|
For any assistance, call +32 2 515 08 44 or email we@iccwbo.be |
11th Brussels Seminar on Export Controls & Economic Sanctions
10 November
ICC Belgium and the FEB are proud to present the 11th edition of the Brussels Seminar on Export Controls & Economic Sanctions.
For more than a decade, this seminar has been the meeting point for Belgium’s export control and sanctions community.
What was once a niche compliance concern has become one of the defining challenges of doing business internationally. Across eleven editions we have followed the field through the annexation of Crimea, the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, an unprecedented expansion of restrictive measures, and the steady rise of economic statecraft as an instrument of geopolitical competition.
The pressure points, however, keep shifting. While measures against Russia remain a constant backdrop, attention is turning to new fronts from Iran, where EU and US measures increasingly diverge and where the indirect impact on Russia is coming into focus, to the fast-moving world of export controls on AI, semiconductors and advanced computing, much of it US-driven and reaching deep into European operations. For companies caught in the middle, the compliance burden has never been heavier and the financial, criminal and reputational cost of getting it wrong has never been higher.
The programme opens with a keynote by David O’Sullivan on circumvention and what a credible compliance programme really needs to look like — the question at the heart of enforcement today. And, as always, the seminar keeps its transatlantic perspective: with speakers from both the EU and the US, it offers a rare opportunity to see how Brussels and Washington each approach these measures where they converge, and where they pull apart.
Bringing together leading experts from EU and US authorities, industry and the legal profession, this year’s edition will explore:
- Circumvention and compliance: David O’Sullivan on what a credible compliance programme really needs to look like today;
- Iran in focus: diverging EU and US measures, and the indirect impact on Russia;
- Enforcement and dispute resolution: penalties, criminal liability, and how sanctions play out in arbitration and litigation;
- The new technology frontier : due diligence on AI, semiconductors and advanced computing controls, and the practical challenge of navigating US rules
Join leading practitioners and policymakers on 10 November 2026 in Brussels to gain practical insight into a fast-moving regulatory landscape, exchange experiences with peers, and prepare your organisation for what comes next.
We look forward to welcoming you to the 11th edition!
Draft programme
Moderated by: Julie Deré, Secretary General, ICC Belgium
10:00 am | Welcome & Opening
Introduction and scene-setting for the day
Olivier Joris, Executive Manager – EU & International Department , VBO-FEB
10:10 am – 10:25 am | The Year in Review: Headlines That Shaped the Landscape
A fast-paced run through the past twelve months
The key developments that set the scene, from both an EU and US perspective. (15 min)
Bert Gevers from Loyens & Loeff (EU) & Susan Kovarovics, Akin (US)
10:25 am – 11:05 am | Opening Keynote
David O’Sullivan, EU Sanctions Envoy, EU Commission (30 min + 10 min Q&A)
11:05 am – 12:00 pm | Beyond the FAQs: The Questions That Really Matter
Moving past the standard guidance to the hard, practical questions companies are actually grappling with. (40 min + 15 min Q&A)
Alasdair Kan, Counsel at Akin (UK) & Bernard Claessens, Attorney at law, Loyens & Loeff (EU)
12:35 pm – 1:10 pm | Iran in Focus: Diverging EU and US Measures
Why the two regimes are pulling apart, with the EU expanding measures while the most recent changes are US-driven and what it means for banks and business. (25 min + 10 min Q&A)
Susan K. (US perspective) & Mireille Troosters, KBC (EU / banking perspective)
1:10 pm – 2:00 pm | Lunch
2:00 pm – 2:35 pm | When Sanctions Reach the Tribunal: Arbitration & Litigation
How sanctions play out in dispute resolution, built around a real-life case (EuroChem v. Tecnimont) and the points of attention it raises. (20 min case + 15 min discussion)
Bert Gevers, Loyens & Loeff & [arbitration lawyer tbc]
2:35 pm – 3:10 pm | Due Diligence at the New Frontier
Where due diligence stands today beyond Russia with an eye on challenges posed by Chinese law, navigating different lists, reliance on certifications, potential reinstatement of the Affiliates Rule, resolution of restricted party screening potential matches, and how all of this is impacted by the context of the transaction (AI-related, sanctioned parties, other industries, etc.). (35 min)
Marco Padovan, Studio Legale Padovan (Italy) , Susan Kovarovics, Akin (US) / (or colleague) + industry (tbc)
3:10 pm – 3:40 pm | The Policy View from Brussels and Washington
A policy-level scene-setter on where EU and US export controls and enforcement are heading. (30 min)
Matthew Borman, Akin (US) × Stéphane Chardon (tbc) x EU Commission
3:40 pm – 4:00 pm | Coffee Break
4:00 pm – 5:00 pm | Industry Panel: AI and Advanced Computing Controls in Practice
Practitioners on the real-world implications: understanding regulatory requirements, operating in accordance with license conditions, internal compliance measures, know your customer/vendors challenges, the question of trust and the European approach, and the additional risks that come with it. (60 min)
Moderated by Susan Kovarovics-, Akin (US). — with Johan Evers, IMEC (tbc), an AI end-user, and a data-centre operator (tbc)
5:00 pm – 5:10 pm | Closing Remarks
Bert Gevers, Loyens & Loeff (EU)
When?
Tuesday 10 November from 10:00 am until 5:10 pm
Where?
ICC Belgium c/o VBO-FEB
Rue Ravenstein 4
1000 Brussels
Fee?
EUR 160,00 excl. VAT (21 %) for members of ICC Belgium, VBO-FEB, AGORIA, ESSENSCIA, FEBELFIN, CREDENDO & LOYENS & LOEFF
EUR 225,00 excl. VAT (21 %) for non-members
Cancellation policy?
Upon registering for the seminar, you will receive an invoice after the event has concluded. Please note that if you cancel your participation later than Wednesday 4 November at 12:00 pm, you will be charged the full amount of the seminar fee. Cancellations made prior to this deadline will not incur any charges. Thank you for your understanding and adherence to this policy.