Parthenope”. We look forward to welcoming you!