Legal Consequences of the Ukraine War in Europe

Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine has raised unprecedented challenges for the European Union, forcing it to face the reality of war more than at any time since its establishment. This event—which builds on Federico Fabbrini’s book, The EU Constitution in Time of War: Legal Responses to Russia’s Aggression against Ukraine (Oxford University Press, 2026)—explores the constitutional consequences of the return of war in Europe from a comparative and transatlantic perspective. Fabbrini’s book is the first comprehensive study of EU war-related legal developments, covering foreign affairs, fiscal powers, justice and home affairs, economic security and industrial policy, as well as enlargement. The topics of the book will be examined by a panel of leading scholars with diverse expertise, contextualizing changes in EU integration in light of broader transformations in international law, human rights enforcement and geo-economic competition.

Lunch will be provided!

Panelists 

Federico Fabbrini is a Full Professor of EU Law at Dublin City University, the Founding Director of Brexit Institute and Dublin European Law Institute, and a Fulbright Schuman Fellow in the International Security Program at the Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center for Science & International Affairs. Fabbrini holds a Ph.D. from the European University Institute and previously held academic appointments in the Netherlands, Denmark, France, Japan, Australia, and the United States—where he was a Fellow in Law & Public Policy at the School of Public & International Affairs at Princeton.

Susan Farbstein is the Director of the International Human Rights Clinic and a Clinical Professor at Harvard Law School. Her current work investigates and seeks justice for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Ukraine; advances corporate accountability for human rights abuses in global supply chains; considers the role of civil proceedings in writing history and shaping collective understandings of past abuse; and promotes gender equity and women’s leadership in human rights organizations and institutions.

Alex Whiting is a Professor at Harvard Law School where he teaches, writes and consults on domestic and international criminal prosecution issues. He recently served in the Special Counsel’s Office at the U.S. Department of Justice as an Assistant Special Counsel. Previously, Whiting was at the Kosovo Specialist Prosecutor’s Office in The Hague, as the Head of Investigations, Deputy Specialist Prosecutor, and Acting Specialist Prosecutor.  From 2010 until 2013, he was in the Office of the Prosecutor at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague as the Investigations Coordinator, and then as Prosecutions Coordinator.

Mark Wu is the Henry L. Stimson Professor at Harvard Law School where he specializes in international trade and international economic law. His writings cover a broad range of topics, including the impact of emerging economies on global governance, digital technologies, trade remedies, environment, and foreign investment. In addition, Wu serves as the Faculty Director for the Fairbank Center for Chinese Studies at Harvard University and as a Faculty Co-Director of the Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society.

Gerald Neuman (moderator) is the Director of the School’s Human Rights Program, and the J. Sinclair Armstrong Professor of International, Foreign, and Comparative Law at HLS. Neuman teaches courses in international human rights law, immigration and nationality law, and U.S. constitutional law. From 2011 to 2014, he served as a Member of the UN Human Rights Committee. Neuman holds a JD from HLS and a PhD from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

This event is co-sponsored by the Human Rights Program at Harvard Law School, the International Human Rights Clinic at Harvard Law School, the Harvard Human Rights Journal, and the Harvard European Law Association.