RETHINKIN_ aims to deepen its substantive research on the balance between autonomy and protection of vulnerable persons, both adults and children. The recognition of disabled persons as full participants in society by the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities 2006 (as well as the Belgian Constitution in 2021) and the increasing number of elderly persons in Europe raise new and interesting questions on the balance between the reinforcement of the autonomy and the protection of these vulnerable adults. How, for instance, do we tackle problems of abuse by legal representatives or do we handle the execution of the living will? The same applies to children as category of vulnerable persons. The question arises whether the legal status of children and the rules governing the relationships between adults and children should be reformulated so as to be less hierarchical. RETHINKIN_ 2015-2019 has already developed a strong track-record on these themes with expert seminars on the ‘Legal Protection of the Elderly’ and ‘Parents & Children’.