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Business programme
19 –21 May 2025
International Law in a Changing World
The Ecosystem: Environment and Law
The Legal Basis Underlying Economic Growth
Law and Society
Dispute Resolution
Effective Law for an Effective State
Legislative Development
Digitalization in Law
The Age of Heroes – The Rights of Heroes
The Legal Community: Education, Profession, and Calling
Events on the Sidelines of the Forum
International Law in a Changing World
The Ecosystem: Environment and Law
The Legal Basis Underlying Economic Growth
Law and Society
Dispute Resolution
Effective Law for an Effective State
Legislative Development
Digitalization in Law
The Age of Heroes – The Rights of Heroes
The Legal Community: Education, Profession, and Calling
Events on the Sidelines of the Forum
10:00
19.05.2025
19.05.2025
10:00–11:30
10:00–11:30
Broadcast 10 Years of the EAEU Court: Strengthening the Union’s Internal Market and Defending Business Interests
Congress Centre, conference hall D3
The Court of the Eurasian Economic Union celebrated its 10th anniversary in January 2025. Over this period, it has formulated important legal positions that have strengthened its authority. It mainly handles appeals of the decisions of the EAEU Commission, particularly in matters concerning competition and customs regulation. The court’s practice of issuing advisory opinions that ensure the unity of the EAEU legal space has proven effective. Some of the court’s key functions include protecting the rights of entrepreneurs and ensuring the free movement of goods and services within the EAEU market. How can businesses from the union’s different countries ensure the protection of their interests using the instruments of EAEU law and supranational mechanisms? What changes are needed in the court’s scope of functions to enhance the effectiveness of such protection? What are some of the latest trends in the court’s practice and what role does it play in developing EAEU law, ensuring its uniform application, the functioning of the internal market, and maintaining competition? What common issues arise in the practices of both the EAEU Court and national courts, and how does the judicial dialogue take place? How does the mechanism of appealing to the EAEU Court for clarifications about the provisions of EAEU law help to protect the interests of the state and business? Does the EAEU Court’s scope of functions need to be expanded? How can we raise awareness about EAEU law as part of enhancing its effectiveness?
10:00
19.05.2025
10:00–11:30
10:00–11:30
Broadcast Law in the Era of Sustainable Development: The Green Transformation of Business and the State
Congress Centre, conference hall B1 (2nd floor)
Russia needs to seriously modernize its legal regulation of ESG issues to keep up with the global trend of the ESG transformation of business and the economy. The lack of a sufficient regulatory framework for the transition to circular business models creates risks for the competitiveness of Russian companies. Legal environmental protection mechanisms need to be urgently improved given the severity of environmental problems. The current system is not effectively preventing environmental damage. Legal uncertainty about the ownership of natural resources creates grounds for conflicts. Legal support for food security is a particularly acute issue now. How dangerous is it that Russian education is lagging behind global ESG trends? How can we prevent the risk of a box-ticking approach to the introduction of environmental competencies? How can we stop the deterioration of ecosystems due to conflicts between owners? How can we assess the amount of environmental damage with long-term consequences? What legal mechanisms are needed for a circular economy?
10:00
19.05.2025
10:00–11:30
10:00–11:30
Broadcast Challenges in Implementing and Financing Major International and National Projects
Congress Centre, conference hall D2
The implementation of major infrastructure projects involving the peaceful use of nuclear energy – from the construction of the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant in Türkiye to floating power units – would be impossible without comprehensive legal support for such projects, the resolution of financing issues, and responses to the challenges of rapidly developing law. What are some of the legal aspects of supporting various infrastructure projects? What experience has been gained from building two nuclear power plants, including the specifics of localization, the Build-Own-Operate model, the adaptation of local legislation, the implementation of the provisions of intergovernmental agreements, and the development of national nuclear infrastructure? What are some of the specifics of legal support for energy supply projects and the use of the take or pay system? What innovative financing methods are essential in the modern world for the implementation of international and national projects?
10:00
19.05.2025
10:00–11:30
10:00–11:30
Broadcast New Employment: Challenges and Opportunities of the Platform Economy
Congress Centre, conference hall D1
The platform component is playing an increasingly important role in the national economy. Digital platforms help to reduce transaction costs, increase productivity, and provide millions of people with a primary or additional income. Platform employment, in which ordinary citizens participate in economic relations through platforms, is precisely what has enabled the institution of self-employment to become such a success in Russia. Even 10-15 years ago, there was an acute problem with replacing labour-based relations with civil law-based relations in the employment sphere, which mainly pertains to the traditional economy. This was largely due to the desire of employers to save money on taxes and to simplify relations with the workforce. Amendments were made to industry legislation to resolve this problem. Now the pendulum has swung in the other direction, as attempts are being made to replace the original civil law-based relations of platform employees with labour-based relations. It would appear that the mere emergence of platform employment and the need for legal institutions to evolve should be recognized in order to balance the legal pendulum and generate the maximum cumulative effect for market participants and the economy as a whole. Institutional changes require regulatory changes. What new opportunities does platform employment offer compared with traditional employment? What limitations and risks are associated with this form of employment? How can these limitations and risks be mitigated? What role does platform employment play in combatting unreported employment?
10:00
19.05.2025
10:00–11:30
10:00–11:30
Broadcast The Right to Legal Rights: Free Legal Aid through the Lens of International Experience
Congress Centre, conference hall B2 (2nd floor)
Making high-quality legal support accessible to everyone is a pressing task for modern society, which is why the development of free legal aid services is receiving growing attention. What is the international experience in organizing the provision of free legal aid? What are the current trends in regulating this system, aimed at properly ensuring citizens’ rights to qualified legal assistance, minimizing poor service, and preventing fraud? What is the structure of the state system of free legal aid, and who are its main participants? How is the non-state system of free legal aid developing, and who is involved? What best practices exist in the provision of free legal aid? What quality standards are in place, and what oversight mechanisms exist to ensure compliance? How is digital transformation affecting the institution of free legal aid?
10:00
19.05.2025
10:00–11:30
10:00–11:30
Broadcast Insurance and Reinsurance Disputes. Where to Litigate and How to Settle Non-Commercial Disputes
In partnership with Russian Export Center
Congress Centre, conference hall А (3rd floor)
Insurance disputes (primarily in the non-commercial segment) are regularly among the most complex. This is due to both the large number of parties involved in the insurance relations and the specifics of regulating the insurance business. The reality of sanctions, particularly in matters concerning transport (air and sea) insurance, has further diversified the landscape of insurance and reinsurance disputes and settlements. What are some of the main trends in insurance dispute resolution?
10:00
19.05.2025
10:00–11:30
10:00–11:30
Broadcast Legal Support for the Scientific and Technological Leadership of the Russian Federation
Congress Centre, conference hall D4
In light of the digital transformation of science and industry, as well as the overall geopolitical situation in the world, it is a top priority for Russia to achieve technological leadership and sovereignty. Meeting this objective directly depends on how effective legislative and regulatory compliance practices are. What problems do the leaders of scientific and industrial organizations face, and what are legislators doing to solve them?
10:00
19.05.2025
10:00–11:30
10:00–11:30
Broadcast Trust but Verify: Transparency in Charitable Donations
Justice Quarter, conference hall E10
The non-profit sector is actively involved in addressing numerous social problems and arranging targeted support for individual social groups. Russia has a number of non-profits that perform charitable and voluntary activities, which are supported by the state authorities and local governments, among others. Do the criteria need to be clarified for using the term ‘charity’ in the names of organizations? How can we ensure the protection of the personal data of donors and recipients given the digitalization of the fundraising process? What risks arise when working with rare diseases (e. g., orphan diseases)? Should the accounts and posts of non-profits have to be labelled as such? What mechanisms could guarantee the public disclosure of reports on the expenses and results of charitable programmes?
10:00
19.05.2025
10:00–11:30
10:00–11:30
Broadcast The Culture of Lawmaking
Justice Quarter, conference hall E11
A rapidly changing objective reality, together with social, political, and economic processes, creates an ongoing need to improve legal regulation both within established legal systems and in emerging fields of activity. Lawmaking today is in an especially active phase, reflecting societal changes and shaping a modern, responsive system for addressing both external and internal challenges. Against this backdrop, a distinctly pragmatic, utilitarian trend has emerged as the most direct route to achieving the goal: establishing legal regulation that is as effective and optimal as possible by setting objectively grounded, clear, and understandable rules of conduct for all legal actors. At the same time, building a modern, effective system of legal regulation is impossible without nurturing moral and legal values and promoting a high level of legal culture within society. Respect for the law is the highest expression of a society’s legal culture. The presence of a certain cultural code embedded in the nature of domestic law, and therefore in the foundation of lawmaking, must be a defining factor in shaping a new legal reality. A historical and national approach, a value-based narrative, spirituality, and humanism have always distinguished and characterized Russian culture as a whole, and legal culture in particular. What role does culture play in the modern lawmaking process, both as a culture of legal norms and as culture as a norm of behaviour? What is the cultural code at the heart of Russian lawmaking? Is an ideal balance of culture, morality, and law in legal regulation possible?
10:00
19.05.2025
10:00–11:30
10:00–11:30
Broadcast Convergence of Global Legal Systems: The Role of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Technologies
Congress Centre, conference hall B4 (2nd floor)
Amid highly complex international relations, the process of harmonizing legislation across countries, driven by the need to interact and cooperate to maintain global stability, takes on particular importance. In this context, the development of digital technologies, especially artificial intelligence, creates new opportunities for deeper convergence between global legal systems while also reinforcing national sovereignty. What forms of convergence between global legal systems align with the interests of the Russian Federation today? What advantages does this convergence offer Russia? What role do artificial intelligence and other digital technologies play in advancing digital legal development? How will strengthening national sovereignty support the digital transformation of public governance? How might the convergence of global legal systems affect global stability?
10:00
19.05.2025
10:00–11:30
10:00–11:30
Broadcast Defending the Interests of State-Owned Companies in International Investment Arbitration
Pavilion F, conference hall F21 (2nd floor)
According to the UN Conference on Trade and Development, there were a total of 1,500 transnational state-owned enterprises in 2019. This number is on the rise, in part because several states acquired stakes in private companies in difficult financial situations during the era of the COVID-19 pandemic as a method of state support. Considering the growing volume of transnational investments by state-owned enterprises, as well as political instability, which creates increased risks of the expropriation of investments, it is no surprise that state-owned enterprises are increasingly resorting to investor-state dispute resolution mechanisms contained in international investment treaties. However, given the close ties between state-owned enterprises and countries that are parties to international investment treaties, there have repeatedly been questions in the practice of international investment arbitration about whether it is reasonable to assert that state-owned enterprises, as investors, have the right to initiate arbitration proceedings against the country that is receiving the investment. The enforcement of decisions against the Russian Federation through foreclosure on the property of Russian state-owned enterprises is also an important issue that needs to be addressed. Claimants often rely on doctrines similar to the doctrine on piercing the corporate veil. When deciding whether to pierce the corporate veil, courts determine whether a state-owned company is an alter ego or an extension of the state. Is this approach by arbitrators reasonable and what standard of proof should be applied in this case?
10:00
19.05.2025
10:00–11:30
10:00–11:30
Broadcast International Business with Middle Eastern Countries: Tax, Currency, and Legal Risks
Pavilion F, conference hall F20 (2nd floor)
Asian and Middle Eastern countries are currently the main trading partners for Russian companies, which are highly interested in establishing a presence in these markets. However, Russian businesses face certain tax and currency risks when conducting cross-border transactions due to legal nuances that have been established in legislative and regulatory compliance practices. There are also challenges with organizing an economic presence in these countries. As a result, one of the Russian government’s top priorities is to improve legal mechanisms to reduce barriers for international business, as well as to simplify the regulation of business relations with foreign partners. What tax risks are inherent with cross-border transactions in Russia? What currency restrictions on international transactions exist in Russia? What key problems do representatives of foreign companies face in interaction with Russian businesses? What are the best ways to improve national regimes in order to enhance investment appeal for Russian investors?
10:00
19.05.2025
10:00–11:30
10:00–11:30
Broadcast Regulatory Conditions for Doing Business: Do We Need a New Guillotine?
Congress Centre, conference hall B3 (2nd floor)
Over the past 15 years, the government has carried out significant work to reform regulatory policy. A regulatory impact assessment (RIA) procedure was introduced to identify and prevent the adoption of regulation that places an excessive burden on business. In 2020, basic laws on mandatory requirements and monitoring (supervisory) activities were adopted, and a ‘regulatory guillotine’ was carried out, radically reforming the Russian regulatory landscape. The reform is still under way, and work on the elimination of the ‘White List’ is being finalized. The RIA procedure has been improved: an updated methodology has been adopted, enabling a transition to the key role of estimating business costs, which will make it possible to determine, for each new requirement, its cost for entrepreneurs. The new standards pose new challenges for the government: how may decision-making mechanisms be structured in such a way as to ensure their efficiency and accuracy? How can modern information technologies help in this? What are the possible prospects for improving the Russian regulatory system?
12:00
19.05.2025
12:00–13:30
12:00–13:30
Broadcast Coercion or Consent? Returning to Consensus in International Law
Pavilion F, conference hall F20 (2nd floor)
Ex consensu advenit vinculum. A state's consent to an international treaty has long been seen as the key precondition for its obligation to uphold that treaty (pacta sunt servanda). However, this logical link is increasingly being called into question. The active role of numerous international institutions, reinforced by their effective communication and interconnected operations, seeks to imbue many international treaties with new meanings that are not always grounded in the direct or even implicit consent of states. Moreover, the principle of consensus, with its inherent pursuit of balance in international relations, is often displaced by legal forms of coercion imposed by some states on others. Traditional mechanisms of intergovernmental negotiation are frequently supplanted by blunt methods of pseudo-legal pressure, sometimes even extending to the criminalization of political opponents. How successful have efforts to undermine the consensual nature of international law been from a historical perspective? Can the current crisis in international relations be overcome by returning to a world order based on the consensus of sovereign states as the primary subjects of international law? And what impact would a return to consensus in international law have on the work of international institutions and the fate of regional and global projects?
12:00
19.05.2025
12:00–13:30
12:00–13:30
Broadcast Digital Financial Assets as a Flexible and Stable Instrument: Who Benefits Most Today?
Congress Centre, conference hall B4 (2nd floor)
The digital rights market has exploded over the past year. It has now reached RUB 700 billion with 1,400+ issues and 15 operators of information systems that issue digital financial assets. Major banks account for the bulk of placements. Most of the issues are debt-based digital financial assets, but there has been a growing trend of index and hybrid digital instruments. In addition, market experts are already seeing growth in the liquidity of the secondary market. The infrastructure of digital financial assets is becoming much stronger as well and competing with the traditional financial market. However, there are still a number of problems that need to be resolved to make full use of the new instrument, such as the taxation of digital financial assets for legal entities, limits for non-qualified investors, and issues concerning digital certificates. What trends can we expect to see in the digital financial assets market? What changes are planned and how should we adapt to them?
12:00
19.05.2025
12:00–13:30
12:00–13:30
Broadcast From Virtual to Real: How Emerging Technologies Are Changing Crime and Legal Responses
Justice Quarter, conference hall E10
In recent years, there has been a trend in legislation of introducing new digital platforms and technologies into judicial activities and the work of law enforcement agencies. Significant results have been achieved in this area. However, the expanded use of modern information technologies, while creating convenient services for citizens, also provides hackers with a weapon and raises questions about the relevance of traditional procedural forms and mechanisms to counter them. How can the development of modern technologies be used for criminal proceedings and legislation on administrative offences?
12:00
19.05.2025
12:00–13:30
12:00–13:30
Broadcast Financial Market Dispute Resolution: New Challenges and New Solutions
Congress Centre, conference hall D1
The modern financial market needs effective and customer-oriented approaches to resolving disputes between consumers and financial institutions. Today, such extra-judicial mechanisms as the institution of the financial ombudsman, mediation procedures, and arbitration are becoming increasingly important. Their further development will make justice more accessible, reduce costs, and reduce the workload on courts. Particular attention should be paid to protecting the rights of borrowers and developing unified approaches to resolving financial disputes, including with due consideration for the Uniform Rules for the Protection of Consumer Rights that have been adopted in the Union State. The session will present practical and legal aspects of alternative conflict resolution, including for disputes involving specialized arbitrators. What is the outlook for the legislative enshrinement of extra-judicial dispute resolution mechanisms in the financial market? In what cases can the use of mediation or arbitration be more effective than litigation? What conditions are needed to effectively adopt customer-oriented approaches to working with borrowers’ debt?
12:00
19.05.2025
12:00–13:30
12:00–13:30
Broadcast The Law Is on Our Side: Year of the Defender of the Fatherland
Congress Centre, conference hall B2 (2nd floor)
In the run-up to the 80th anniversary of victory in the Great Patriotic War, 2025 has been declared the Year of the Defender of the Fatherland in honour of our heroes and participants in the special military operation, in memory of the exploits of our ancestors who fought for the motherland in different historical periods, and for the glory of our fathers, grandfathers, and great-grandfathers who crushed Nazism. One of the government’s most important tasks is to note the sacred duty of protecting historical truth against destructive external forces. Moreover, any attempts at Russophobia and discrimination against Russians abroad must be eliminated. What legal guarantees are enshrined in Russian legislation for the defenders of the Fatherland, and what else is needed and should be implemented in the near future? What is the current state of legal work to protect the rights of Russian compatriots and citizens abroad?
12:00
19.05.2025
12:00–13:30
12:00–13:30
Broadcast Notarial Procedures for Ensuring Legality in Real Estate Transactions
Congress Centre, conference hall D3
In recent years, legislators have been consistently expanding the purview of notaries in real estate transactions. These changes are important due to the multitude of risks associated with criminal and fraudulent schemes that cause people to lose property as a result of transactions being executed in simple written form. What guarantees do notaries currently provide to prevent potential legal conflicts and what aspects of real estate transactions require additional protection?
12:00
19.05.2025
12:00–13:30
12:00–13:30
Broadcast The General Counsel’s Risk Appetite
Congress Centre, conference hall B1 (2nd floor)
Businesses take decisions every day in a tense environment, under pressure from shareholders and partners. Ideally, all these decisions should comply with the law and take into account existing legal risks. However, in practice, there are numerous situations that are controversial from a legal standpoint. What should an in-house lawyer do in such a situation? A conservative approach assumes that the chief counsel, when giving an opinion or recommendations to management, should outline all the contradictory aspects of the situation and all the existing risks. Can artificial intelligence help with this? Is a manager ready to take such an approach in today’s dynamic business environment, study all the risks in detail, and take them into account when adopting decisions? Are lawyers and managers ready to use AI when taking business decisions?
12:00
19.05.2025
12:00–13:30
12:00–13:30
Broadcast Pro et Contra the Decembrists’ Legal Vision: Lessons from History
Congress Centre, conference hall D2
The Decembrist movement is perhaps one of the most controversial events in Russian history. The nobles, mostly officers of the Russian Guard who had fought in the Patriotic War of 1812, rose up in revolt in St. Petersburg on 14 December 1825. The generally accepted view is that the rebellion was the result of pent-up discontent with the autocracy and serfdom, as well as the desire to provide civil liberties to the entire population of the country. The poorly prepared actions of the Decembrists, which were doomed from the start, nevertheless had a major impact on the further development of Russian social thought. On the one hand, the Decembrists spoke out against the existing state system, violated their oath as officers, and shed blood, which in our eyes definitely makes them criminals and rebels who wanted to alter the country’s political system by force and, as a result, likely draw people into a bloody civil war. On the other hand, the Decembrists’ programmes, which were created based on the theory of natural law and the ideas of such Enlightenment thinkers as Charles Montesquieu, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, and Denis Diderot, and partly inspired by the experience of the restructuring of the United States, contained truly breakthrough ideas for that time on the development of individual branches of law, the creation of new legal institutions, the codification of legislation, the introduction of the principle of separation of powers in the state system, and the establishment of the foundations of democratic representative government. The fate of the Decembrists was a tragedy not only for them, but also for their loved ones and for the entire socio-political development of Russia for decades to come. Nevertheless, for the following generations of revolutionaries, the Narodniks and Bolsheviks, they became heroes and the first fighters for freedom, equality, and justice. But were the Decembrists truly pursuing exclusively noble goals? What were the motives behind the uprising: ambition or a sincere belief that they would be able to turn the tide of history for the better? Why did the investigation into the rebellion persistently look for traces of foreign backing? And were the Russian people completely excluded from deciding their own fate in the Decembrists’ plans? Were the provisions that were drawn up and described in the constitutions of revolutionary Pavel Pestel and statesman Nikolay Muravyov, who headed the Southern and Northern Societies of the Decembrists, really so positive for the country? The establishment of a unitary state, the destruction of national identity, total external expansion, and, ultimately, the official imposition of a dictatorship for a decade – how can we assess these and the other ideas of the Decembrists from a legal point of view? Finally, why did the Decembrists use unlawful methods in their actions rather than trying to build a constructive dialogue with the government when they had all the opportunities to do so? How correct was the government’s position in relation to the Decembrists and what consequences did their uprising entail for the country?
12:00
19.05.2025
12:00–13:30
12:00–13:30
Broadcast Legal Aspects of Corporate Security Assurance
Congress Centre, conference hall А (3rd floor)
Ensuring corporate security is crucial for a business’s survival and successful development. This issue is clearly multidimensional, encompassing various practices, areas of law enforcement, industries, and components. The availability of mechanisms and tools to protect and restore violated rights in the business sphere has a significant impact not only on the stability of civil transactions but also on the country’s economic well-being and investment attractiveness. How should corporate security issues be regulated? What mechanisms are available to protect businesses amid marital and family conflicts? How can trademark and intellectual property rights be better safeguarded? Is the application of foreign law possible in Russian business? Can the polygraph be used as a tool for ensuring corporate security?
12:00
19.05.2025
12:00–13:30
12:00–13:30
Broadcast Improving Legislation on the Implementation of Concession Agreements in the Housing and Utilities Sector
Congress Centre, conference hall B3 (2nd floor)
For over 10 years now, Russia has been using concession agreements in the housing and utilities sector, which are one of the main ways to attract extra-budgetary funds to upgrade utilities infrastructure. The housing and utilities sector accounts for 85% of all concession agreements that are being implemented or have been completed. However, the proportion of housing and utilities facilities that have been conceded is low at only 12.4% of the total amount. Overall investments in 60.8% of the agreements do not exceed RUB 10 million. Concession agreements are not sufficiently efficient due to a number of systemic problems and limiting factors, including: imperfections in concession legislation, a lack of reliable information about the implementation of concession agreements, the insufficient and non-systemic nature of support measures for concession projects, as well as a short-term and opaque tariff policy in the housing and utilities sector. The Russian government has set the goal of implementing a utilities infrastructure modernization programme and improving the quality of utilities for 20 million people by 2030. What should be the share of extra-budgetary sources in the implementation of this programme? What changes are needed in the regulatory framework to achieve this goal? What institutions need to be created or improved to protect the rights of parties to concession agreements?
12:00
19.05.2025
12:00–13:30
12:00–13:30
Broadcast The UN in Freefall: Collapse or Resurgence? (Commemorating the 80th Anniversary of the UN Charter)
Justice Quarter, conference hall E11
The United Nations, established as the culmination of global efforts to create a sustainable system for maintaining international peace and security, approaches its 80th anniversary with a rich record of both successes and failures in fulfilling its core mission. Forged from the universal desire for peace following the tragedies of the Second World War, the system has, from its inception, operated amid ongoing international conflicts: during the Cold War, the Western bloc’s aspirations for a unipolar world in the early post-Soviet era, and today’s struggle by new centres of power to secure their place in a multipolar world. Over these 80 years, the UN Charter has been amended only three times, and solely to increase the number of member states represented in certain bodies. All other aspects of applying the Charter, amid sweeping changes in human life, technology, economics, and international relations, have been shaped through state practice, which continues to reveal the depth of its founding principles. At the same time, this approach to the Charter’s evolution remains vulnerable to abuse and to attempts by some Western states to erode those principles, monopolize the system, or, where it stands in the way of their geopolitical ambitions, paralyze it. Eighty years of interpreting and applying the UN Charter calls for a conceptual reassessment: for defining clear boundaries between the objective process of the Charter’s development as a living instrument and subjective encroachments on its foundations across a broad range of issues. These include the Security Council’s mandate to maintain peace and security, the search for new purposes for the UN General Assembly, strengthening the International Court of Justice as a universal forum for settling international disputes, adapting UN institutions to the realities of a multipolar world, defining the role of non-state actors in developing the international legal order, and deepening cooperation between the UN and regional organizations. Will UN member states stay in control of this complex system? And what trajectory will its next ascent follow?
12:00
19.05.2025
12:00–13:30
12:00–13:30
Broadcast Competing Legal Proceedings Across Jurisdictions
Congress Centre, conference hall D4
Problems with competing jurisdictions between courts of different states as well as arbitration courts regularly arise in modern civil commerce. Without proper regulation, these disputes create the risk of contradictory judicial acts being handed down, cases becoming more complicated, and a major increase in costs for the parties involved. Particular attention should be paid to managing legal risks in the event of multiple parallel legal proceedings, models for international interaction among courts that are considering interrelated cases, as well as approaches to delineating the purview of courts of different states in interrelated cases. What are some of the key problems associated with identifying parallel legal proceedings, forum shopping, torpedo lawsuits, protection against the abuse of procedural rights, and special aspects of administering a case and executing judicial acts in the event of parallel legal proceedings? What are the most effective approaches developed by the specialized working group on jurisdiction set up by the Hague Conference on Private International Law?
12:00
19.05.2025
12:00–13:30
12:00–13:30
Broadcast The Current Issues of Resolving Financial Service Disputes
Pavilion F, conference hall F21 (2nd floor)
Over the past year, a number of new trends have emerged in the resolution of disputes between consumers of financial services and financial institutions. In particular, one of the main trends in dispute settlements with insurers was the formal establishment of the practice of recovering damages from insurers for violations of car repair obligations under third-party liability insurance contracts. At present, such damages are collected based on the market value of the repairs that need to be made and without taking into account the maximum insurance amount established by the Law on Mandatory Third-Party Liability Insurance. In addition, over the past few years, the regulatory framework has undergone significant changes in terms of banks providing consumers with additional services during lending: the cooling-off period has been increased and banks have been made jointly liable for refunding the cost of additional services provided by third parties if such services are declined during the cooling-off period. In terms of private pension insurance, the financial ombudsman was given the purview in late 2023 to consider disputes concerning the transfers of pension savings. How have these changes affected the financial market? What issues still need to be resolved in the context of relationships involving financial service consumers? What legislative amendments or changes in law enforcement practice in this regard can be expected in the foreseeable future?
14:00
19.05.2025
14:00–15:30
14:00–15:30
Broadcast Ethics of Artificial Intelligence
Pavilion F, conference hall F20 (2nd floor)
Leading countries as well as global and regional technology giants are investing heavily in the creation and development of artificial intelligence technologies. AI is becoming an element of geopolitical struggle and a technology in information wars. Some countries are already adopting specialized legislation on AI, and we are faced with the logical question of which regulatory path the Russian Federation should choose. Who is responsible in the event of damage caused by an AI system? How lawful is it to use various data and information to train AI? How can people be protected against abuses using AI?
14:00
19.05.2025
14:00–15:30
14:00–15:30
Broadcast 35 Years of Antitrust Regulation: Achievements and Future Directions
Congress Centre, conference hall B2 (2nd floor)
In 2025, Russia is marking the 35th anniversary of the establishment of the antitrust authorities in the country. It is difficult to overestimate the Russian Federal Antimonopoly Service’s importance as a key component of the country’s public, political, and social life. Over this time, the following foundations have been created and developed for the protection of competition in Russia: antitrust legislation, legislation on public procurements, state defence orders, advertising, and trade, tariff legislation, and legislation on foreign investment in strategic industries, among others. Antitrust requirements have also been included in industry-specific legislation. What stages did antitrust legislation go through as it was being established in Russia? What problems and challenges have arisen in its application? What are the main achievements of the Russian antitrust authorities that have influenced the establishment of the country’s modern economic structure? What are some regulatory issues related to antitrust legislation and what is the outlook for the further development of antitrust legislation, in particular, issues that will be reflected in the sixth antitrust package?
14:00
19.05.2025
14:00–15:30
14:00–15:30
Broadcast Digital Currency as an Object, Tool, and Target of Seizure: Legal Theory, Regulation, and Case Law
Congress Centre, conference hall А (3rd floor)
14:00
19.05.2025
14:00–15:30
14:00–15:30
Broadcast Lawfare – the Instrumentalization of Western Courts for Economic Power Politics
Justice Quarter, conference hall E10
The concept of lawfare emerged some twenty years ago as “the strategic use of litigation to intimidate an adversary”. This unsavory practice mirrors the broader practice of extrajudicial jurisdiction in the United States. The EU started applying it in 2022. It is illegal under the UN Charter, but is used systematically in some 42 countries around the world. France, in particular, has suffered dramatically from it. We have seen CEOs locked up in solitary confinement to extract evidence against their employers. In addition, the uncontrolled proliferation of plea bargains has forced companies to testify against themselves. The experience of activist judges pursuing their own agendas prompted Shell to move its headquarters from the Netherlands to London. What is the current state of the Western judiciary in light of major geopolitical shifts, such as the bilateral rapprochement between the US and Russia and the militarization of the EU and other European states? How should we formulate practical findings to submit them to the Russian judicial branch of government?
14:00
19.05.2025
14:00–15:30
14:00–15:30
Broadcast Judicial Power in the Modern Legal System
Justice Quarter, conference hall E11
The organization and functioning of judicial power within the modern legal order cover a wide range of issues, including the nature of judicial authority; its place and role within the constitutional system of separation of powers; the court system and judicial proceedings; the characteristics of different forms of adjudication (constitutional, civil, commercial, administrative, criminal); and the directions and prospects for developing the national judiciary amid today’s challenges of digitalization, technological change, and socio-political and economic pressures. They also include new conditions for interaction with supranational and foreign jurisdictions, as well as the need to uphold the sovereign and independent character of national justice. According to guiding policy documents, these issues must be addressed with a focus on delivering lawful, socially oriented, accessible, transparent, and equal justice for all, aiming to improve its efficiency and quality. What are the key directions for enhancing judicial efficiency?
Discussion of these and related questions invites reflection on the academic and practical legacy of Vyacheslav Lebedev, longtime Chairman of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation, to whose memory this panel is dedicated.
Discussion of these and related questions invites reflection on the academic and practical legacy of Vyacheslav Lebedev, longtime Chairman of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation, to whose memory this panel is dedicated.
14:00
19.05.2025
14:00–15:30
14:00–15:30
Broadcast Unlearned Lessons of World War II: The Reality of Neo-Nazism
Congress Centre, conference hall D2
“History doesn't teach anyone anything – it only punishes for lessons not learnt”. This quote by famous Russian historian Vasily Klyuchevsky is more relevant today than ever. Russia currently faces serious challenges from the distortions of its accomplishments, the desire of individual countries to justify the actions of international criminals and review the 1946 verdict of the International Military Tribunal at Nuremberg, and the revival of Nazi ideology by the Kyiv regime. Russia, as the country that suffered the most from the horrors of World War II and suffered enormous losses for the sake of restoring peace, will not allow anyone to forget the lessons of the past. Our country, together with its allies, continues targeted work to counter any attempts to distort the historical truth and memory of World War II, including the liberation of Central and Eastern Europe countries from the Nazis. How can Russia combat manifestations of neo-Nazism and ensure national security in the current conditions? What are the legal foundations for countering attempts to reevaluate the events and results of World War II and falsify history?
14:00
19.05.2025
14:00–15:30
14:00–15:30
Broadcast The Legal Legacy of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War: Historical Significance and Modern Challenges
Congress Centre, conference hall D4
The year 2025 has been declared in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) as the Year of the 80th Anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War — the Year of Peace and Unity in the fight against Nazism. Following the defeat of the Third Reich on the battlefields, the Great Victory of the multinational Soviet people in one of the bloodiest wars in history laid fundamental foundations of the modern world order, the core elements of which became the UN Charter, as well as the Charter and Judgment of the Nuremberg Tribunal, which delivered unequivocal, indisputable legal definitions regarding Nazism. Today, this legal foundation faces serious challenges, including persistent attempts by certain states and their alliances to rewrite history and diminish the central role of the Soviet Union in the victorious conclusion of World War II. One tool of such destructive policies is the controversial concept of a “rules-based order”, the main goal of which is to undermine the international legal order formed as a result of the historic Victory over Nazism. What can CIS member states do to counter these destructive practices? How can they preserve the shared legacy of the Great Victory, common to all the peoples of the Commonwealth, and the fundamental principles of the post-war world order?
14:00
19.05.2025
14:00–15:30
14:00–15:30
Broadcast Digital Tools of Justice: Will Computers Replace Lawyers?
Congress Centre, conference hall B3 (2nd floor)
In the era of rapid digital transformation that has engulfed all facets of our lives, the legal industry is undergoing changes that affect both the daily practice of lawyers and the fundamental principles of law. The introduction of modern technologies such as artificial intelligence, blockchain, machine learning, and process automation opens up new possibilities for the legal community. Not only do these innovations optimize routine tasks, they also radically change approaches to the provision of legal services and rule-making, making them more accessible, transparent, and effective. Digital tools already enable lawyers to quickly analyse huge amounts of data, automate the preparation of documents, and verify them. However, these new opportunities also bring new challenges: the need to adapt to changing conditions, train people on how to work with new technologies, and ensure compliance with legal requirements, and there is also less control over what is happening overall.
14:00
19.05.2025
14:00–15:30
14:00–15:30
Broadcast International Cooperation on Human Rights: Is Restoring Trust Possible?
Congress Centre, conference hall B4 (2nd floor)
Increasing global tensions in recent years have not only had a negative impact on international peace and security, but also on international cooperation in the promotion and protection of human rights. Human rights issues are increasingly being used as a tool to settle political scores or promote controversial concepts instead of the generally accepted terms and principles enshrined in universal and regional instruments. International organizations and structures are also being drawn into this confrontation, some of which actually directly condone attempts to rewrite international law as it pertains to promoting and protecting human rights, as well as give a completely different meaning to its norms through manipulation and double-talk. These trends are undermining the mutual trust that countries have had in each other and in relations with international organizations and structures for decades. Can we find a way to restore this trust in the current conditions? Are there similar initiatives in matters concerning human rights? How does the politicization of human rights issues impact the effectiveness of international organizations, structures, and judicial bodies?
14:00
19.05.2025
14:00–15:30
14:00–15:30
Broadcast The Institution of the Foreign Agent: Global Experience
Congress Centre, conference hall D1
Combatting destructive foreign influences is an essential measure in ensuring the stability of a country’s socio-political life. Methods of exerting foreign influence with the involvement of the citizens of the state in which such influence is exerted have become widespread as part of globalization processes. This is why numerous countries, including Russia, have created legal regimes to regulate the activities of such persons. Today, such social relations are regulated as part of the institution of foreign agents. However, the unstable international socio-political situation continuously poses additional threats to national interests in this regard, and new methods of exerting destructive foreign influence are appearing. This means that constant improvements need to be made to the institution of foreign agents, including through a continuous analysis of the legislation of foreign states to determine if they beneficial experience in this regard. What legal measures aim to counteract foreign interference in various aspects of a particular state? What are the most effective international practices for ensuring the transparency of the activities of foreign agents? What is the outlook for the further development of the institution of foreign agents in Russia taking into account positive foreign experience?
14:00
19.05.2025
14:00–15:30
14:00–15:30
Broadcast Development of Modern IT in Land and Property Management
Pavilion F, conference hall F21 (2nd floor)
The public sector is actively adapting to rapidly changing conditions, as it seeks to maximize the potential of modern technologies for Russia’s development and to improve the quality of services provided to citizens and businesses. Effective land and real estate management is crucial in ensuring the well-being of both the state and society and contributes to social and economic sustainability. End-to-end technologies and digital solutions are actively being introduced in land and real estate management to optimize the performance of government functions and provision of services. How are issues related to the use of artificial intelligence and other modern technical and technological solutions being applied and regulated in the acquisition, ownership, and use of land and other real estate?
14:00
19.05.2025
14:00–15:30
14:00–15:30
Broadcast PPP and Project Financing 2025: Rules of the Game for Business and Government
Congress Centre, conference hall B1 (2nd floor)
In order to achieve Russia’s national development goals of improving living standards, improvements need to be made to the mechanisms used to build and renovate both industrial facilities and infrastructure on a national scale and in individual regions. Given the current limited financial resources, the construction of the high-quality and modern facilities needed for economic growth can only be ensured through legal partnership mechanisms between the state and business with the use of resources from funding organizations based on project financing. Social infrastructure projects, many of which do not generate income, but are essential to regional development, require a special approach within the framework of PPPs. Decisions on their implementation should not only take into account their economic benefit, but also their socially beneficial effect to an event greater extent. Russian President Vladimir Putin has emphasized the importance of developing PPPs as a mechanism for implementing socially important projects as well as the need to fairly distribute risks between the participants in such projects. The main objective of the regulatory rules that are being established should be to balance the interests of the private and public parties, taking into account the specifics of individual projects. As a development institution, VEB.RF has been assigned a special role in developing new approaches to implementing PPP projects and conducting risk assessments to make informed decisions about whether to implement such projects. What risks are associated with implementing concession projects and PPP projects, and what are some of the problems associated with legal regulation? How are legal mechanisms for distributing risks developing when structuring and implementing PPP projects, as well as concession projects: is regulation being tightened or liberalized? What legal mechanisms for distributing risks between financing organizations exist when implementing investment projects? What are some of the new forms of partnership in building social facilities?
14:00
19.05.2025
14:00–15:30
14:00–15:30
Broadcast Legal Regulation of International Trade Amid Global Transformation
Congress Centre, conference hall D3
International trade is currently going through a period of rapid transformation caused by geopolitical instability, sanctions pressure, the disruption of traditional supply chains, and upheaval in the legal foundations of contractual activity. This session will focus on key changes in the legal regulation of cross-border trade and include a discussion about practical solutions that could help adapt to the new realities. How have international contracts been evolving in 2025? How is Russian legislation adapting to the changing architecture of international trade? How do free trade and tariff regulation exist during the crisis in the multilateral system? How are decisions on international private law disputes being enforced amidst sanctions and restrictions?
16:00
19.05.2025
16:00–17:30
16:00–17:30
Broadcast Legal Experiments: Drivers or Risks?
Pavilion F, conference hall F20 (2nd floor)
The session will examine the problem of the sufficient regulation of experimental legal regimes as a tool for increasing the digitalization of the Russian economy, including in strategically important sectors. Above all else, there are concerns about the haphazardness of the legal regulation of various forms of experimental legal regimes and the fragmented nature of acts regulating certain types of experiments, including their establishment at the level of acts of the Russian government in the absence of a single legislative act. In 2024, legislative innovations were introduced to clarify the procedures for changing experimental legal regimes and putting them under general regulation. In this regard, it is crucial to analyse the experimental legal regimes that have been introduced by sectors of the economy, consider expanding the list of areas for the development, testing, and introduction of digital innovations, and assess the potential risks of using experimental legal regimes for promising high technologies. What needs to be done to develop a unified legal regulation on the creation and operation of regulatory sandboxes? How can we further stimulate organizations and individual entrepreneurs to participate in experimental regimes?
16:00
19.05.2025
16:00–17:30
16:00–17:30
Broadcast Forensic Science for the Justice System of the Future
Congress Centre, conference hall D4
In the pursuit of Russia’s security and independent development, a key task is to effectively counter both domestic and international unlawful activity. In today’s environment, the state must be equipped with sufficient and optimal means and methods. As crime becomes increasingly technologized, it is critical to swiftly integrate the latest scientific and technical advances into crime detection, investigation, prevention, and adjudication. Monitoring the crime situation with cutting-edge forensic tools and methods is not just part of steady progress; it is essential to national security and sovereignty. What challenges does forensic science face today? How will crime mechanisms evolve with artificial intelligence, neural networks, and digital technologies? What digital tools and countermeasures are relevant? How will the justice system adapt to secure the future? What state and business support measures will advance forensic work? How will legislation improve to combat modern cybercrime? What technological integrations lie ahead for forensic practice? How should legal education and professional standards for forensic experts and investigators adapt to these new realities?
16:00
19.05.2025
16:00–17:30
16:00–17:30
Broadcast Protecting National Interests in the Field of Physical Culture and Sports
Justice Quarter, conference hall E11
Sport is a means of promoting world peace, unity between nations, and non-antagonistic friendly competition, which encourages harmonious development. At present, Russia’s national interests, including in sports, have come under unprecedented pressure from unfriendly representatives of the international sports community. What is the role and place of non-profit sports organizations in pursuing Russia’s national interests? How effective is the potential for interaction between such non-profit sports organizations and government bodies? What are the best methods of organizing and operating non-profit organizations to implement national priorities in sport?
16:00
19.05.2025
16:00–17:30
16:00–17:30
Broadcast Is Forensic Expertise a Driver of Legal Progress or a Barrier? Innovations, Challenges, and Development Strategies
Congress Centre, conference hall D2
It is now crucial to develop mutually beneficial dialogue on current practices for creating and implementing new directions in forensic research and the professional training of forensic experts. In which direction is forensic expertise in Russia evolving? Does it contribute to or hinder legal progress? What strategies are needed to adapt it to modern demands?
16:00
19.05.2025
16:00–17:30
16:00–17:30
Broadcast The Effectiveness of Rights Protection in Administrative Proceedings: Development Prospects
Congress Centre, conference hall А (3rd floor)
The primary objective of any state is to ensure the protection of fundamental human rights and freedoms as the highest value. Recognizing them creates mutual obligations for citizens and the state, as represented by its bodies, and helps to determine the content of laws and how they are applied, which, in turn, is ensured by justice. The need to increase guarantees for the rights of citizens and organizations in disputes with the government authorities resulted in the adoption of the Code of Administrative Procedure of the Russian Federation, which provides specialized mechanisms for judicial protection. Administrative proceedings are actively developing and improving both in terms of enforcing laws and in the activities of the legislative authorities. What are some of the current results of the work that has been done? What are possible focuses for the further development of legislation on administrative proceedings?
16:00
19.05.2025
16:00–17:30
16:00–17:30
Broadcast International Justice: The Reality of “Legal Warfare”
Congress Centre, conference hall B4 (2nd floor)
The West is actively exploiting international law as an instrument of ‘legal warfare’. The term ‘lawfare’ has become part of our everyday language. International justice bodies are being used to level politically charged accusations, and conventions are subject to contradictory interpretations and manipulations. This is the new reality of international law in which Russia has found itself on the front lines due to massive legal attacks by countries in the Western camp. Having defended itself against these unfounded accusations, Russia is now going on the counter-offensive. Russia’s filing of a counter-memorandum with evidence of genocide by the Kyiv regime in Donbas has turned Ukraine into a de facto defendant in its proceedings with Russia under the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. After Ukraine lost its lawsuit against Russia as part of the International Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism and the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, Russia has started presenting its own claims about Ukraine and several Western countries violating their obligations to combat terrorism and discrimination against Russians and Russian-speakers. Western countries continue to put pressure on the International Court of Justice, in part by abusing its third-party status to join the proceedings, but this practice has not yet produced the desired results and threatens to backfire on the West itself. As the legal confrontation continues to escalate, these discredited judicial bodies have become more active and are attempting to create new quasi-judicial structures that are obviously under political control, but yet claim to administer justice. International criminal justice bodies, including the International Criminal Court, are increasingly being used to hunt for domestic and foreign policy opponents. Their actions express a clear disregard for the generally accepted norms of international law, including the immunity of officials from foreign states. Interstate arbitration is another battleground on the ‘legal front’. The dispute between Ukraine and Russia over coastal rights in the Black Sea, the Sea of Azov, and the Kerch Strait constitutes an attempt by Kyiv to dispute the ownership of Crimea and the long-established status of maritime spaces and challenge historical realities, the norms of international maritime law, and the broad practices of different states. The tense political situation around the world is creating new challenges for the mechanisms used to appoint arbitrators and guarantees of their impartiality, thereby forcing countries, including Russia, to make use of dispute procedures.
16:00
19.05.2025
16:00–17:30
16:00–17:30
Broadcast Artificial Intelligence and Its Limits in the Legal Sphere
Congress Centre, conference hall B2 (2nd floor)
When discussing the legal status of creative objects made using neural networks, we must not forget that the neural network itself is also the result of the intellectual work of developers who have made a professional and creative contribution to it. What is hidden inside neural networks, and how does this affect their position from a legal standpoint? What measures should an AI system developer take to protect their intellectual rights? Can users of artificial intelligence make changes to it that are not envisaged by its basic functionality?
16:00
19.05.2025
16:00–17:30
16:00–17:30
Broadcast Sovereignty and Universality in a World Undergoing Global Transformation
Congress Centre, conference hall B3 (2nd floor)
For the last 400 years, the world has lived in an era of increasing globalization that was based on the universalist project proposed by Western civilization. This path resulted in the creation of a system of institutions and guidelines, which for a long time set the general development trajectory and forms of constructive interaction between its participants. The system of international law is one of civilization’s most important achievements, and the profound crisis that it is currently undergoing is one of the key symptoms of the degradation of the Western universalist project. Such globally recognized institutions as human rights and freedoms have ceased to fulfil their unifying function of having a truly universal orientation and are being transformed by Western civilization, as it loses its hegemony, into a segregating and divisive instrument used to ensure the superiority of the particular over the universal. It is becoming increasingly clear that the Western universalist project has exhausted its potential, and new civilizational resources are needed for the further development of the planet. To find them, the world must get back to diversity and recognize the limitations of what has been achieved and develop civilizational diversity. We need to move away from the struggle ‘against’ towards the struggle ‘for’ – for new opportunities to coexist in an inextricably common universe. As Russian President Vladimir Putin noted in his speech at the Valdai Forum, Russia’s role in the modern world is not limited to “just protecting and preserving itself. This may sound a bit pompous, but the very existence of Russia is a guarantee that the world will retain its multicolored nature, diversity, and complexity, and this is the key to successful development”. What should be the principles of the new universalist project? How will we find common ground and how can we combine productive civilizational diversity with the objective unity of the world in which we are destined to live?
16:00
19.05.2025
16:00–17:30
16:00–17:30
Broadcast Arbitration Institutions for Dispute Resolution When Foreign Businesses Return to Russia
Pavilion F, conference hall F21 (2nd floor)
The return of foreign investors to Russia largely depends on the investment appeal of the Russian economy, which, in turn, is closely linked to the existence of effective dispute resolution mechanisms. The neutrality and flexibility of international arbitration compared with state courts generally makes it one of the most preferable options for both Russian and returning foreign businesses. At the same time, the format in which foreign businesses return to Russia could also affect the ability to refer disputes to arbitration and the structuring of stipulations in contracts. What are some of the specific aspects of how disputes are referred to arbitration depending on the way foreign businesses structure their presence in Russia? What criteria are used to choose Russian or foreign arbitration institutions? Why is the mutual recognition and enforcement of arbitration awards so important, including as it pertains to applying the Convention on the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Arbitral Awards of 1958?
16:00
19.05.2025
16:00–17:30
16:00–17:30
Broadcast Artificial Intelligence in Corporate Governance and Corporate Law
Congress Centre, conference hall D1
Modern challenges force us to constantly improve legal mechanisms for the effective use of new technologies in various areas, including corporate governance. Artificial intelligence is already becoming an integral part of numerous business processes, but leading industry experts still need to discuss the legal regulation of its use. The key discussion issues include the regulation of AI in the work of collective management bodies, the delegation of powers to AI, the monitoring of AI activities, the distribution of liability for damage caused by decisions based on AI recommendations, and the regulation of AI work results. What are the current approaches in corporate law to the legal regulation of AI? What needs to be done to increase the level of legal literacy and create standards for market participants?
16:00
19.05.2025
16:00–17:30
16:00–17:30
Broadcast Innovative Models of Penal Institutions
Justice Quarter, conference hall E10
Innovations at penal institutions aim to support the regime of convicts and staff, ensure their safety, improve their material and living conditions, and create modern working conditions for courts, lawyers, prosecutors, and public organizations by introducing the latest technologies, including artificial intelligence. Russia is working on a project to create a modern combined multi-regime and multifunctional institution. This innovative project would use the latest organizational and engineering solutions and modern digital technologies. What needs to be done to develop an optimal model of a modern multi-regime and multifunctional penal institution? How can we create modern conditions in penal institutions to accommodate convicts and relatives who visit them, as well as for the work of judges, lawyers, prosecutors, and public organizations? How effectively are the latest digital technologies being incorporated into the activities of penal institutions today?
16:00
19.05.2025
16:00–17:30
16:00–17:30
Broadcast Cybersecurity and the Law: Evolving Mechanisms for Protecting Citizens from Phone and Internet Fraud
Congress Centre, conference hall D3
According to the Bank of Russia, the total amount of transactions made without the voluntary consent of clients of financial institutions amounted to RUB 27.5 billion, with almost 1.2 million total transfers being made. Much of this theft is committed by telephone and Internet fraudsters who use social engineering techniques and methods. Finding a solution to the problem of cyber fraud requires an integrated approach and the coordinated actions of all stakeholders. With this in mind, improvements are actively being made to existing legislation, and new comprehensive mechanisms to protect citizens against fraudsters are being developed and introduced. What are some of the legal aspects of work to combat cyber fraud? What are some the best practices in terms of applying the standards that have been adopted? What can we expect from the implementation of the legislative provisions that will take effect in the near future? What are the government’s overall approaches to improving legislation in this regard and the priorities for its further development? Can we make sure the line between user protection and excessive legal regulation is not crossed so as not to slow down the development of digitalization?
16:00
19.05.2025
16:00–17:30
16:00–17:30
Broadcast DIAC: A Gateway for Russian Companies to Effectively Resolve Disputes Abroad
Congress Centre, conference hall B1 (2nd floor)
With growing economic cooperation between Russia and the Middle East, especially the UAE, it is more important than ever for Russian companies to have a reliable, neutral, and effective mechanism for resolving international disputes. What opportunities does the Dubai International Arbitration Centre (DIAC), which positions itself as the preferred arbitration hub for international disputes involving Russian companies, offer to Russian businesses seeking to protect their interests abroad? Why is DIAC a promising jurisdiction for resolving international disputes involving Russian parties? How does arbitration in the UAE and DIAC support businesses facing restricted access to Western jurisdictions? What support measures and legal guarantees are available to Russian companies in the UAE and the region? What are the advantages of DIAC’s updated arbitration rules? How are DIAC awards enforced in the Middle East and beyond, including with the support of the UAE’s judicial system? What are the key features of DIAC arbitration procedures, including opportunities for Russian-speaking parties and arbitrators?
09:00
20.05.2025
20.05.2025
09:30–11:00
09:30–11:00
Broadcast Current Issues in Combating International Cybercrime
Congress Centre, conference hall B1 (2nd floor)
The modern cyber threats that have engulfed Russia and the rest of the world urgently require a deep analysis of measures to counter various types of fraud, both at the domestic and interstate levels. In addition, close attention should be paid to legal norms and technical solutions that aim to strengthen international cooperation in the global war on cybercrime. What is currently preventing us from countering cybercrime at the interstate level and how can these obstacles be overcome? What steps need to be taken to ensure more effective cooperation between states in combatting cybercrime?
09:00
20.05.2025
09:30–11:00
09:30–11:00
Broadcast Western Legal Aggression Against Russia: Current Challenges and Countermeasures
Congress Centre, conference hall D2
International law has long defined aggression as “the use of armed force by a state against the sovereignty, territorial integrity, or political independence of another state, or in any other manner inconsistent with the Charter of the United Nations”. Even though this definition remains valid, albeit not legally binding, it may seem excessively narrow and does not always reflect the realities of the 21st century, especially with regard to the subjects, forms, and nature of such aggression. Indeed, attacks on the sovereignty, territorial integrity, and independence of states increasingly occur without the use of armed force. Military action is being replaced by so-called lawfare, where the abuse of legal norms as well as legislative, executive, and judicial jurisdiction are used as a means to defeat an enemy. However, the very concept of ‘legal aggression’ has not yet been conceptually defined in domestic doctrine. This term is not mentioned in international law, national legislation, or doctrinal documents as a possible method of international aggression that is comparable with the use of military force. The events of recent years have shown that neither individual states of the so-called collective West nor international organizations, primarily NATO and the EU, bear any international legal responsibility for their aggressive actions towards Russia through the abuse of law, although the phenomenon of such abuse (chicane) is historically prominent in national legal systems. The discussion participants will examine various aspects of the abuse of national and international law as a way of committing aggression. What is the role of international organizations, courts, and arbitration courts that can be used to legitimize illegal attacks on the Russian Federation, Russian individuals and legal entities, and their property? Can we assess the damage caused by aggressive lawfare? What kind of legal responsibility is there for such illegal actions at the national and international level? What can we do to develop mechanisms to counter this type of international aggression?
09:00
20.05.2025
09:30–11:00
09:30–11:00
Broadcast Issues of Compliance with the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea
Congress Centre, conference hall D3
The 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea is a universal international treaty and a key element of the modern international law system. The Convention aims to regulate the legal status of the World Ocean, while balancing the interests of both large industrialized states and developing nations as well. The legal classification of maritime spaces that was finally enshrined with the adoption of the Convention made it possible to clearly define the rights of states with respect to maritime spaces, establish their legal status, and develop and secure the proper enforcement of laws for each space in order to maintain this legal order in the World Ocean. What are some of the main problems with the Convention and its law enforcement practices? How effective is the current system of legal support for navigation along the Northern Sea Route? How can we combat unilateral illegal restrictive measures that are applied in maritime? What is the current international legal policy of World Ocean states that are not parties to the Convention? How are the rights to lay submarine cables and pipelines in the open seas regulated?
09:00
20.05.2025
09:30–11:00
09:30–11:00
Broadcast Construction and Maintenance of Real Estate Facilities: Conflicts, Stakeholder Interests, and the Limits of Exercising Rights
Congress Centre, conference hall А (3rd floor)
Existing legislation governs relationships between developers, contractors, investors, owners, management companies, and the government, but conflicts are still inevitable. What mechanisms help find a balance between the commercial interests of participants and public interests, including compliance with regulations? Where are the limits for participants to exercise their rights, and how can we avoid abuses?
09:00
20.05.2025
09:30–11:00
09:30–11:00
Broadcast Law and Biotechnology: Synergy in the Bioeconomy Era
Congress Centre, conference hall B2 (2nd floor)
The rapid development of biotechnologies could expand the ability to use living organisms and their systems or functional products and thus help to achieve Russia’s goal of ensuring technological leadership. Biotechnologies are actively developing and being introduced in various fields: medicine, healthcare, agriculture, industrial production, including the food industry, energy, and ecology. The system used to regulate relations in the application of biotechnology is in the initial stage of its formation and is fragmented. The development of the bioeconomy makes it crucial to construct a system that can effectively regulate these relations, which ensures the safe creation and use of biotechnologies and compliance with ethical requirements. Institutional instruments that meet modern challenges need to be developed to increase the pace and efficiency of biotechnology research and ensure the integration of the achievements made in various branches of science, such as microbiology, biochemistry, bioinformatics, and genetics, on the one hand, and to protect fundamental human values, on the other. Biotechnological achievements and the ethical, economic, and social consequences of their application in various fields determine the specifics of legal regulation both in terms of intellectual property rights and in other areas of jurisprudence. What are the most effective forms and methods of regulating public relations in biotechnologies? What areas of legal regulation need to be adjusted to achieve Russia’s goal of achieving technological leadership in the field of biotechnologies?
09:00
20.05.2025
09:30–11:00
09:30–11:00
Broadcast Legal Regulation of Media Activities: Modern Challenges
Pavilion F, conference hall F20 (2nd floor)
The media market and its digital ecosystem is rapidly growing and expanding in Russia and around the world. Messengers, social networks, and other new media are actively developing and acquiring the attributes of media. Popular bloggers are becoming opinion leaders. Anyone can see that the ability to work with artificial intelligence will soon be one of the main factors that determines the success of specific players on the media market and the trajectory of its development. In the context of its special military operation, Russia faces challenges that are common to all information markets and currently needs to protect the information space from unfair propaganda and fake news, while also conveying Russia’s position to the citizens of other countries. How will legal instruments help solve problems facing the industry and the state? What types of media activities require additional regulation and how strict should such regulation be? How useful is other countries’ experience for Russia, and do we specifically need to regulate the use of artificial intelligence in the media?
09:00
20.05.2025
09:30–11:00
09:30–11:00
Broadcast Digital Business and the Law
Pavilion F, conference hall F21 (2nd floor)
The Russian legal system, which has made a great leap in terms of acknowledging and regulating the digital environment, still does not sufficiently provide legal conditions that are conducive for the introduction of information (digital) technologies in business activities. Russia does not have any clear and effective regulation of the platform economy or a well-developed digital trust environment. The current legal norms do not fully take into account the specifics of working in the digital environment, neither in terms of the relevant subjects of legal relations, nor the use of electronic (digital) documents. In this regard, Russia needs to make theoretically grounded improvements to its legislation regulating the legal status of data (electronic, digital) entities, the legal relations used to mediate them, and the use of electronic (digital) evidence. What recommendations could improve information (digital) legislation in Russia in terms of the activities of business entities related to the legal status of data arrays and their circulation, as well as multimedia and virtual products? What are some of the specific aspects of regulating remote access as a means to identify subjects and objects of digital legal relations? How is the mechanism being structurally introduced of having an electronic legal address and an email address as a mandatory requirement and a method of communication with business entities? How should electronic (digital) evidence be properly used to protect the rights of individuals and legal entities? What kind of legal models of interaction should be used by the government and digital business?
09:00
20.05.2025
09:30–11:00
09:30–11:00
Broadcast Value-Based Foundations of Temporality in Private Law
Congress Centre, conference hall D4
In recent years, there have been truly revolutionary changes in legislative and regulatory enforcement practices with respect to the time factor in private law, both in terms of the statute of limitations and adverse possession. The legal positions of the Russian Constitutional Court and the Russian Supreme Court, on the one hand, have paved the way for the broader application of the institution of adverse possession. On the other hand, they have made it possible to virtually eliminate barriers in terms of the expiration of the statute of limitations for claims that aim to recover state and municipal property from its illegal owners and persons who have unfairly enriched themselves at the expense of the state or a municipality. Since the dogmatics of private law is the language used to describe and understand legal phenomena, naturally such major changes need to be reflected in the civil procedure doctrine. At the same time, there must also be a discussion about the value-based foundations of the new approaches and the civil procedure wording uses to describe them, thereby moving from the ‘jurisprudence of concepts’ to the ‘jurisprudence of values’. Here it would be highly appropriate to discuss the substantive aspect of the principles of good faith, reasonableness, and fairness in the context of how they are applied with respect to the institution of limitations, e.g., in terms of rejection with reference to one of these principles, to satisfy claims that have been exempted from the statute of limitations by virtue of a direct reference to the law due to the authorized person’s unfair delay in filing them. In private law, it is the same with the expanded scope of application of legal custom, for which the limitation of a provision of customary law is one of the fundamental factors that constitutes it as such.
09:00
20.05.2025
09:30–11:00
09:30–11:00
Broadcast Foreign Interference: Lessons from History
Justice Quarter, conference hall E10
States are established and evolve not only under the influence of internal factors, but external ones as well. The Russian state was no exception to this rule. An analysis of historical facts shows that there has been a foreign influence in most key events of Russian history to one degree or another. The Time of Troubles, the reforms of Peter the Great, and the revolutions of 1905 and 1917 – foreign actors overtly or covertly tried to extract their own benefit from all these events and expand their influence on the Russian state and its rulers. Russia’s very existence came under threat on more than one occasion as a result of such actions. At the same time, foreign influence has not always been definitively negative. There are historical examples when reforms that were carried out based on the model of Western countries became a driver of socioeconomic development in Russia. Is it possible to conduct an unambiguous assessment of the role of foreign influence in Russian history? Should Russia completely ignore global trends or can it find a balance between its distinctive identity and its involvement in global processes?
09:00
20.05.2025
09:30–11:00
09:30–11:00
Broadcast The Customer Is Always Right...
In partnership with Aeroflot
Congress Centre, conference hall D1
The safety and quality of air transportation is the top priority of airlines. Air carriers work so that passengers can quickly and comfortably travel huge distances, which means being mobile, meeting more frequently, working successfully, and seeing the world in all its diversity. As a historically established leader in air transportation, Aeroflot strives to exceed the expectations of its customers so that they keep coming back. The customer is always right, but only if he/she chooses reliability, safety, and comfort and is ready to comply with the law and rules of air transportation. Do air carriers have expectations? What is the cultural code of passengers? What needs to be done to ensure the availability of air travel? What are the various parties involved in air transportation ready to do and what do they expect from each other?
09:00
20.05.2025
09:30–11:00
09:30–11:00
Broadcast Developing and Improving Integration Processes among Enforcement Bodies of Foreign States in a Multipolar World
Justice Quarter, conference hall E11
Over its 160-year history, the institution of bailiffs in Russia has been continuously developing, changing, and improving as a result of rapidly evolving social relations. This work continues to this day. Given the difficult external environment, it is becoming crucial to establish a multipolar world order in an effort to expand the range of opportunities between countries to engage in full-fledged and mutually beneficial international cooperation based on the mutual respect of the parties. In matters concerning enforcement, integration processes remain stable, and interaction is carried out both through the exchange of experience as well as joint work to create and improve the regulatory framework for enforcement proceedings.
09:00
20.05.2025
09:30–11:00
09:30–11:00
Broadcast Legal Breakfast "Business Reputation"
Congress Centre, VIP restaurant (7th floor)
Reputation is a strategic asset that is formed through consistent and targeted communications work. Historically, lawyers have played a key role in shaping and protecting the reputation of both their clients and the state as a whole, since they understand that a country’s image has a direct impact on international relations and domestic political stability. Today, in addition to fulfilling their normal professional duties, lawyers not only defend the interests of their clients, but are also key managers of their reputations, including the state’s reputation. They take part in shaping public opinion, influence the perception of politics, and can prevent or minimize reputational risks at the state level. With all the current global crises and uncertainty, lawyers continue to manage people’s reputations, which requires them to be proactive, take into account the digital component of communications and strategic thinking, and develop anti-crisis communications. How do lawyers influence public communications today? Can they handle communication crises without PR specialists and how can they build strategic communications to effectively shape the reputation of both clients and Russia as a whole in the new multipolar world?
09:00
20.05.2025
09:30–11:00
09:30–11:00
Broadcast Long-Term Investment and Savings: Legislative Trends and Legal Challenges
Congress Centre, conference hall B3 (2nd floor)
Long-term investments and savings enable people to fund their major life goals and build up pension capital. It is beneficial for the government to create long-term investment opportunities, since this leads to the increased well-being of citizens, reduces the burden on the social system, and supports economic growth. Russia has created and is developing a whole range of tools to stimulate long-term savings: personal investment accounts, long-term incentives, and voluntary life insurance. Are there any flaws in these tools? Are additional measures needed? Other countries are increasingly introducing mandatory or semi-mandatory savings mechanisms, such as mandatory pension savings (the second level of the pension system), auto-enrolment in private pension plans for employers, and mandatory corporate or industry retirement plans. How ethical and effective is it for the government to “force savings” on people? Does Russia need such mechanisms and what are the alternatives?
09:00
20.05.2025
09:30–11:00
09:30–11:00
Broadcast Russia–Asia: Legal Mechanisms as a Driver of Multilateral Cooperation and Strategic Partnership
Congress Centre, conference hall B4 (2nd floor)
Russian-Chinese trade turnover increased by 23% to an all-time record of more than USD 240 billion in 2023. It increased by 1.9% in 2024 compared with 2023 and set another record of USD 244.81 billion. More than 90% of mutual settlements are conducted in national currencies, primarily in Chinese yuan. As of today, 86 projects worth a total of RUB 18 trillion are being implemented in the raw materials, agriculture, and automotive industries, the production of household appliances, and the construction of transport and logistics infrastructure as part of the Russian-Chinese Intergovernmental Commission. The portfolio of investment projects of the Russian-Chinese Intergovernmental Commission continues to expand. Russia and India, for their part, intend to maintain dynamic growth trends in trade turnover and achieve a substantial increase in bilateral trade by 2030. Positive trends are also being seen in relations with other BRICS countries. To achieve the goals that have been set, favourable conditions need to be created and maintained in order to realize the economic and investment potential of countries. How effective are legal mechanisms in the development of multilateral cooperation? What measures could enhance such effectiveness? What needs to be done to improve legal support in an effort to increase cross-border investment and trade cooperation?
09:00
20.05.2025
09:30–12:00
09:30–12:00
Broadcast The Legal Transformation: Balancing Regulation and Business Freedom so as not to Hinder Economic Growth
Деловой завтрак
Hilton St. Petersburg ExpoForum, 3-й этаж, hall 5-6
Global economic challenges and rapid digital transformation are making it more important than ever to strike the right balance between government regulation and entrepreneurial freedom to ensure economic growth. What principles govern the state’s effective legal regulation of business? How is AI changing the way businesses and regulators interact? What cases can we see of successful dialogue between business and government? How can the legal community help the federal executive authorities create a more comfortable legal environment for investment? What global regulatory practices should Russia adopt and which should it reject?
11:00
20.05.2025
11:00–13:30
11:00–13:30
Broadcast The Security Umbrella of Eurasian Integration
One of the top priorities of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) is to harmonize the national legislation of CSTO member states on issues that fall within the organization’s statutory purview. Harmonizing national legislation could take the collective security of the CSTO to a new level. The Parliamentary Assembly’s legislative activities are the main tool for achieving this goal, which can be ensured through the implementation of model legislative acts, recommendations, and other legal acts of this kind that are drafted and adopted by the CSTO Parliamentary Assembly in the legislative systems of the CSTO member states. In response to the ever-changing challenges and threats to security, the session participants will continue to discuss key areas of model lawmaking as an important instrument for ensuring the security of Eurasian integration and the CSTO’s role in maintaining peace and stability.
11:00
20.05.2025
11:30–13:00
11:30–13:00
Broadcast Reforming the Bankruptcy System and the Role of Digital Technologies
Congress Centre, conference hall D4
The question of bankruptcy reform is more relevant now than ever. A reform to bankruptcy procedures could be expected to increase motivation to pay down debt and return assets to normal economic activity more quickly. The mechanisms for restructuring debt before having to recourse to bankruptcy have improved in recent years, and new digital solutions have made processes more transparent, with the necessary information easier for individuals and organizations to access. The introduction of new technologies and institutional changes have equipped businesses and the state with the tools necessary to prevent bankruptcy and conduct effective rehabilitation out of court. Participants in this discussion will consider existing debt restructuring practices as an alternative to bankruptcy and the prospect of bankruptcy reform as a way to restore enterprise solvency in place of liquidation. What are the digital solutions that have improved access to information and prevented bankruptcy? What are the options for restructuring debt and what are the accompanying advantages and disadvantages? What needs to be changed for bankruptcy rehabilitation procedures to work? Must rules be established for service capacity to reduce transactional costs to business and the state?
11:00
20.05.2025
11:30–13:00
11:30–13:00
Broadcast Mining through the Lens of Current Legal Regulation
Congress Centre, conference hall B3 (2nd floor)
The search for the optimal regulation of cryptocurrencies has become a universal trend in the development of legal systems. Russia has long had a system in place to regulate the issuance and circulation of certain types of crypto assets. Provisions defining the rules for the mining and circulation of digital currencies took effect in Russia in early 2025. However, it is still premature to talk about a definitive design of the regulatory environment for the wide range of crypto assets and new models of organizing finance, including decentralized finance. What initial results have been achieved in the regulation of mining? Could the circulation of digital currencies and assets be further expanded? What kind of prospects are there for transnational payments in cryptocurrency? Has an inter-industry consensus been reached in terms of taxing cryptocurrency? Does legislation in the electric power industry and other legislative branches need to be further adapted? How can we ‘sanitize’ the market? What elements of the crypto-sphere still need regulation?
11:00
20.05.2025
11:30–13:00
11:30–13:00
Broadcast The Human Embryo: A Who or a What?
Congress Centre, conference hall D3
Increasing the birth rate remains a key priority in the state policy of Russia, where assisted reproductive technologies also play a significant role. However, their proliferation raises a number of ethical and legal dilemmas that not only require public discussion, but also a balanced legislative approach. Despite the active development of legal regulation in this area, significant gaps remain today. Who is recognized as a child’s parents in the event of an error when an embryo is transferred? What happens to embryos if one of the potential parents insists on their disposal, and the other is opposed? Can the biomaterial of a deceased person be used for reproductive purposes? For now, there is no clear legislative answer to these and other questions, which potentially affect the fate of millions of unborn children. In recent years, Russian courts have increasingly encountered cases related to assisted reproductive technologies. The lack of uniform legal standards results in contradictory judicial practice, which creates legal uncertainty and reduces the predictability of court decisions. This situation not only undermines people’s trust in reproductive technologies, but also threatens the achievement of the government’s strategic demographic goals. Eliminating legal conflicts requires a synthesis of international experience and due consideration of Russia’s specific national features. Legal regulation should be carefully thought out and not only adapted to the rapid development of medical and biological sciences, but also ensure a balance between innovation, the principles of humanism, and the protection of the basic rights of all parties involved in the process – from donors to unborn children. Does a human embryo have the legal status of an object or a subject? Who should be recognized as the owner of an embryo? What are the conditions for splitting an embryo and disposing of it if it is shared? What is an embryo’s fate in the event one or both of the potential parents dies? Is the legal regulation of ‘posthumous parenthood’ necessary? Should there be restrictions on the permissible number of embryos that can be created? Do we need more nuanced regulation of cryopreservation and the subsequent storage of embryos? What are some of the consequences of errors during IVF. Who is the parent, who is responsible, and what is his/her responsibility? What should take precedence – the donor’s right to anonymity or the child’s right to know their parents?
11:00
20.05.2025
11:30–13:00
11:30–13:00
Broadcast Energy Law: From Challenges to Opportunities
In partnership with Transneft
Justice Quarter, conference hall E10
The global energy industry is experiencing an era of structural transformation caused by fundamental political and economic processes and new trends. Some of the key trends that will influence the global energy industry in the long term include: underinvestment in the oil and gas sector, the priority of energy security, the politicization of international environmental and climate activities, and the use of global financial infrastructure and illegitimate unilateral restrictions by unfriendly countries to engage in unfair competition. Against this backdrop, the Energy Strategy approved by the Russian government sets a new long-term timeline for projects in the oil and gas sector and focuses on transitioning from adaptation to external and internal challenges to accelerated development, while ensuring that Russia retains its role as one of the leading suppliers in the energy sector. What legal environment is the most conducive to implementing promising infrastructure projects, and can legislation be designed for such a long period? What strategic regulatory decisions should serve as a reliable foundation for long-term stability and ensuring the country’s energy sovereignty? Does the energy market still have untapped potential?
11:00
20.05.2025
11:30–13:00
11:30–13:00
Broadcast Pretrial Restrictions on Business Owners and Top Managers: Reform Outcomes and Future Outlook
Pavilion F, conference hall F21 (2nd floor)
In recent years, several important initiatives have been proposed to limit the pretrial detention of entrepreneurs during investigations into economic crimes. Following the implementation of presidential directives, amendments have been introduced to Article 99, Part 1.1, and Part 3 of Article 108 of the Russian Criminal Code. Courts handling economic crime cases are now required to prioritize alternative pretrial measures that allow business activity to continue. The humanization of criminal law provisions has received broad public support. However, in practice, the problem persists, with a significant number of entrepreneurs still being held in pretrial detention. Moreover, criminal prosecution and the subsequent detention of business owners often spark corporate conflicts and disrupt normal business operations. What have been the results of these reforms? What are the next steps?
11:00
20.05.2025
11:30–13:00
11:30–13:00
Broadcast In-House Lawyers and Legal Consultants: Effective Models of Cooperation
Congress Centre, conference hall B1 (2nd floor)
In-house lawyers must fulfil the task given to them by business on time and with the best possible results. If they are lacking special expertise or manpower, in-house lawyers turn to external consultants. What is the best way to effectively establish interaction with an external consultant amidst the current market turbulence, sanctions pressure, and the selective application of legal norms? What is happening with the legal services market? Are external consultants keeping up with demand from their clients? Is there an ideal model of interaction between in-house lawyers and consultants? What criteria is used to choose the right consultants? What legal fees are reasonable and justified? Does an expensive consultant/lawyer guarantee the quality and success of a case? What are some of the ethical foundations of the relationship between in-house lawyers and consultants? How can we regulate conflicts of interest and give feedback? How can we help a consultant feel like an in-house lawyer, and an in-house lawyer feel like a consultant in the event one of them transitions from one role to another?
11:00
20.05.2025
11:30–13:00
11:30–13:00
Broadcast The Future of Legal Education: Adapting to New Challenges and Opportunities
Congress Centre, conference hall B2 (2nd floor)
Given the rapid changes in the world of technology and the legal environment, the future of legal education needs to be reimagined and adapted to new challenges and opportunities. Globalization, digitalization, and the development of artificial intelligence are creating new requirements for the training of lawyers, who not only need to be legal specialists, but also have such skills as analytical thinking, an interdisciplinary approach, and the ability to work with modern technologies. One the key issues facing law schools is how to integrate practical skills and innovative technologies into the educational process in order to provide graduates with the knowledge and expertise they need. It is also important to think about how legal education can prepare students for work in an international environment, taking into account the diversity of legal systems and cultures. Law schools, business, and government agencies need to actively work together now more than ever to create an effective educational environment. What are some of the main trends in legal education against the backdrop of digitalization? What new training approaches can be introduced to prepare lawyers for the challenges of the modern world? How can we ensure that educational programmes meet market demands and employers’ expectations?
11:00
20.05.2025
11:30–13:00
11:30–13:00
Broadcast Unified Consumer Protection Rules in the Union State: A New Legal Reality
Congress Centre, conference hall B4 (2nd floor)
The Uniform Consumer Rights Protection Rules are one of the few, albeit very important issues that fall within the exclusive jurisdiction of the Union State of Russia and Belarus. Their approval by a decree of the Supreme State Council of the Union State was a major practical step forward in the two countries creating a common legal framework in this key area of public relations. How will this affect the extent of legal protection for consumers? What changes can both consumers and professional participants in the consumer market of goods and services expect to see in the legal landscape of their relations? What are the main innovations in the Uniform Rules, and what expectations do the leading authorities of the two parties to the Treaty on the Establishment of the Union State and public consumer associations have from the establishment of the corresponding law enforcement practice?
11:00
20.05.2025
11:30–15:00
11:30–15:00
Broadcast Meeting of Ministers of Justice, Chaired by the Minister of Justice of the Russian Federation, Konstantin Chuychenko
Justice Quarter, conference hall E11
11:00
20.05.2025
11:30–13:00
11:30–13:00
Broadcast Lecture by the Chairman of the Constitutional Court, Valery Zorkin: "Corruption: A Threat to the Rule of Law"
Congress Centre, conference hall D1
11:00
20.05.2025
11:30–13:00
11:30–13:00
Broadcast Lecture by Andrey Bezrukov "Global Geopolitics in the Era of a New American Reality"
Congress Centre, conference hall D2
11:00
20.05.2025
11:30–13:00
11:30–13:00
Broadcast Law and Religion
Pavilion F, conference hall F20 (2nd floor)
The manner in which public life has evolved in recent decades shows that humanity is increasingly moving towards ‘post-secularity’, i.e., religious values and concepts are playing a greater role in people’s lives. There has been a new twist in this movement in recent years, taking into account the world’s pivot towards multipolarity and cultural post-globalization. Russia has not remained on the sidelines of these changes and in many ways has led the current trends in this transformation. The country’s multi-confessional and multinational nature, which is undoubtedly a huge advantage, dictates the need to search for models where traditional religious confessions can harmoniously coexist, including their aligned understanding of traditional values, which has become a guideline and foundation for the development of legal policy in modern Russia. Discussions about interaction between law and religion should seemingly take place not only within the framework of an interfaith dialogue, but also in an interdisciplinary manner, i.e., not only with the involvement of resources from the legal community, but from political philosophy, history, and sociology as well. In addition, we must remember that from the standpoint of the foundations of state policy on preserving and strengthening traditional Russian spiritual and moral values, the list of traditional faiths is not exhaustive and includes, among other things, the religious cults of Russia’s Indigenous minorities, whose rights are protected by the Russian Constitution. What are the value implications from combining various systems of religious values, what influence do they have on the content of the law, and how can they be implemented and factored into the current legal regulation and legal policy? What are the institutional implications in terms of the legal regulation of the activities of religious organizations and government-confessional relations? What are the theoretical and historical implications of the fundamental interaction of religion and law as two aspects of social life, the relationship of their key concepts and views of the world, as well as the history of their convergence?
11:00
20.05.2025
11:30–13:00
11:30–13:00
Broadcast National Model of Target Business Conditions. How Will Economic Disputes Be Resolved in 2030?
Congress Centre, conference hall А (3rd floor)
Based on instructions from the Russian government, a special working group has been created with representatives of key government bodies, the Agency for Strategic Initiatives, companies, the bar association, academia, and the regions. Its goal is to formulate specific steps based on the needs of business to ensure favourable conditions for the effective resolution of economic disputes and make Russia one of the top ten countries in global dispute resolution rankings by 2030. The working group has prepared a draft roadmap of forty steps that envisage large-scale changes in key areas: from arbitration courts and mediation to the reform of legal costs and approaches to settling disputes with the state and enforcement proceedings. Once coordinated and approved, the roadmap will serve as a detailed reform plan and shape the dispute resolution system for the coming years. What are the main provisions of the roadmap, the proposed changes, and the reform projects in the legal sphere?
13:00
20.05.2025
13:30–15:00
13:30–15:00
Broadcast Foreigners’ Adventures in Russia
Congress Centre, conference hall B1 (2nd floor)
Foreigners began migrating to Russia in the 15th century. Foreign specialists were recruited for government service through the Pharmaceutical, Ambassadorial, and Foreigners Offices. This policy continued under Peter the Great and Catherine the Great, and became particularly widespread under Empress Elizabeth Petrovna. During Soviet times, the invitation of foreign specialists was sporadic, but important for the economy and defence. As for current migration issues, the digitalization of migration is one of the key focuses of Russia’s migration policy. The introduction of new technologies simplifies the registration and tracking of migrants, and also enhances the transparency of migration flows. Digitalization is consistent with the challenges of our times and changes the usual way of life, but it is crucial that we not forget about preserving human rights. Thanks to the Russian government’s support, digitalization is proceeding rapidly in all sectors, including jurisprudence. Artificial intelligence technologies have recently been increasingly adopted in this regard as well. Digitalization is also very important in migration policy and needs to be rapidly introduced for its further development. What additional mechanisms, including in the legal sphere and digitalization, need to be developed to attract immigrants to Russia who are able to enrich and develop our country and share our traditional spiritual and moral values based on mutual respect, aid for those in need, compassion, and so on? What new approaches are becoming key to the adaptation and socialization of foreigners in Russia due to climate change? What options exist for solving migration problems in Russia? How can digitalization be used to preserve and attract migrants to Russia who have similar spiritual and moral values and who want to live and flourish in our country?
13:00
20.05.2025
13:30–15:00
13:30–15:00
Broadcast All Flags Welcome? Legal Challenges in Migration Regulation
Congress Centre, conference hall D1
In recent decades, migration has increased, creating new challenges for legal systems. Migration affects countries’ economies, security, and political stability. Today, there is a pressing need for a comprehensive approach to migration, one that addresses both theoretical aspects (legal norms, ethical dilemmas) and practical ones (developing effective policies, protecting human rights). How can we create fairer, more sustainable systems for managing migration in today’s world?
13:00
20.05.2025
13:30–15:00
13:30–15:00
Broadcast Property Tax Disputes Involving Organizations: Judicial Trends and Outlook
Congress Centre, conference hall B3 (2nd floor)
Property tax disputes involving organizations continue to be relevant in judicial practice. Taxpayers who invest heavily in upgrading modern technological equipment must understand the tax implications of their investments. Legislators have decided to only tax real estate and exempted movable property from taxation. However, the legislation on taxes and fees does not define the criteria for distinguishing movable and immovable property for tax purposes. The tax authorities rely on the criteria in civil legislation, which does not always ensure fair taxation. In 2024, based on the results of a series of cases, the Russian Supreme Court established a number of criteria to distinguish movable and immovable property, taking into account the specifics of transactions with such property and the specifics of the taxpayers’ scope of activities. How should investors’ interests be protected in the future? What else should the government do to provide legal certainty when considering property tax disputes involving organizations? What are some of the current trends in judicial practice and what is the outlook for its further development?
13:00
20.05.2025
13:30–15:00
13:30–15:00
Broadcast Legal Assistance in BRICS Countries: Legal Framework for Mutual Investments
Congress Centre, conference hall B4 (2nd floor)
Over the 30 post-Soviet years, Russia has operated under a “colonial model” of economic consulting, including legal services. As recently as a few years ago, foreign law firms were estimated to control around 80% of the Russian legal market. The unrestricted entry of foreign consulting firms created an unacceptable level of dependence on Western advisers, exposing the economy to political and legal risks. A sovereign economy requires a sovereign infrastructure. The experience of BRICS countries in regulating their legal markets demonstrates the effectiveness of developing legal services based on national firms. This experience should be taken into account when considering the need to move away from the complete openness of the Russian legal consulting market to foreign legal advisers. What are the ways to improve legislation needed to build a sovereign infrastructure for legal support of economic projects? What legal restrictions are applied in BRICS and SCO countries to protect the national legal consulting market, and how effective are they? What countermeasures should be established to prevent circumvention of such restrictions? Should government support be provided to help develop the domestic legal services market?
13:00
20.05.2025
13:30–15:00
13:30–15:00
Broadcast Accessibility and Openness: New Horizons for Nonprofit Organizations
Justice Quarter, conference hall E10
Modern realities dictate specific development trajectories for the legal regulation of the activities of nonprofit organizations. The creation of the ‘third sector’ in Russia has its own specific features – public benefit, charity, and openness. The government’s role in it is to support and organize effective interaction and the transparency of nonprofit activities. The main trends in the legislative regulation of their activities are the digitalization of reporting and the ability to obtain information about nonprofits in a one-stop shop on the portal of the Russian Ministry of Justice, which aims to ensure the uniform application of legislative provisions and boost the confidence of the country’s citizens in charitable programmes.
13:00
20.05.2025
13:30–15:00
13:30–15:00
Broadcast Interpretation Mechanisms and Legislative Systematization Processes
Congress Centre, conference hall А (3rd floor)
13:00
20.05.2025
13:30–15:00
13:30–15:00
Broadcast Delivering Legal Functions in Government Agencies: People, Processes, Technologies
Congress Centre, conference hall D3
Government bodies are traditionally a key component in building a state governed by the rule of law, in which the rights and freedoms of man and citizen are guaranteed. Given the current challenges around the world, the legal functions of government bodies cannot be ensured without an integrated approach that combines the development of human capital, the introduction of modern management processes, and the active use of innovative technologies. The spiritual and moral values, expertise, and professionalism of civil servants determine the quality of public administration and the level of public trust in government institutions. Investments in the education, training, and advanced training of personnel are becoming a priority to ensure the sustainable development of government structures. Globalization, digitalization, and the ever-increasing complexity of socioeconomic processes require government bodies to constantly update their approaches to management and decision-making. Modern processes, such as the introduction of project management as well as lean and agile methodologies, the use of a risk-oriented approach, and the creation of cross-functional teams, help increase the efficiency and transparency of government bodies. It is also essential to ensure that these processes comply with legal norms and principles. The use of artificial intelligence, blockchain, big data, and electronic platforms can significantly improve the quality of public services, reduce corruption risks, and ensure the accessibility and transparency of government decisions. However, the introduction of innovative technologies also requires the development of an appropriate legal framework to regulate their use and protect the rights of citizens.
13:00
20.05.2025
13:30–15:00
13:30–15:00
Broadcast Strategic Planning and Science Management: Legal and Regulatory Dimensions
Pavilion F, conference hall F20 (2nd floor)
The foundations of a state’s long-term sustainable development depend on the ability of its scientific, technological, and industrial sectors to create cutting-edge solutions and produce knowledge-intensive products for the economy and social sphere. The concept of technological leadership, outlined in presidential decrees and directives, requires a legal and regulatory framework that enables scientific potential to thrive, breakthrough solutions to emerge, and innovations to be implemented across both the public and private sectors, while ensuring competitiveness in global markets. What should the legal and regulatory landscape for technological leadership look like? What are the prospects for developing legislation on science and R&D? What regulatory barriers need to be removed to implement research results? Which legal mechanisms most effectively incentivize cooperation between business and science?
13:00
20.05.2025
13:30–15:00
13:30–15:00
Broadcast Legal Risks in the Digital Age: Compliance and Prevention
Congress Centre, conference hall B2 (2nd floor)
Effectively prevention legal risks for businesses amidst the digital transformation of the economy is a major challenge. On the one hand, modern digital tools can help ensure proper legal protection for businesses, the successful development of in-house rule-making, as well as the prevention of risks and various types of legal liability. On other hand, the digital transformation of all facets of society and the economy leads to new types of legal risks that must be foreseen and prevented. What is the best way to build a legal risk management system using new digital services? Will the Russian Federal Tax Service’s creation of an open data ecosystem help to effectively manage tax risks? What are some advanced techniques for verifying counterparties and internally preventing bankruptcy risks for businesses? How can we prevent corporate conflicts once foreign businesses start returning to the Russian economy? Is nominal participation archaic in the digital age or a real risk for business? What should be the guiding principles of criminal law compliance? How can we protect intangible assets in the era of digitalization? Are there certain regulatory risks that are not obvious or anything else that should be taken into account?
13:00
20.05.2025
13:30–15:00
13:30–15:00
Broadcast Defending Sovereignty: The Foundation of Development and Security
Congress Centre, conference hall D4
Sovereignty guarantees the protection of national interests and is an integral feature of any state. In the modern world, not all nations have the ability to fully outline their national interests and be sovereign. According to the National Security Strategy approved by Russian President Vladimir Putin, protecting and ensuring sovereignty is a national interest of the Russian Federation. What role does law play in the system of ensuring a state’s sovereign development? What additional measures must be taken to protect national sovereignty against new global threats? What modern factors influence a country’s ability to ensure its national interests?
13:00
20.05.2025
13:30–15:00
13:30–15:00
Broadcast A Private Foundation for Wealth Management
Pavilion F, conference hall F21 (2nd floor)
The management of family wealth demands flexibility and fidelity. In a private foundation, one can concentrate assets for management in a single place and protect them from legal risks arising through inheritance disputes, divorce, or economic crises while ensuring continuity in business and preserving family capital through the generations. What are the advantages and special characteristics of private foundations for estate and inheritance planning? What are the limitations and potential difficulties? What dispositive and imperative norms exist in the legal regulation of private foundations? What potential issues should one be mindful of when preparing rules for the private foundation for the period following the death of the founder? How does the establishment of a private foundation affect a family tax base? What are the tax benefits of using a private foundation to manage assets? What lessons can the Russian legal system learn from international experience and Russian practice?
13:00
20.05.2025
13:30–15:00
13:30–15:00
Broadcast Consumer Extremism
Congress Centre, conference hall D2
The manipulation of consumer rights legislation for selfish purposes, also known as ‘consumer extremism’, is notorious for its impact on civil turnover and various businesses. It has its own specific features in each segment, including the construction industry, real estate market, and online trading. Can we draw a line between consumer rights protection and consumer extremism, which is becoming systemic with the use of certain techniques that abuse people’s rights? What impact does consumer extremism have on market stability? What legal initiatives are needed to solve this problem, while preserving legal mechanisms for the protection of consumer rights?
13:00
20.05.2025
13:30–15:00
13:30–15:00
Broadcast AI-Based Regulatory and Supervisory Activity
Congress Centre, conference hall B10 (2nd floor)
Nowadays, we talk about a risk-oriented approach to progressive control and preventive decision-making, but our work with business seeks primarily to prevent violations through control and oversight. Artificial intelligence has already made it possible for a number of agencies to employ digital monitoring tools and target regulatory and industry-specific risks. Digital data and technologies are transforming supervisory activities and moving us closer and closer to mechanisms known as digital risk indicators that are normative in essence, automatically identify risks of various types on the array of big digital data, and trigger verification and/or preventive measures. Issues related to risk management system development will be discussed on the sidelines of the session and will include an outline of the main results involved in automating the identification of risk indicators for violations of mandatory requirements and proposals for the introduction of artificial intelligence in the work of control (supervisory) bodies to identify sources and risk indicators of violations of mandatory requirements and to expand interdepartmental cooperation following a digital analysis of business entities. Session participants will also discuss how control legislation should develop in the near future if it is to achieve the next stage of control reform and which regulatory instruments appear to have the most potential.
16:00
20.05.2025
16:00–18:00
16:00–18:00
Broadcast The Law: Lessons of the Past for the World of the Future
Пленарное заседание
Congress Centre, Congress Hall
18:00
20.05.2025
18:30–20:00
18:30–20:00
Broadcast Money Loves Silence: Trusts, Funds, and Other Capital Management Instruments
Congress Centre, conference hall D4
Among all property management methods, the greatest attention is given to trusts established under Anglo-American standards and to continental funds, which are special legal entities. Russian lawmakers have opted for the latter, incorporating rules on testamentary personal funds into the Civil Code (2017), followed by inter vivos personal funds (2021). In 2024, the personal fund model was refined: the release of fund information from the registry was prohibited; funds were allowed to be capitalized with assets from third parties; arbitration clauses could be included in fund charters; and foreign law could be applied to regulate a fund’s internal affairs. Russian personal funds can also be established by non-residents. Which asset segregation models best meet the economic needs of owners? What steps should legal systems take to ensure a balanced protection of the interests of creditors whose claims arose before the asset segregation, as well as “new” creditors who enter into relations with the fund manager? Is it necessary to create specific rights for beneficiaries, and what legal tools can achieve this? What principles should guide the resolution of conflicts between the interests of an owner’s creditors and those of the beneficiaries? How should taxation be structured in these cases? Should it encourage or, conversely, discourage asset segregation and the capitalization of personal funds?
10:00
21.05.2025
21.05.2025
10:00–11:30
10:00–11:30
Broadcast Comparative Law and the Political Economy of BRICS’ Future Development
Congress Centre, conference hall D1
Integration associations such as BRICS are playing an increasingly important role in the world. BRICS membership continues to expand each year, as the organization attracts more and more new partners and external challenges provide a new impetus for its development. BRICS member countries are expanding their scope of interaction, seeking out new forms of settlements, and setting up multilateral financial institutions and extensive infrastructure networks. All these transnational economic processes are still the result of treaty practices, which generally take into account the law of the country where disputes are supposed to be considered. More effective and large-scale economic cooperation within BRICS will require reliance on common legal ideas and principles, as well as the organization’s own arbitration system. BRICS includes different legal orders that gravitate towards both continental and Anglo-Saxon legal traditions. Islamic law also has an influence on the national legal orders of BRICS member countries. Which legal system’s principles and ideas will have a greater impact on the political economy of BRICS? Should one of the legal systems be selected as the primary one, or will BRICS become a unique structure that has created an original legal field built on principles that exist outside of time and space? Are classical civil procedure doctrine and comparative studies capable of creating the political pre-conditions for explosive growth in trade and financial cooperation within BRICS?
10:00
21.05.2025
10:00–11:30
10:00–11:30
Broadcast Analogues, Counterfeits, and Reverse Engineering
Pavilion F, conference hall F20 (2nd floor)
Many of the legal norms and explanations from Russia’s highest judicial authorities are devoted to regulating relations involving the suppression of violations of exclusive rights to various types of intellectual property. There are also a large number of court disputes concerning the enforcement of laws in which the decisions formed the basis of recommended approaches to determining the illegality of a particular activity involving the use of intellectual property and defining counterfeit products. However, the latest judicial practice shows that the scope of violations has changed significantly. This can also be seen in patent disputes, when the offending party who is actually using a protected item claims that it is only using an analogue. The degree of counterfeiting in the IT industry has expanded, but we can still successfully combat it, including through the timely deposit of software. There have also been significant changes in approaches to rebranding. The current situation needs to be analysed not only in terms of the violations themselves, but also their related aspects. What kind of problems are associated with the quality of products imported via parallel imports and confirming their origin? What difficulties arise when using the institution of mandatory licensing? What signs can be used to distinguish an analogue or reverse engineered object from a protected one?
10:00
21.05.2025
10:00–11:30
10:00–11:30
Broadcast The Development of Economic Justice under External Sanctions Pressure: Challenges and Prospects
Congress Centre, conference hall А (3rd floor)
In recent years, we have seen major changes in international politics and economics that have led to the rather broad imposition of economic sanctions around the world, which have become a highly sought-after tool in the foreign policy of many countries. Since they started being imposed on Russia, economic justice has begun to play a special role in protecting the rights of the state and business that have been affected by the sanctions, thereby helping to create conditions for sustainable development and the restoration of economic ties. However, an analysis of legislative and regulatory enforcement practices reveals some imperfections in certain mechanisms used to resolve disputes involving sanctions, including those related to international interaction, the recognition and enforcement of foreign judicial and arbitration decisions, and the insufficient elaboration of the regulatory framework in this regard. What key challenges to the development of economic justice does external sanctions pressure create? How does international arbitration affect the protection of Russian companies’ business interests in the current conditions? What mechanisms of anti-sanctions legislation are most effective in supporting legal stability? How does judicial practice reflect how the legal system is adapting to the new economic realities? What recommendations could be prepared to improve the effectiveness of economic justice in Russia?
10:00
21.05.2025
10:00–11:30
10:00–11:30
Broadcast Taxation and Administration of Cross-Border Transactions: Striking a Balance between Capital Control and Protecting Businesses from Sanctions
Congress Centre, conference hall B4 (2nd floor)
In response to external challenges and unprecedented sanctions pressure on the Russian economy, the government has introduced significant changes to legislation on the taxation and administration of cross-border transactions. At the same time, new rules introducing withholding tax on income earned by related foreign companies for work and services carried out in Russia, involving payment agents and other intermediaries in supply chains, and allowing different regulatory bodies such as tax and customs authorities to classify the same cross-border transactions differently, have raised a number of questions. These issues require thorough discussion with the participation of the judiciary, academic experts, the Russian Federal Tax Service, and the business community. How should the new rules on the taxation of income earned by a foreign entity from work or services performed in Russia for a related party be applied? How can mistakes be avoided when selecting taxation rules for cross-border transactions involving intermediaries? When do the risks of cross-border transactions being reclassified arise? On what grounds can tax and customs authorities classify the same transaction differently, for example by including dividends in the customs value of goods? What mechanisms can help minimize disputes in the tax administration of cross-border transactions?
10:00
21.05.2025
10:00–11:30
10:00–11:30
Broadcast The Institute of State and Law: 100 Years of Service to the Nation
Justice Quarter, conference hall E10
The Institute of State and Law of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the country’s leading scientific legal centre that conducts research about theoretical problems of state and law, is marking its 100th anniversary in spring 2025. The institute is widely known for its fundamental and applied research, as well as its outstanding scientists, who made an enormous contribution to the formation of the Soviet state and law, the creation of the legal foundations of the International Military Tribunal that convicted Nazi criminals, and the post-war international system and its bodies (the UN and others), and also ensured the development of domestic law and legislation, including pioneering the creation of a number of branches of domestic legal science.
10:00
21.05.2025
10:00–11:30
10:00–11:30
Broadcast Independence of the Legal Profession
Congress Centre, conference hall B1 (2nd floor)
The legal profession is a public function and a mandatory, independent, and autonomous element of the social structure that ensures the exercising of the constitutional right to professional legal assistance and the constitutional principles of adversarial proceedings and equality of the parties. It is not part of the state system, but along with the court ensures the rule of law and serves as an intermediary between civil society and the state. The diminishment of the role of the legal profession, violation of the rights of lawyers, and failure to ensure the true independence of the legal profession and advocacy delegitimizes justice and deprives it of the key characteristic as fairness in the public consciousness. The decorative nature of the independence of the legal profession (lack of real content in the principles of advocacy), in turn, contributes to the shaping of public opinion about the partiality of justice as a whole. As such, the principle of the independence of the legal profession should not only be properly implemented in legislation, but should also be under constant scrutiny by the judicial system itself. Does the public function of legal protection depend on the guaranteed independence of lawyers? Should a violation of lawyers’ rights be viewed as an encroachment on justice? To what extent does the violation of a defence attorney’s rights at any stage of criminal proceedings affect the legitimacy of the final court decision?
10:00
21.05.2025
10:00–11:30
10:00–11:30
Broadcast Using Stock Exchange Indices to Determine Market Prices in Legal Procedures
Congress Centre, conference hall B3 (2nd floor)
The goal of exchange trading is to organize trading activities and, as a secondary effect, to establish exchange prices. The availability of representative price information ensures a trust-based environment on the financial and commodity markets, reduces the risks of manipulation, and allows for the more effective management of market risks. Data from international pricing agencies does not always reflect representative information about market prices on the Russian commodity market. In addition, the departure of several international information agencies from the Russian market has resulted in companies experiencing difficulties in obtaining the representative information needed to conclude transactions and fulfil their obligations on the Russian market. The use of price indicators is essential for public administration in many areas: the financial market, antitrust regulation, and determining the market price and comparability of transaction terms for tax purposes. In addition, the use of exchange indicators by courts is of paramount importance when determining the value of property in the event of a dispute about its price. In such a situation, exchange prices and indicators play a greater role as a factor for determining the market nature of prices, which requires a further discussion about expanding the scope of their use.
10:00
21.05.2025
10:00–11:30
10:00–11:30
Broadcast Open Session of the Council for the Improvement of Arbitration, Chaired by the Minister of Justice of the Russian Federation, Konstantin Chuychenko
Justice Quarter, conference hall E11
10:00
21.05.2025
10:00–11:30
10:00–11:30
Broadcast From Startup to Corporation: The Evolution of Legal Risks Faced by Tech Companies During Rapid Growth
Congress Centre, conference hall B2 (2nd floor)
Rapid business growth is always a moment for reflection and a catalyst for significant transformation across internal processes, including the management of legal risks. At the same time, the very nature of legal risks evolves as companies progress through different stages of development, along with the tools required to address them. In the early stages, speed and flexibility are critical for structuring deals to raise capital and for establishing mechanisms that attract and retain high-calibre teams. As the company matures, the focus shifts to challenges such as competing with major digital players, protecting proprietary technologies, and complying with regulatory requirements specific to the business model or the digital product under development. In this context, it is worth taking a closer look at what sets companies developing innovative products, particularly startups, apart. What regulatory considerations around corporate governance and structuring need to be addressed to avoid slowing the growth of such businesses? To what extent do existing approaches in Russian regulation support effective investment attraction and team building? How do tech startups manage the risks of digital market monopolization, which is increasingly cited as a key driver of the regulatory agenda, especially regarding the influence of factors such as corporate access to data?
10:00
21.05.2025
10:00–11:30
10:00–11:30
Broadcast Personal Data Protection: Stimulus or Barrier to Technological Development?
Congress Centre, conference hall D3
As the regulation of personal data evolves, it is important to maintain a balance between the rights of personal data owners and technological development by minimizing the amount of personal data processed by operators and establishing legal grounds for their processing. How can we maintain a balance between the development of technologies and the interests of personal data owners? Is minimizing processed data an operator’s first objective to reduce risks and threats to information security, as well as to enhance the value of this data? How does minimizing the personal data processed by operators affect the relationship between users and organizations? Is the consent-based collection of data always in the owner’s interests and is it convenient for the operator? Developing and reconceptualizing legal grounds for data processing: how and when can data be processed without consent? Is the processing of anonymized data a threat to privacy or does it enhance data security?
10:00
21.05.2025
10:00–11:30
10:00–11:30
Broadcast The International Legal Implications of the Fall of the USSR
Pavilion F, conference hall F21 (2nd floor)
The consequences of the fall of the Soviet Union for the legal systems of the countries that continued to exist in its stead and for international relations were enormous. The Soviet collapse resulted in new economic patterns, politics, and ideology and significantly affected the legal development of the states that had come into being. Some important consequences of the collapse of the Soviet Union included the emergence of new integration processes and legal systems, a competition between legal cultures, heightened potential for conflict, and at the same time serious motivation to come to an understanding of the real meaning of the Russian state and law. One of the most significant international legal consequences of the Soviet collapse was the impact it had on European security, its very makeup, and new armed conflicts. To understand the changes that have occurred, in large part as a result of the collapse of the Soviet Union, and their relation to the complex political, economic, and technological configuration of the world as we know it, we must move forward with a scientific discussion capable of influencing the legal forecasting and modelling of Russia’s role in the modern world in the context of its national interests and strategic national priorities, the clear cultural orientation of legal transformations, evaluating the lessons of the past, and learning from them for the sake of the future. What problems has the comparative legal approach employed after the collapse of the Soviet Union created for the Russian legal system? How has the collapse of the Soviet Union affected security in Europe? How has the independence of former Soviet republics, in particular Ukraine, affected new interstate alliances and good relations with Russia? How did the collapse of the Soviet Union affect constitutional reform in the newly independent states and how were the political changes reflected in constitutional regulation? How has civil law developed and how significant is the influence of legal institutions from abroad? What important legal lessons has Russia learnt since the collapse of the Soviet Union for its own national identity and role in ensuring European and Global security?
12:00
21.05.2025
12:00–13:30
12:00–13:30
Broadcast Pay Your Dues: Expanding Tools for Enforcing Child Support Obligations
Justice Quarter, conference hall E10
The Russian Federation is a social welfare state with policies that aim to create an environment where people can lead decent lives. Protecting the rights of members of society who, due to age or health, are unable to provide for themselves financially is a priority focus of state policy. Child support is a key mechanism for ensuring that they receive decent allowances. What has already been done to make the collection of child support more efficient? Why do we need a publicly available register of persons who are required to pay child support and what is the outlook for its compilation? What positive international experience in collecting child support is transferable to Russia’s realities? What problems hinder the timely and full collection of child support? How can deadbeat parents be motivated to fulfil their obligations?
12:00
21.05.2025
12:00–13:30
12:00–13:30
Broadcast “In the Beginning was the Word”: Interpreting Traditional Values and Their Integration into Law
Congress Centre, conference hall D1
Decree No. 809 of the Russian President dated 9 November 2022 approved the Fundamentals of State Policy for the Preservation and Strengthening of Traditional Russian Spiritual and Moral Values, and established a list of traditional spiritual and moral values. The primary goal of the decree is to protect the Russian state and public against the negative impact of destructive practices and hostile ideologies that have been developed and imposed by unfriendly countries and used as a weapon against Russia. However, the provisions contained in the decree have not been disclosed, which makes it even more important to conduct further work to describe the actual traditional spiritual and moral values, reveal their content, and determine how they are to be implemented in practice. In addition, it is crucial to define the boundaries of state interventions in the legal regulation of culture in order to maintain a balance and effectively implement state policy.
12:00
21.05.2025
12:00–13:30
12:00–13:30
Broadcast Expanding Legal Cooperation Among SCO Member States
Congress Centre, conference hall B2 (2nd floor)
The development of strategic approaches to intensifying legal cooperation between countries of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in matters concerning jurisprudence is a crucial issue that needs to be addressed. Given the regionalization and strengthening of economic, political, and social ties between SCO member states, engaging in legal cooperation is not only becoming a pertinent, but also an essential component for the region’s sustainable development. With their unique legal and cultural heritage, SCO countries face common challenges, such as the need to improve the quality of legal education, ensure access to expert legal assistance, and bolster trust between legal systems. The provision of legal services plays a key role in ensuring law and order in SCO countries. However, effective interaction and integration between various legal organizations of the member states is currently lacking. This session will address the following key issues: what mechanisms of interaction between law schools in SCO countries could be used to unify approaches to the training of legal personnel? What uniform standards in legal education and professional training could be developed for SCO countries? What legal and organizational barriers are preventing foreign lawyers from accessing the legal services markets in SCO countries, and how can they be eliminated? What are the main focuses of cooperation between lawyers, notaries, and legal organizations of SCO countries, and how can they help improve the quality of legal services? What role can government agencies play in strengthening legal cooperation between SCO countries? What technological solutions could be used to create unified platforms to exchange experience and information between lawyers and legal organizations in SCO countries?
12:00
21.05.2025
12:00–13:30
12:00–13:30
Broadcast The Marketplace Era: Law or Technology?
Congress Centre, conference hall B1 (2nd floor)
The draft federal law on the platform economy in Russia aims to thoroughly regulate public relations between operators of intermediary digital platforms as well as their partners and users for the sale of goods, performance of work, and rendering of services. In addition to provisions regulating obvious problems for the industry, the bill governs relations between digital platforms that are either already regulated or do not fit into the proposed regulation. This bill is the result of a compromise approach to regulating digital platforms, so its discussion is crucial and should take into account the debates among government officials and businesspeople that took place during the drafting of the bill. A key goal of the bill is to combat the fragmented nature of the legislative regulation of digital platforms and find a balance between the unification of basic principles and industry regulation. One of the shortcomings of contractual relations is the question of whether there are mechanisms in place to protect the rights of consumers, sellers, and owners of pick-up points? How can we achieve a fair change in the conditions for the sale of goods via marketplaces? If a marketplace is only an intermediary, then what should we do with the emerging platform economy and platform employment? How can we ensure that sellers of goods and services have equal access to consumers and is it feasible to use automated decision-making technologies?
12:00
21.05.2025
12:00–13:30
12:00–13:30
Broadcast Sovereign Development of Russia’s Legal Order: New Approaches
Congress Centre, conference hall D4
In the context of globalization, countries face the challenge of balancing international standards with their own legal systems. Russia, as a sovereign state, aims to build a legal order that reflects its unique historical, cultural, and social characteristics. Today’s geopolitical challenges, including sanctions and conflicts, require a reassessment of approaches to legal regulation. What new norms and institutions can safeguard Russia’s interests on the international stage?
12:00
21.05.2025
12:00–13:30
12:00–13:30
Broadcast Intellectual Property Law: Global Challenges, Development Trends, and Solutions
Congress Centre, conference hall B4 (2nd floor)
Рост ценности нематериальных активов, реализация проектов для достижения технологического суверенитета, перестройка экономических процессов с учетом использования современных цифровых средств поднимает на новый уровень вопрос об эффективности регулирования в сфере интеллектуальной собственности. Российская Федерация совершенствует национальное законодательство и продолжает работу по продвижению интересов на мировом уровне. При активном участии России приняты два новых международных договора, на евразийском пространстве и в рамках БРИКС реализуются межведомственные проекты, нацеленные на гармонизацию практик – все это должно создать правовую определенность, прозрачные правила игры и новые возможности для развития бизнеса и несырьевого экспорта. Каковы векторы развития глобальной системы интеллектуальной собственности? Насколько право ИС соответствует потребностям бизнеса и граждан и какие меры востребованы? Какие международные проекты сотрудничества уже реализуются и планируются к запуску?
12:00
21.05.2025
12:00–13:30
12:00–13:30
Broadcast The Court’s Role in Overseeing Bankruptcy Cases
Congress Centre, conference hall А (3rd floor)
Bankruptcy is one of the fastest-evolving areas of law, largely driven by extensive judicial practice. The high level of conflict among participants in bankruptcy proceedings generates numerous legal issues that require timely and effective resolution by the courts. Courts must find ways to settle disputes even in the absence of clear regulatory guidance. Does this mean that courts are increasingly taking on a “legislative” role in bankruptcy law, effectively shaping not only the application but also the creation of new norms, which are the most critical part of the system’s architecture? In addition, renewed discussions about major bankruptcy reform raise the question of a new distribution of influence over the procedure among various actors. What role should courts play in this system? Should they act as neutral observers in creditor-debtor relations, or, recognizing the impossibility of agreement amid conflicting interests, should they take a more active role in solving problems and ensuring fair outcomes?
12:00
21.05.2025
12:00–13:30
12:00–13:30
Broadcast Legal Regulation of the Ready-to-Eat Food Market: Development Directions
Pavilion F, conference hall F21 (2nd floor)
The ready-to-eat food market is currently the most dynamic segment within the entire food industry. Increased consumption and the emergence of new formats (dark kitchen, marketplaces, delivery services, etc.) require a clear legal definition and a modern harmonized regulatory system. Which regulatory models are the most viable in the current conditions? How should the control and food safety system for new-generation ready-to-eat food be structured?
12:00
21.05.2025
12:00–13:30
12:00–13:30
Broadcast Sanctions Navigator: Adapting Business to New Realities
Justice Quarter, conference hall E11
Many foreign companies are afraid to invest and do business in Russia due to the risk of secondary sanctions. This issue needs to be discussed and studied, and effective tools must be developed to mitigate such risks. The imposition of foreign sanctions on domestic businesses has resulted in numerous practical problems, such as how a sanctioned company should continue doing business and how it should restructure. It is crucial to discuss this situation, study the experience of Russia’s partners, and develop additional mechanisms to minimize the consequences of external restrictive measures. Clients, contractors, and foreign partners have been regularly raising this issue for a long time. They remain relevant and require additional discussions and the development of new mechanisms and methods to minimize the effects of unilateral sanctions. What are some of the new mechanisms and methods that aim to minimize the negative impact of unilateral sanctions? How can we improve international interaction and dialogue between Russian and foreign businesses, as well as government officials?
12:00
21.05.2025
12:00–13:30
12:00–13:30
Broadcast Russian Financial Market for Investor and Issuer: Development Catalysts
Congress Centre, conference hall D3
The Russian economy faces the strategic task of boosting the role of the stock market as a source of investment and doubling its capitalization by 2030. The role of retail and foreign investors, and financial institutions, including banks, is of significance as part of this process. Of major importance are the legal conditions for participation by these investor categories in the investment process. What are the possible legal guarantees for new investments on the Russian financial market? Which tools and possibilities are in short supply? Which legal solutions and stimulating measures may be needed for developing the market architecture?
12:00
21.05.2025
12:00–13:30
12:00–13:30
Broadcast Class Actions: What Awaits Business
Pavilion F, conference hall F20 (2nd floor)
Legal awareness and a proper level of legal culture are crucial to the ability to protect a collective interest. The institution of class actions, which was introduced into the Russian Arbitration Procedure Code in 2009 and the Civil Procedure Code 10 years later, has taken some time to develop, but has started to evolve. In recent years, the number of class actions has been increasing and will only continue to grow. An analysis of judicial practice shows there are a number of initiatives that could make this institution a more effective means of protection for all parties. How is this institution developing? What difficulties do companies face? What areas of business are most affected and how can class actions impact risk assessments of a company’s operations?
14:00
21.05.2025
14:00–15:30
14:00–15:30
Broadcast War and Peace in Corporate Relations with Foreign Entities
Congress Centre, conference hall B2 (2nd floor)
Foreign businesses are currently trying to find a balance between confrontation and attempts at cooperation in their corporate relations with Russian businesses. On the one hand, given the unilateral restrictive measures imposed by unfriendly states, many foreign shareholders have begun abusing their corporate rights or have abandoned their business in Russia altogether. In response, new mechanisms have emerged to protect Russian businesses during emergencies, such as the suspension of corporate rights or temporary management of property, while existing instruments have become more widespread, such as joint liability for Russian and foreign individuals of the same group or limiting payments. On the other hand, Russian businesses continue to successfully set up joint ventures with foreigners. Many foreign companies that left Russia in 2022 are already considering a return. In addition, it cannot be denied that foreign shareholders have a positive influence on corporate governance. Are the accusations justified that these measures do not comply with the Russian Constitution and international law? How can we find a balance between protecting Russian businesses and maintaining the appeal of the market for foreign investors? In what cases can the Russian companies of foreign groups be held liable for violations by foreign companies? Under what conditions can foreign businesses return to Russia? What difficulties do Russian businesses face when creating joint ventures with foreigners in the current conditions?
14:00
21.05.2025
14:00–15:30
14:00–15:30
Broadcast Legal Instruments for Reducing Tax Conflict
Congress Centre, conference hall А (3rd floor)
Thanks to a streamlined mechanism that describes requirements for taxpayers using a single centralized glossary, the Russian Federal Tax Service has a well-structured data array that suggests there are certain pain points in relations with taxpayers. This helps develop a constructive dialogue to resolve disputes between the tax authorities and taxpayers. The dispute review practice, as well as major work to study and classify appeals from individuals and organizations, shows that not everyone is comfortable with the procedure of a higher tax authority considering complaints. What can we learn from the practice of applying the institution of a reasoned opinion in tax monitoring? What legal guarantees might there be for obtaining a reasoned opinion? As a tool for reducing tax conflicts, should the Russian Tax Code have an agreement between the taxpayer and the tax authority on establishing factual circumstances as an analogue of a settlement agreement in arbitration courts? What alternative procedures for resolving tax disputes can be proposed at the administrative stage to reduce tax conflicts?
14:00
21.05.2025
14:00–15:30
14:00–15:30
Broadcast The Red Book and Hunting: Drawing the Legal Boundaries
Congress Centre, conference hall B4 (2nd floor)
The Red Book compiles data on the current status of rare and endangered plant and animal species. For a long time, it has been the primary tool for nature conservation. The first edition of the USSR Red Book was published in 1978; before that, species protection was mainly governed by local regulations, primarily hunting law that restricted the capture of certain animals. After the collapse of the USSR and the transition to a new legal system, the Red Book’s role became more declarative than legally binding for a time. It was only in 1995, with the adoption of the Federal Law “On the Animal World,” that it regained legal status. The first edition of the Russian Federation’s Red Book was published in 1997. Around the same time, with support from international conservation organizations, Russia began compiling regional Red Books. Alongside conservation law, hunting legislation and the hunting industry also evolved. Gradual relaxation of requirements, advances in technology, and rising living standards made hunting more accessible and popular. As the number of hunters grew, so did the share seeking distinction, aiming for rarer trophies than others. Are rare animals merely a resource or a national treasure? In which countries have attempts been made to conserve rare animals by permitting hunting? What methods for removing problem predators are most effective for both public safety and species conservation? Is a compromise between protecting rare species and hunting them even possible?
14:00
21.05.2025
14:00–15:30
14:00–15:30
Broadcast Major Transactions and Related-Party Deals: Regulatory Challenges
Pavilion F, conference hall F21 (2nd floor)
All lawyers are familiar with the institution of major transactions and related-party transactions. The fate of companies depends on the proper application of the rules on qualifying such transactions and the procedure for executing them. The price for a simple error may be the invalidation of the transaction with the ensuing consequences. Established legislative and regulatory enforcement practices could help with a possible revision of existing regulation. There are currently limitations on the application of the institution of major transactions to non-profit organizations that differ from the regulation established for business entities. However, mechanisms are needed to prevent abuse and ensure the transparent use of funds when non-profit organizations engage in socially significant activities. Do business entities have to comply with the quantitative criterion of a major transaction? What role is played by the institution of company charters establishing a limitation on a director’s powers to conclude transactions? Do the rules on major transactions and related-party transactions at commercial and non-profit organizations need to be unified?
14:00
21.05.2025
14:00–15:30
14:00–15:30
Broadcast Labour Law and Social Stability
Congress Centre, conference hall B1 (2nd floor)
Growing social inequality, the transformation of the labour market, the expansion of flexible forms of employment, and the greater role played by judicial practice have all put labour law in the spotlight as a key tool for ensuring social sustainability. Worker protection needs to be strengthened and a more balanced approach to regulation needs to be built, taking into account the specifics of major employers, partially state-owned companies, as well as industries with special risks. Legislation often lags behind real changes in labour relations, and the legal process is increasingly what sets the trajectory for further development. What legal solutions help reduce social risks for business and the state? Is a new regulatory model needed for major and infrastructure employers? How can we ensure decent working conditions amidst economic instability? Where is the line of acceptable flexibility in labour relations? What role should courts play in creating a predictable legal environment?
14:00
21.05.2025
14:00–15:30
14:00–15:30
Broadcast Can Climate Change the Law?
Congress Centre, conference hall B3 (2nd floor)
With each passing year, the climate agenda is taking on a greater role in international legal and economic relations at all levels – international, national, and corporate. However, the wide range of options for the development of climate regulation mechanisms has led to serious legal uncertainties, where national law and international obligations sometimes collide. Trade and non-trade barriers are increasingly being introduced under the guise of combatting climate change, which could have a major impact on the trade competitiveness of numerous sectors of the Russian economy. For Russia, it is important to offer its own solutions that will not only reduce export risks from such mechanisms, but will also help to achieve key national strategic goals in the long term. How can we ensure the adaptability of Rusia’s national climate policy to changes in the international legal framework, while minimizing risks to the economy and making a significant contribution to the fight against climate change? How can we maintain the pace of economic growth while achieving carbon neutrality? How can Russian carbon units be legalized in foreign markets? What is Russia’s position on transnational carbon mechanisms? What are the prospects for Russia taking its disputes to the WTO and possible alternative approaches to payment calculation methodologies?
14:00
21.05.2025
14:00–15:30
14:00–15:30
Broadcast Director and Officer Liability: The Development of Judicial Practice in a New Reality and Tools for Risk Protection
Congress Centre, conference hall D4
How have judicial practices for holding directors and officers liable in Russia developed? How effective are the existing insurance mechanisms at protecting the interests of executives and how should they be improved right now? Is the legal system mature enough to resolve liability insurance disputes? How do political risks influence changes to underwriting? What is the outlook for creating an integrated platform solution for unified risk assessment and developing new tools to protect the interests of the members of governing bodies?
16:00
16:00
21.05.2025
16:00–17:30
16:00–17:30
Broadcast New Legal Realities of the Power Supply Network
Congress Centre, conference hall А (3rd floor)
Ensuring reliable, high-quality, and affordable power supplies is an essential condition for growth in the Russian economy and for people to lead a comfortable life. To achieve these goals, one of the most important tasks is to consolidate the country’s power supply network. Factors that predetermine the specific features of the environment in which power supply companies operate include global trends in the development of the industry, the Russian government’s goal of achieving a new technological level in the power supply network, and changes in electricity consumption models.