PRIVILEGED Final Conference

Confidentiality, Privileges and Secrecy in the EU legal order: A Transversal Analysis

Abstract

The PRIVILEGED final conference brings together leading scholars, EU officials, and practitioners to explore one of the most pressing issues in European and cross-border administrative and criminal enforcement: the balance between confidentiality, secrecy, and professional privileges on the one hand, and effective investigations on the other. Hosted at the University of Luxembourg, this two-day event will present the key findings of the PRIVILEGED research project, which examines how professional privileges shape both administrative and criminal proceedings across EU Member States.Against this background, the conference will address critical questions: how should confidentiality be balanced with transparency? How do different branches of law - criminal, banking, financial, competition, and tax - approach the tension between enforcement powers, confidentiality, and procedural rights? Do professional privilege regimes operate consistently across these fields, or do they create fragmentation that affects the effectiveness of investigations? And ultimately, is harmonization at the EU level needed in this field - and what could it look like?

18 May 2026

13:00 Welcome lunch

14:00 Welcome address

14:10 Introduction to the PRIVILEGED project

15:00 Panel 1

Regards croisés on transparency and confidentiality:

The European Union Legal Order (part I)

16:30 Coffee break

17:00 Panel 2

Regards croisés on transparency and confidentiality:

Focus on criminal justice

18:30 End of day 1

19 May 2026

9:00 Panel 3

Regards croisés on transparency and confidentiality:

The European Union Legal Order (part II)

11:00 Coffee break

11:30 Panel 4

Confidentiality, secrety and privileges: the enforcement approach

13:00 Closing of the conference

Venue:

Weicker Building

Room A 401, fourth floor

4, Rue Alphonse Weicker

L-2721 Luxembourg

Information:

For any information, please don't hesitate to contact Lorenzo Bernardini (lorenzo.bernardini@uni.lu)

Language:

English

The conference is free, but registration is mandatory.