What is the future of constitutionalism? It may seem a misplaced question. After all, a
defining feature of constitutions is that – when compared with ordinary legislation –
they are meant to endure, locking-in fundamental political bargains for generations to
come. For constitutions the future is meant to be the past. That may be truer in theory
than it is in practice. It turns out that constitutions are as much characterized by
change and convulsion as they are by their pedigree and persistence.

At 70 years old the German Basic Law also is acquiring a feeling of stability. But it has been
the site of nearly constant change. The most significant of these developments have
taken place in times of political upheaval, such as when the Basic Law had to adapt
upon the reunification of West Germany and East Germany in the 1990s. If we can be
sure of anything in constitutional law, it is that the constitutions we study today will not
be the constitutions of tomorrow.

Heeding constitutionalism’s volatility, the symposium aims to bring together a diverse
range of scholars who combine deep expertise in constitutional law with an embrace
of constitutionalism’s inherent creativity and dynamism, calling on them to imagine the
“future constitution.”

The forum’s first event was held on the 2nd of July 2019 and undertook the effort of evaluating issues regarding “Technology – Media – Regulation”.