International Law Under Pressure

International Law Under Pressure - Sanctions, Remedies, and Consistency in a Fractured World

The Department of Law of the University of Luxembourg cordially invites you to the conference " International Law Under Pressure - Sanctions, Remedies, and Consistency in a Fractured World "

Abstract:
The past years have placed international law under sustained and simultaneous pressure: an unprecedented expansion of sanctions regimes, mounting litigation and arbitration over their effects, and recurring debates about the consistency with which the rules governing State conduct are applied across different crises. This two-day conference brings together academics, practitioners, and policymakers to take stock of these developments. Over four panels and a keynote address, participants will examine the boundaries of the EU's sanctions practice and its justification under general international law, the judicial and arbitral remedies available to individuals, companies and third countries affected by sanctions, the mounting pressures sanctions place on arbitration itself — from neutrality to enforcement — and the broader question of whether international law is, and should be, applied consistently across the range of conflicts confronting the international community today.

Programme:
Day 1 — Thursday, 29 October 2026
13:00 – 13:15 Welcome and Registration
13:15 – 13:30 Opening Remarks
• Herwig Hofmann , Department of Law, FDEF, University of Luxembourg
• Véronique Hoffeld, Partner, Loyens & Loeff
• Javier García Olmedo , Department of Law, FDEF, University of Luxembourg
13:30 – 14:00 Keynote Address: Adjudicating in Turbulent Times — The Enduring Role of Peaceful Dispute Settlement
Nicolas Angelet , Professor of International Law, Université libre de Bruxelles / Associate Tenant, Doughty Street Chambers, London
14:00 – 15:30 Panel 1 — Sanctions at the Edge: The EU and the Boundaries of International Law
Moderator: José Luis Aragón Cardiel , Permanent Court of Arbitration
• The EU as International Actor: Power, Autonomy, and the Limits of Statecraft ( Clara Portela , University of Valencia)
• Justifying the Unjustified? Sanctions and Third-Party Countermeasures ( Federica Paddeu , University of Cambridge)
• Sanctioned Investors, Unwilling Respondents: Attribution and State Responsibility for EU Sanctions ( Javier García Olmedo , Department of Law, FDEF, University of Luxembourg)
• Targeting Russia's allies: Circumvention, Non-Intervention, and the Reach of EU Secondary Sanctions ( Francesca Finelli, Luxembourg School of Business)
15:45 – 17:15 Panel 2 — Effective Remedy and Judicial Protection: Challenging Sanctions from Luxembourg to Strasbourg
Moderator: Herwig Hofmann , Department of Law, FDEF, University of Luxembourg
• Fighting the Freeze: Remedies for Sanctioned Individuals and Companies Before the CJEU ( Sara Poli, University of Pisa)
• Outside Looking In: Third Countries and the Challenge to EU Sanctions ( Luigi Lonardo , LCEL, University of Luxembourg)
• The Derogation Gap: Access to Justice in Theory and in Practice ( Michael de Boeck , BOEX)
• Bosphorus Equivalent-Protection Doctrine and Its Limits: Can Strasbourg Second-Guess CJEU Sanctions Review? ( Veronika Bílková , Faculty of Law, Charles University, Prague)

Day 2 — Friday, 30 October 2026
09:15 – 09:30 Opening Remarks
• André Prüm , Acting Dean, FDEF, University of Luxembourg/ President, Luxembourg Arbitration Association
09:30 – 11:00 Panel 3 — Arbitration in a Fractured World: Neutrality, Jurisdiction, and Enforcement
Moderator: Randi Ayman , LCEL, University of Luxembourg
• Whose Bias, Whose Seat? Neutrality in Geopolitically Sensitive Disputes ( Gilles Cunibert i , Department of Law, FDEF, University of Luxembourg)
• Arbitrability After Sanctions: The Reibel Question ( Eleftheria Neframi , Department of Law, FDEF, University of Luxembourg)
• The Anti-Suit Standoff: Lugovoy Law and the EU's Response ( Paschalis Paschalidis , GBS Disputes)
• Enforcement in Wartime: The 18th and 20th Packages, Cost Awards, and Frozen Assets ( Olivier Marquais , Loyens & Loeff)
11:15 – 12:45 Panel 4 — Panel Discussion: The Same Rules for Everyone? Applying International Law Across Conflicts
Moderator: Alexandra Hofer , Utrecht University
• Takis Tridimas , Director of the LCEL, University of Luxembourg
• Thomas Verellen , Utrecht University
• Shahd Hammouri , University of Kent
• S onia Boulos , Nebrija University
• Michel Erpelding , Max Planck Institute for Legal History and Legal Theory
12:45 – 13:00 Closing Remarks
• Herwig Hofmann , Department of Law, FDEF, University of Luxembourg

Venue :
University of Luxembourg
Campus Kirchberg - Weicker Building
Room A401 (fourth floor)
4, rue Alphonse Weicker, L-2721 Luxembourg
Language :
English

As places are limited and demand is high, we kindly ask you to register only if you are able to attend. In the event that you can no longer attend, please cancel your registration as soon as possible to allow another participant to take your place.

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