EAPIL Call to Join the Working Group on Anti-SLAPP Directive Transpositions
The European Association of Private International Law calls for expressions of interest from its members in participating in a Working Group on Anti-SLAPP Directive Transpositions (hereinafter, ‘WG’).
The WG, co-chaired by Birgit van Houtert (Netherlands) and Marco Pasqua (Italy), seeks to contribute to the study and development of private international law (PIL) by identifying challenges and best practices in transposing the PIL aspects of the Anti-SLAPP Directive across EU Member States.
The primary goal of the WG is to critically assess whether EU Member States are correctly transposing the PIL aspects of the Anti-SLAPP Directive. Initially, the WG will study and discuss the draft national implementation acts. To gain practical insights and consider human rights perspectives, the WG will present its preliminary findings in a webinar or online workshop, engaging with experts on SLAPPs (e.g., legal practitioners, human rights defenders, NGOs) and stakeholders such as journalists. In the second phase, the WG will focus on evaluating the final national transpositions of the Anti-SLAPP Directive on the basis of a questionnaire. The results of this comparative assessment will be published in a publication and/or position paper, which will be submitted to the European Commission and shared with national parliaments, governments and other stakeholders.
The work will be conducted through virtual meetings, national reports based on the questionnaire and updates on the implementation of the Anti-SLAPP Directive in EU Member States shared via a private online platform (e.g., Teams).
The WG will hold its first online meeting in June 2025 to discuss the draft questionnaire and identify key issues and challenges in the transposition of the Anti-SLAPP Directive.
EAPIL Members interested in joining the WG are invited to contact Birgit van Houtert (birgit.vanhoutert@maastrichtuniversity.nl) and Marco Pasqua (marco.pasqua@unicatt.it) by 2 June 2025.