The Seventh Ole Lando Memorial Lecture entitled European Protection Mechanisms – Time to Change or Time to Hold Steady, was opened by then ELI President, Prof Dr Pascal Pichonnaz, who paid tribute to Professor Ole Lando (1922–2019), renowned for the Principles of European Contract Law. He recalled that Lando’s pioneering work continues to reflect ELI’s mission of improving European law through shared principles and cooperation.

Prof Dr Pichonnaz then introduced Professor Zoé Jacquemin, President of Trans Europe Experts, who outlined her nominated speakers distinguished career. A Dubliner by origin, O’Leary studied at University College Dublin and the European University Institute in Florence, served for nine years at the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU), and later at the ECtHR, where she became its first female President (2022–2024).

In her address, O’Leary focused on judicial oversight of fundamental rights and the resilience of Europe’s legal architecture. While Professor Lando’s legacy lies in private law, she noted that her ‘legal soul’ belongs to public law, reflecting on 2025, a year marking the 75th anniversary of the European Convention on Human Rights, as one ‘in which things fall apart.’

O’Leary noted that despite a strong framework for democracy and the rule of law, Europe faces renewed pressures. She warned of political and judicial backsliding, contrasted the ECtHR’s restraint with the CJEU’s evolving activism, and criticised a 2025 letter from nine EU states seeking to limit the ECtHR’s role in asylum and migration cases. She concluded that Europe’s human rights system must preserve ‘the quality and resilience of the democratic fabric’ of society. She concluded by urging European and national authorities to ‘hold steady’ in defending a rules-based order, quoting WB Yeats: ‘Things fall apart. The centre cannot hold.’

A lively Q&A session followed and ended with a video tribute to Ole Lando (here), celebrating his enduring vision of a Europe united by cooperation and respect among legal systems.

The Ole Lando Memorial Lecture series, inaugurated in 2019, honors the profound contributions of Ole Lando (1922–2019), a founding member of ELI and a pivotal figure in private international law. Lando’s Principles of European Contract Law have deeply influenced both EU and national contract laws, and his vision for a cohesive European legal framework continues to inspire efforts toward greater unity in European law.