Submitted Abstract
The initial idea An academic reflection on Life Time Contracts (LTCs) dates back in 2005, when a group of scholars started to focus on similarities between consumer credit, rent and labour contracts that collectively have an enormous impact on the daily lives of ordinary citizens. After the publication, in 2014, of a first book titled Life Time Contracts, that group revamped a discussion on common principles on which the three contracts should be based. The conference held in Luxembourg accomplished the aim of re-launching the initial idea while developing new reflections on the actual employment of the common principles in the three relevant domains.The dissemination of the Luxembourg initiativeIn April 2016 the web team of the University (special thanks to Mr. El Alami) built up a dedicated website for the upcoming conference, with the aim of advertise the initiative and let the readers know its progress. The website is still working at this link: http://wwwfr.uni.lu/recherche/fdef/life_time_contracts In the original website, a provisional programme was posted, together with an announcement on the call for papers.The call for papers As announced in the proposal, the scientific committee launched in May 2016 a call for papers directed to young researchers asking them to reflect on the practical impact of some LTC principles in their respective domains of study. The call for papers was advertised among several scientific communities (especially in the field of private law and labour law), and brought 12 eligible paper proposals (abstracts of 500 words), written by young scholars from the Universities of Milano Bocconi, Amsterdam, Luxembourg, Milano Statale, Trento, Naples, London, Oxford, as well as one from the Court of Justice of the EU and one from Solidarnosch (Poland). The selection of young researchers The selection was conducted collegially by a specifically settled scientific committee (composed by professors Ratti, Pedrazzoli and Nogler), and 5 instead of 4 authors were selected for the participation to the conference. Around mid-July the five selected young researchers were notified the decision of acceptance, and asked to prepare a full paper to be presented at the conference. All of them (Beka, Defromont, Flos, Merlo, Schiavon) accepted. The finalisation of the programmeThe final programme was ready in August, published on the website, and disseminated around University Professors, judges and law firms all around EU.The extension of grantsAt the beginning of September the PI asked officially the FNR to shift a small part of the budget in order to grant all the 5 selected young researchers the € 500 grant advertised in the call for papers. By email 20/9/2016 Mr. J. Mousel responded positively. The pre-conference meetingIn the late afternoon of Thursday 29 September, all the invited speakers, including the 5 young researchers, met at the University in Limpertsberg, to assess the work done at that point and better organise the on-going conference. During that meeting, a special stress was put on the role of LTC principles in the future developments of the three domains of law involved, as well as the possibility to include other domains. The conferenceThe day before the conference, around 80 people had registered officially via the dedicated website.Among them, some colleagues came from Luxembourg: Faculty of Law; Max Planck Institute; LISER; RUL Doctoral school (Phd Students and post-docs).Many came from European Universities (Bologna, Naples, Wien, Milan, Rotterdam, Parma, Louvain).Some from the CJEU (judges and legal secretaries).The day of the conference, some non registered guests came: among them, many students from the Faculty of Law, attending Master I in EU Law and Master II in EU Private Law. Counted the day of the conference, around 100 people came.