The LEGITIMULT research consortium, led by EURAC Research and the Institute of Federalism of the University of Fribourg, was proud to invite policymakers, scholars, and practitioners to the Final Conference of the LEGITIMULT project, a Horizon Europe initiative dedicated to exploring legitimate crisis governance in multilevel systems.

Over two engaging days, the conference featured discussions on:

Intergovernmental coordination during crises
Trust and legitimacy in emergency governance
Lessons learned from COVID-19 for multilevel systems
Policy recommendations for future crises

Followed by more than 40 participants both online and in person, including representatives from institutions such as the European Committee of the Regions, the conference provided a rich platform for discussion on key themes of crisis governance.

Leading experts explored the challenges of governing during times of crisis. Discussions focused on intergovernmental coordination, examining how cooperation—or the lack thereof—between local, regional, national, and EU authorities shapes the legitimacy of crisis responses. Participants reflected on when coordination works best and where it tends to fall short. Other exchanges addressed trust and the COVID-19 pandemic, highlighting trust as a crucial factor in crisis governance. Speakers analyzed how citizens’ trust varies across levels of government during crises, how it influences the acceptance of policy measures, and strategies to strengthen legitimacy in decision-making.

We closed the LEGITIMULT Final Conference with a forward-looking session bringing together other Horizon Europe consortia (ROBUST and REGROUP) funded under the call on democracy in times of crisis. Overall, the session underscored critical lessons for building resilient, transparent, and trusted governance systems in times of crisis.

The conference took place at the Representation of the European Region Tyrol–South Tyrol–Trentino, Brussels.