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Third Annual Conference of the European Commission Legal Service

Join us in Brussels or online to discuss the strategic topic of international sanctions and restrictive measures as well as the critical issue of the relations of EU law and arbitration

  • Conferences and summits

Dear participants,

We would like to extend our gratitude to each and every one of you for making the third Annual Conference of the European Commission Legal Service a resounding success.

We are excited to announce that the audiovisual recording of the live streaming sessions is now available for viewing. Whether you missed a session or want to revisit a particular talk, you can access the recordings at the following link: https://webcast.ec.europa.eu/annual-conference-of-the-ec-legal-service-2025-04-04

Once again, thank you for your invaluable contribution to the success of the conference. We look forward to welcoming you to our future events.

Best regards,

The Conference Organisation Team

  • sanction (EU) | trade policy | alternative dispute resolution | common foreign and security policy
  • Friday 4 April 2025, 08:00 - 17:30 (CEST)
  • Brussels, Belgium
  • Live streaming available

Files

  • 22 OCTOBER 2025
Conference Report of the Third Annual Conference of the European Commission Legal Service
English
(4.15 MB - PDF)
Download

Programme

  1. 4 Apr 2025, 08:00 - 09:00 (CEST)
    Registration and welcome coffee
  2. 09:00 - 09:30 (CEST)
    Welcoming remarks

    Mr. Daniel Calleja-Crespo, Director-General of the Legal Service of the European Commission

  3. 09:30 - 10:00 (CEST)
    Opening speech

    Mr. Koen Lenaerts, President of the European Court of Justice of the European Union

  4. 10:00 - 12:00 (CEST)
    FIRST SESSION: THE LAW OF SANCTIONS

    Moderator: Ms.Mihaela Carpus Carcea, Member of the Legal Service of the European Commission

    Panellists:

    • Prof. Roberto Mastroianni, Judge, General Court of the European Union 
    • Prof. Dapo Akande, Chichele Professor of Public International Law, University of Oxford, member of the United Nations International Law Commission 
    • Ms. Emer Finnegan, Director-General, Legal Service of the Council of the European Union 
    • Mr. Martin Smolek, Director-General for Legal and Consular Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic
  5. 12:00 - 13:30 (CEST)
    Networking Lunch (buffet provided for the conference attendees)
  6. 13:30 - 14:00 (CEST)
    Keynote speech

    Mr Michael McGrath, Commissioner for Democracy, Justice, the Rule of Law and Consumer Protection, European Commission

  7. 14:00 - 16:00 (CEST)
    SECOND SESSION: EU LAW AND ARBITRATION

    Moderator: Mr. Tim Maxian Rusche, Legal Advisor, Assistant to the Director-General of the Legal Service of the European Commission

    Panellists

    • Ms. Martina Polasek, General Secretary of the International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID), World Bank Group 
    • Prof. Tamara Ćapeta, Advocate-General at the Court of Justice of the European Union
    • Prof. Juan Fernández-Armesto, Arbitrator, President of the Arbitration Club 
    • Ms. Fabienne Schaller, President in the International Commercial Chamber of the Paris Court of Appeal (ICCP-CA) 
    • Ms. Kerstin Norman, Judge at the Svea Court of Appeal’s civil division and Patent and Market Court of Appeal
    • Prof. George Bermann, Walter Gellhorn Professor of Law and Director of the Center for International Commercial and Investment Arbitration Law at Columbia Law School;
  9. 16:00 - 16:30 (CEST)
    Closing remarks

    Mr. Clemens Ladenburger, Deputy Director-General of the Legal Service of the European Commission

Practical information

When
Friday 4 April 2025, 08:00 - 17:30 (CEST)
Where
Alcide De Gasperi room, Charlemagne building
Rue de la Loi 170, 1000 Brussels, Belgium
Languages
English, French, German

Description

The Legal Service has chosen two topics that are currently very important and debated in legal circles, and at the same time relate to the Commission priorities. 

The first session will discuss the “Law of sanctions”, in particular in the context of the aggression of Ukraine by Russia. 

The second session will discuss “The EU law and Arbitration”.

Listen and interact with our inspiring speakers and panellists and join the conference either in person, in Brussels, or follow the debates on-line. 

We count on your participation and support in inviting as many relevant stakeholders as possible to join us, to have a fruitful dialogue and to broaden the understanding of these topics. 

We look forward to welcoming you to this 3rd annual conference of the Legal Service! 

Contacts

General contact

SJ Conference

Name
SJ Conference
Email
SJ-conferenceatec [dot] europa [dot] eu