European Criminal Bar Association Holds Spring Conference in Barcelona

The European Criminal Bar Association (ECBA) held its Spring Conference on 24–25 April 2026 in Barcelona, hosted in partnership with the Barcelona Bar Association (ICAB).

The conference was opened by Vânia Costa Ramos (ECBA Chair, Portugal) and Maria Eugènia Gay Rosell (Deputy Mayor of Barcelona, former ICAB Dean). The Scott Crosby Human Rights Award 2025 was presented to Ali Yildiz of the Arrested Lawyers Initiative by ECBA HR Officer Alexis Anagnostakis (Greece).

The keynote address was delivered by Prof. Dr. Lorena Bachmaier Winter (Universidad Complutense, Madrid).

The main programme featured two plenary panels.

Panel 1 on Freedom of Speech examined the use of legal repression against journalists, climate activists, and government critics, with defence lawyers from the UK, Netherlands, Belgium, and Spain.

Panel 2 on E-Evidence Regulation addressed fundamental rights challenges posed by digital evidence in criminal proceedings, with practitioners from Spain, the UK, the Netherlands, and Germany.

Three afternoon breakout sessions covered: (A) innovative interrogation approaches in fraud and white-collar crime cases; (B) prisoners’ rights and detention conditions across Europe, led by the European Prison Litigation Network; and (C) environmental criminal liability and defence strategies for legal entities.