Across approximately 150 parallel panel sessions, 700 European law scholars explored the conference theme “Words or Deeds? The European Moment” at the Universida de Católica Portuguesa in Lisbon from September 1 to 3, 2026. Senior Researcher Adel-Naim Reyhani from our research group “Asylum and Migration” contributed to a panel on asylum externalization and return.

Panellists’ contributions examined whether legal frameworks can provide effective rights protection in theory and in practice. They assessed fundamental-rights monitoring in third countries, safeguards in externalized procedures, safe countries of origin and their judicial contestation, and the emerging framework for return hubs. In his contribution, Reyhani shared initial insights into how international law can leave refugees subjected to externalization arrangements without a secure place of their own.

Find out more about Adel-Naim Reyhani’s research on externalization:

Externalization and Rightlessness

Gatekeepers to International Refugee Law? – The Role of Courts in Shaping Access to Asylum (ACCESS)