IMOLA IV Closing Conference, Brussels 4 June 2026

On 4 June, ELRA held the IMOLA IV Closing Conference in Brussels. Organised in a hybrid format at Residence Palace, the conference welcomed representatives from national land registries, university professors and partner institutions involved in IMOLA IV to reflect on the results of the project and discuss the technological developments reshaping land registries across Europe.

The conference was opened by ELRA President Mihai Taus, followed by an overall perspective on the project’s results by Project Manager Pedro Pernas and Technical Director Anabel Fraga.

Building on the discussion of the project’s achievements, renowned researcher Ricardo Baeza-Yates (WASP Professor at KTH, Sweden) delivered a keynote address on “Responsible AI Governance”, examining the challenges and questions surrounding the integration of artificial intelligence while preserving transparency, accountability and public trust.

After the coffee break, the programme was structured around two thematic panels dedicated to some of the key challenges currently facing European land registries:

• The first panel, moderated by Rafael Vale e Reis (CeNOR), focused on interoperability and digital innovation in land registries. Kadri Laud (Ministry of Justice and Digital Affairs, Estonia), Filomena Gaspar Rosa (Instituto dos Registos de Portugal), Secretary General Enrique Maside (Colegio de Registradores de España) and Doris Smudde (Cadastre, Land Registry and Mapping Agency, the Netherlands) shared national experiences and ongoing initiatives related to the digital transformation of registry systems, highlighting the growing importance of interoperability and accessible information across the European Union.
• The second panel, moderated by Jacques Vos, member of ELRA’s Board and chair of the organisation’s AI Working Group, examined the role of artificial intelligence in the legal and registry fields. Bringing together experts, including Professor Sjef van Erp (University of Maastricht), Professor Ricardo Baeza-Yates, Michelle Piccinino (Land Registration Agency, Malta) and Alessandro De Gaetano (Servizio Libro Fondiario, Trento), the discussion addressed questions surrounding AI governance and the potential applications of artificial intelligence in land registry practice.

Beyond the panel discussions, the conference also served as a platform to showcase the main outcomes of the IMOLA IV project. ELRA Treasurer Elena Prada presented the latest updates to the Factsheet on Land Registry Publicity, while Elena Ioriatti (University of Trento) outlined the ongoing work on Formants. Participants were also introduced to an e-book edited by Elena Ioriatti and Rafael Vale e Reis, produced as part of the project’s dissemination efforts.

The programme concluded with a diploma ceremony and closing remarks by Secretary General Enrique Maside.