LEX and FORUM VOLUME I /2025

The sweeping pace of technological advancement and the accelerated transition to the digital realm are generating novel and complex challenges for the law. Established legal frameworks are increasingly being tested within the digital environment, where cutting-edge technologies — such as digital platforms and artificial intelligence — have come to play a decisive role in both social and economic activity.

Although the European Union may not yet have attained its full technological maturity, it stands at the forefront of confronting the legal implications of the digital era. The Union’s legislative agenda seeks to maintain a delicate equilibrium between, on the one hand, promoting innovation and technological development, and, on the other, safeguarding the fundamental rights of individuals while ensuring transparency and accountability among digital service providers.

The areas most profoundly affected by the digital transformation of European law include data protection — governed primarily by Regulation (EU) 2016/679, commonly known as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR); electronic commerce and digital platforms facilitating cross-border transactions — regulated by Directive 2000/31/EC; cybersecurity; electronic governance; and digital markets — significantly shaped by Regulation (EU) 2022/1925. Within these domains, a dense and intricate body of Regulations, Directives, and legislative Acts has redefined the structure and operation of the online marketplace.

Prominent among these legislative instruments are the Digital Services Act (DSA) and the Digital Markets Act (DMA), both designed to counter disinformation and enhance transparency in the operation of digital platforms; the Digital Governance Act (DGA), which seeks to reinforce the effective and trustworthy governance of digital services; the Data Act (DA), aimed at facilitating data access, management, and reuse in innovative applications; and the Artificial Intelligence Act (AIA), which establishes a comprehensive regulatory framework to ensure the safe, lawful, and ethical deployment of artificial intelligence systems. Collectively, these instruments have come to dominate contemporary European legal discourse concerning the digital transformation.

The 17th online conference of Lex&Forum, held on 27 February 2025, was devoted to issues of particular interest and considerable complexity within the field of law. This session was organized, on this occasion, in collaboration with Frederick University of the Republic of Cyprus.
The conference was chaired by Professor Panagiotis Degleris of the co-organizing University, within the framework of which the following presentations of the invited speakers were delivered: Theodoros Galanis, PhD, ‘The Digital Markets Act: Brief Overview and Implementation Challenges’; Efrosyni Siougle, PhD, Head of Advisory and Compliance at the Data Protection Authority, ‘The interaction of the GDPR with recent EU legislative developments (DSA, DMA, DGA, DA, AIA)’, Ioannis Revolidis, Lecturer in Media, Communication & Technology Law, Law School, University of Malta, ‘The Strengthened 2022 Code of Practice on Disinformation: Continuities and Innovations in EU Digital Regulation’; Anastasia Kalantzi, PhD, Lawyer, ‘The General Data Protection Regulation as court evidence in the digital age’, Maria Stylianidou, Assistant Professor, Law School, Frederick University,
‘The Protection of Whistleblowers in the Digital Age / The Contemporary Face of Governance’.

As the Praefatio of the first issue of the year, we have the great honor of presenting the speech-reflection of an unrivaled scientific career and academic ethos of the world-renowned international law Professor, Mr. Symeon Symeonides at the scientific symposium organized in his honor as an academic farewell by the Willamette University School of Law, in collaboration with the ‘Association of American Law Schools Section on Conflict of Laws’, in May 2024, on the topic of “Reflections from Fifty Years in the Conflicts Vineyard: An Immigrant’s Story”.

In the case-law section, we present (a) The CJEU, 27.2.2025, Società Italiana Lastre/Agora, on asymmetrical choice of court agreements (commented by Prof. D. Stamatiadis), (b) the domestic rulings: Piraeus Court of Appeal 398/2024, on service to a company with a registered office in Singapore (commented by A. Anthimos), Athens Court of First Instance cases 3150/2024 and 269/2025, on recognition of a final (non-appealable) divorce judgment issued by a Swiss court (connected with the legal opinion by Ass. Prof. K. Rokas), and Athens Court of First Instance 244/2025, on recognition of the res judicata effect of foreign court orders issued by a U.S. court placing a legally incapacitated adult under guardianship and appointing a conservator of the adult’s estate (commented by Ass. Prof. G.-A. Georgiades), and (c) the foreign National Court Caselaw, Cour de Cassation, 2.4.2025, Pourvoi n. 23-11.456, on submission of a request for a preliminary ruling to the CJEU regarding whether a claim for damages arising from the abrupt termination of a commercial relationship is contractual or non-contractual in nature. (commented by E. Tsikrika), and Cassazione Civile, 10.7.2024, ??. 18445/2024, on determination of the child’s ‘habitual residence’ in cases of international child abduction involving a child of tender age. (commented by Judge I. Valmantonis).

The scientific section includes a study by Prof. Efie Kinini (Univeristy of Athens) on “The limitation period for a damages claim in cases of infringement of competition rules. Reflections prompted by the CJEU judgment in Heureka and the Opinion of Advocate General Medina in Nissan” and a legal opinion of Ass. Prof. K. Rokas (Aristotle University of Thessaloniki), on ‘Recognition of a foreign divorce judgment from a third country: the requirement concerning the applicable law under Article 780 of the Greek Code of Civil Procedure’. It also features the thoughts of Dr. Apostolos Anthimos, on ‘UK Third party costs orders enforceable in Greece’, as well as the particularly important in enforcement of foreign judgements proceedings Certificate of enforceability under Article 53 of the Brussels I bis Regulation, edited by Judje A.  Kargopoulos.. The issue concludes with the regular quarterly review of the CJEU’s case-law, covering the period January-March 2025, by Dr. A. Anthimos.

Lex&Forum renews its scientific appointment with its readers for the next 18^th issue, with the central topic of ‘The EU Accession to the ECHR – Procedural Hurdles and Prospects Before the ECtHR -‘.

                                                                                    Prof. Paris Arvanitakis