The Rule of Law in the Technological Age : Challenges and Opportunities for the EU collected papers ACELG 6th Annual Conference, 4 November 2016

Technological innovations are crucial drivers of economic, social, and environmental progress. Law and regulation are expected to enable innovation while protecting society from unintended consequences, such as risks to public health and the environment, privacy, data protection, and other fundamental rights and interests. However, law is often considered either as an obstacle to innovations or as unable to protect society from their risks. Moreover, the very notion of the Rule of Law as a principle governing legitimate exercise of power in democratic societies is undergoing change, and, in some extreme cases, might even be challenged where technological fixes are replacing traditional legal rules.

This collection of policy papers is based on the sixth annual conference hosted by the Amsterdam Centre for European Law and Governance at the University of Amsterdam on 4 November 2016. Against the backdrop of revolutionary technological developments in the digital world as well as the impacts of technological innovations on health, safety and the environment, the contributors explore the relationship between law and technology with a particular focus on challenges and opportunities for EU law and regulation.