The first session of the Euro-Asian Legal Congress was held in 2007 at the Atrium Palace Hotel, World Trade Center in Yekaterinburg. It focused on legal support for economic and security cooperation in the Euro-Asian region and brought together over 500 participants from Russia and neighboring countries. The congress was organized by the All-Russian Public Organization "Association of Lawyers of Russia."
With each passing year, the EALC attracted increasing attention from the public, the legal community, and state and municipal authorities. The number of congress participants grew, and the venues changed—the Ural Cultural Center, the Yekaterinburg Administration, the World Trade Center (Panorama Hotel), and for the last four years, the Hyatt Regency Yekaterinburg hosted the forum. In 2024, the congress, dedicated to the 100th anniversary of Sergei Sergeyevich Alekseev, was attended by over 1,700 participants from 12 countries.
In 2025, the event will be held for the first time at the Yekaterinburg-Expo International Exhibition Center. The theme of the new session of the legal congress will be "Law and the New Reality." This new venue will not only allow for the majority of business program events to be held in one day but also offer participants new forms of business activity. A total of 18 thematic platforms specializing in various areas of law will be available at the congress.
The organizers of the 18th session of the Congress are the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation, the Governor of the Sverdlovsk Region, the Government of the Sverdlovsk Region, the Association of Lawyers of Russia, and the Ural State Law University named after V.F. Yakovlev. The Congress's business program includes:

• a series of thematic panel discussions and roundtables, successively replacing each other;
• the VIII Alekseyev Readings, "Ascent to Law: Stages and Eras";
• the IV European-Asian Youth Legal Forum.

This material was prepared by the Media Center

of the V.F. Yakovlev Ural State Law University

The 18th session of the Euro-Asian Legal Congress, one of the year's key legal events, has concluded. The congress's theme, "Law and the New Reality," reflects contemporary challenges and transformations in the legal system. Over 2,000 participants attended the congress, discussing topical issues across 50 thematic sections. The event was held for the first time at the Yekaterinburg Expo. The 18th session was organized by the Ministry of Education and Science of Russia, the Governor and Government of the Sverdlovsk Region, the Association of Lawyers of Russia, and the Ural State Law University named after V.F. Yakovlev.

Experts and practitioners from 12 countries exchanged experiences and developed solutions for adapting law to new social and technological conditions. A recurring theme throughout all discussions was the development of digitalization and the application of artificial intelligence in the legal sphere.

On the eve of the main day of the Congress, a comprehensive program of four satellite events was held at various venues across the city, including the Yakovlev Readings held at the Legislative Assembly of the Sverdlovsk Region.

This year, the Euro-Asian Youth Legal Forum attracted particular attention, significantly expanding its scope and bringing together talented young people from across Russia and partner countries at 12 different events. At the plenary session of the youth forum, an agreement was signed with the volunteer center of the Russian Copper Company "Power of the Urals."

As is traditional, a meeting of the Euro-Asian Law University Consortium participants took place on the sidelines of the Congress. Consortium representatives actively participated in the discussion of the results of the 2024/2025 academic year, analyzing the results achieved, completed projects, and educational initiatives. In addition to summing up the results, a key focus of the meeting was planning future joint events. Participants outlined numerous important projects and programs aimed at strengthening international cooperation, sharing experiences, and developing legal education.

The plenary session of the Congress was opened by V.A. Bublik, Rector of the Yakovlev USLU.
Welcoming remarks were given by:
1) A.V. Zhoga, Plenipotentiary Representative of the President of Russia in the Urals Federal District;
2) P.V. Krasheninnikov, Chairman of the State Duma Committee on State Building and Legislation;
3) L.V. Babushkina, Chairman of the Legislative Assembly of the Sverdlovsk Region;
4) A.V. Shmykov, First Deputy Governor of the Sverdlovsk Region;
5) A.V. Orlov, Mayor of Yekaterinburg;
6) Luo Shixiong, Consul General of the People's Republic of China in Yekaterinburg.

The plenary discussion featured leading experts and high-ranking representatives of the legislative and executive branches, supervisory and law enforcement agencies. The meeting was attended by P.V. Krasheninnikov, Chairman of the State Duma Committee on State Building and Legislation; V.A. Bublik, Rector of the Ural State Law University named after V.F. Yakovlev; A.A. Dronov, Chairman of the Court of the Eurasian Economic Union; V.V. Blazheev, Rector of the Moscow State Law University named after O.E. Kutafin; I.I. Matskevich, Rector of the University of the Prosecutor's Office of the Russian Federation; E.V. Ilgova, Rector of the Saratov State Law Academy; K.A. Korsik, President of the Federal Notary Chamber of the Russian Federation; and A.Kh. Saidov, Director of the National Center for Human Rights of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

Vladimir Aleksandrovich Bublik was presented with the "Pride of Yekaterinburg" honorary badge of the Yekaterinburg City Duma, and a cooperation agreement was signed between the Yakovlev Ural State Law University and the Federal Chamber of Advocates of the Russian Federation.

In addition to the busy business program, Congress participants enjoyed an exciting cultural agenda: the 2nd International Chess Tournament for Lawyers, "Leaders of Law," was held at the Yekaterinburg-EXPO venue, and the "Right to a Voice" Music Festival for Lawyers marked the spectacular finale of the Congress's main day. The following day, June 7, Congress participants took part in the 2nd Legal Regatta, and on June 8, the "Ural Legal Run" charity run took place.

This large-scale event confirmed Yekaterinburg's status as a center for the development of legal scholarship and practice, and also highlighted the active role of the Yakovlev State Law University in international legal cooperation.