Become a partner
Business programme
26 –28 June 2024
International Law in the New Reality
State Regulation and Sovereignty
Innovation, Technologies and Law
The Business Environment, Corporate Governance, and the Legal Services Market
Legal Education: Science and Art
Dispute Resolution
Sideline Events
The Environment and Urban Planning
Society and Human Rights
Criminal Law
International Law in the New Reality
State Regulation and Sovereignty
Innovation, Technologies and Law
The Business Environment, Corporate Governance, and the Legal Services Market
Legal Education: Science and Art
Dispute Resolution
Sideline Events
The Environment and Urban Planning
Society and Human Rights
Criminal Law
08:00
26.06.2024
26.06.2024
08:30–10:00
08:30–10:00
Best in IT: How to Regulate Stock Ownership Plans to Motivate Employees and to Support the Growth of Local IT Leaders
Деловой завтрак
Congress Centre, VIP restaurant
09:00
26.06.2024
09:00–11:00
09:00–11:00
Dialogue VS Monologue: cooperation between government and business
Деловой завтрак
Hilton ExpoForum, Hall №5-6
Building a constructive dialogue between government authorities and business representatives is essential for the formation and development of a successful economy.
What are the typical mistakes a business makes when communicating with government authorities? What pre-trial dispute resolution tools are possible? What are the prospects for their active application, in particular, the development of mediation? What should businesses expect as part of the tax reform?
What are the typical mistakes a business makes when communicating with government authorities? What pre-trial dispute resolution tools are possible? What are the prospects for their active application, in particular, the development of mediation? What should businesses expect as part of the tax reform?
10:00
26.06.2024
10:00–11:30
10:00–11:30
Broadcast Non-Profit Organizations without Borders
Congress Centre, conference hall E9
The current realities dictate certain trajectories for the changing legal regulation of the activities of non-profits and are transforming the conditions for their operation. What is the role and place of non-profits in Russia’s foreign policy? How effective is the exchange of experience about the activities of non-profits on the external humanitarian track and their interaction with the government authorities? What are some of the best practices for international cooperation in the legal regulation of the activities of non-profits?
26.06.2024
10:00–11:30
10:00–11:30
Broadcast Key Trends in Legislative Activity in the Context of the Current Stage of Development of Russia’s National Legal System
Congress Centre, conference hall E10
What are some of the main aspects of how the main trends and focuses of the national legal system impacts lawmaking? What are some of the problems associated with creating a new model of national legislation through the prism of state sovereignty and national interests? What prospects exist for further developing lawmaking in an effort to strictly adhere to constitutional principles, improving approaches to systematization and codification, delimiting levels of legal regulation, implementing priority national projects, and the impact of the technological revolution?
26.06.2024
10:00–11:30
10:00–11:30
Broadcast Personal Data in the Spotlight
Congress Centre, conference hall D3
Protecting personal data in the digital economy and developing the data economy are among the Russian government’s top priorities. Today, there are numerous issues that need to be resolved in this regard: determining what data can be considered personal, to what extent the depersonalization of personal data helps to protect the rights of the owners of personal data, how to protect biometric and other personal data against leaks and the abuse of rights by personal data operators, and greater legal liability for violations of personal data laws. As the number of new challenges and threats increases concerning the processing of personal data, including the growing interest of foreign intelligence services from unfriendly states in the personal data of Russian citizens, there has been an increase in the number of personal data leaks, which requires a very serious approach to both the legal definition of the criteria for leaks and a comprehensive approach to countering them. Legislation is actively evolving today, as a number of new draft regulatory legal acts and draft amendments to them are being considered, which means their adequacy and compliance with the current level of threats need to be discussed. One of the key problems in protecting personal data is the need to improve the culture of personal data among Russian citizens. Sociological surveys show that more than 60% of Russians complain that they lack the knowledge and skills to protect their data. The proportion of Russians who are willing to disclose their personal data and information in exchange for an advantageous offer from any organization is constantly on the rise. This means a set of government measures needs to be created to inform citizens about what personal data is and how it can be protected. New technologies and the development of services in digital environments have led to an increase in the amount of biometric personal data transmitted when receiving services and performing certain operations. In this regard, Russians regularly have to share such data both when directly contacting government and commercial organizations, and when using various digital services. Meanwhile, the practice of applying new legislation in the protection of biometric personal data could cause a number of difficulties that could possibly require adjustments. What are the main gaps that exist in the legal protection of personal data today? How can we improve existing legislation to meet the current challenges in this regard?
26.06.2024
10:00–11:30
10:00–11:30
Broadcast Law and Bioethics
Congress Centre, conference hall B1
The accelerated development of science and the emergence and active use of new technologies are having an ever-increasing impact on our understanding of values and not only resulting in legal, but also ethical consequences. One of the key areas of scientific and technological development in modern society, where such consequences are particularly acute, is genetic research. Modern society lacks the tools to effectively regulate the development of specialized knowledge in genetics. An updated regulatory system needs to be created in order to increase the pace and efficiency of genetic research, on the one hand, and adherence to values, on the other. The ethical standards that permeate law protect the interests of all parties in genetic research and define the boundaries within which public interests need to be taken into account. Ethics and morality should precede the legal regulation of research and fill it with the appropriate content, otherwise we run the risk of running into an ever-changing legal position that justifies or prohibits any scientific research. The rapid development of genetics and genomics encourages us to think about the balance of private and public interests, which are essential to the effective modernization of the system for regulating the use of genetic technologies. How can we effectively combine ethical values and the need for accelerated technological development? What is the role of law in striking this balance?
26.06.2024
10:00–11:30
10:00–11:30
Broadcast New Regional Forms of Intellectual Property in Eurasia: A Common Eurasian Trademark and Utility Model
Congress Centre, conference hall B4
Intellectual property is the central link in any innovation and is used in the process of developing and implementing innovative projects. A key condition for the effective integration of national economies is the creation of regional systems that provide legal protection for industrial property. To ensure the free movement of goods and services in the common Eurasian market, it is crucial to eliminate the territorial nature of IP rights, when an entrepreneur is forced to obtain legal protection separately in each state, which takes a lot of resources and time. The Eurasian system used to provide legal protection for inventions and industrial designs has already proven to be stable and popular among users. Expanding the range of items protected within the Eurasian patent system is one of the main focuses of the programme for the development of the Eurasian Patent Organization in 2023–2028.
26.06.2024
10:00–11:30
10:00–11:30
Broadcast Smart Legal Regulation of the Economy: Tools for Improving Legislation
Congress Centre, conference hall B2
The state regulates the economy when the market cannot otherwise achieve the necessary balance on its own by imposing additional duties under the fear of punishment or even providing support when appropriate. Smart (effective) regulation means a government policy where the benefits of legal regulation exceed the costs of enforcement, or, in other words, high quality, effective legal regulation based on reliable data. Such efficiency is made possible through the application of smart regulation tools from start to finish (from the development of legal acts to their implementation and subsequent adjustment). When does the state need to increase or decrease economic regulation? What tools can help us understand when this should be? How can we ensure legal regulation is effective?
26.06.2024
10:00–11:30
10:00–11:30
Broadcast Digital Labelling: An Effective Law Enforcement Tool
Congress Centre, conference hall E12
Reliable, accessible, genuine product information is the foundation upon which modern consumer protection is regulated. The verification moratorium has made the preservation of these principles more complex and created a need for new risk-based regulatory frameworks and digital tools. The national Honest Sign labelling system is one example. Labelling can help improve control (supervisory) activities, improve the quality of the business environment and healthy competition, and it’s a smart and easy way for consumers themselves to verify. Is there a place for such an approach in existing law enforcement practice and what other possibilities exist for further development of the labelling system?
26.06.2024
10:00–11:30
10:00–11:30
Broadcast Fundamental Research in Law and the Impact of Law on Society
Congress Centre, conference hall D1
The session provides a platform to discuss the results of the latest research on law and will examine such issues as the impact of technological progress on the development of law, new approaches to the protection of human rights, as well as economic and social aspects of law. The session participants will learn about the latest trends in legal science and discuss their impact on our lives. What modern fundamental research in the legal field is noteworthy and why? How is legal science influencing the development of the state and society?
26.06.2024
10:00–11:30
10:00–11:30
Broadcast Parameters of a Fair Tax System. Expectations and Possible Difficulties
Congress Centre, conference hall D4
The State Duma is discussing parameters for the modernization of the tax system. The amendments are expected to be the most extensive in recent times. These circumstances force businesses and the professional community to pay increased attention to possible innovations. In particular, the changes affect all major taxes: personal income tax, income tax, VAT, as well as the most sensitive issues for entrepreneurs associated with the ‘fragmentation’ of business, tax benefits for IT companies, and tax rules for controlled foreign companies. However, several issues have not yet been clarified in the bill. For example, the bill does not contain clear criteria for the ‘fragmentation’ of business, and the Russian government has yet to determine the parameters for the provision of a federal investment deduction. The session participants will discuss certain aspects of tax reforms, in particular the upcoming amnesty for the ‘fragmentation’ of business, the parameters of the federal tax deduction, as well as how to apply tax benefits. How can a business determine whether a group of companies is a single economic entity and whether it qualifies for amnesty? What are the expectations of business concerning the main parameters of the federal investment deduction? How can we strike a balance in public and private interests in terms of increasing the personal income tax and corporate income tax rates?
26.06.2024
10:00–11:30
10:00–11:30
Broadcast Doing Business outside Russian Jurisdiction: Legal Risks
Congress Centre, conference hall E11
In recent years, businesses have faced unprecedented restrictive measures, making business incredibly difficult to conduct within Russian jurisdiction as well as outside it: when leaving the orbit of Russian jurisdiction, businesses face unfavourable macro conditions created especially for them, attempts to exclude Russians from joint ventures on any pretext, and the inaccessibility of the global financial system. What challenges lie in wait for Russian businesses? What forms of legal protection are there to safeguard their interests? And which jurisdictions offer the most favourable conditions for their further development?
26.06.2024
10:00–11:30
10:00–11:30
Broadcast IPOs: Areas for Improvement to Protect Investors’ Rights
Congress Centre, conference hall B3
In light of the significant growth in the number of public offerings in 2023–2024 and the dominant role of individual investors, special attention should be paid to mechanisms for protecting the rights of the investors participating in public offerings. In the natural relationship between the organizer of the placement, the issuer, and the investor, what responsibility should be borne by the organizer? Can the investor claim damages from the organizer? Maintaining the share price after the transaction. Is Russian law duly armed to deal with these situations? Disclosure of information by issuers both at the IPO and upon completion of the public offering: should there be an adaptation to fit the needs of retail investors?
12:00
26.06.2024
12:15–13:45
12:15–13:45
Broadcast Unfair Practices in the Consumer Market
Congress Centre, conference hall E11
The use of unfair practices by businesses in the consumer market is a highly important public and social issue, since they are often based on manipulation, the risk of adverse consequences from accepting the proposed conditions, and the use of various pre-contractual practices that influence the will of consumers, which result in the latter concluding disadvantageous or unnecessary additional contracts. Preventing unfair practices by businesses that adversely affect consumers is a priority focus that society and the state need to concentrate on in order to achieve the goals and objectives of the State Policy Strategy of the Russian Federation for the Protection of Consumer Rights for the period until 2030. What is the best way to protect consumers against unfair practices? Are there enough mechanisms in place to ensure consumer protection is effective? Does anything need to change?
26.06.2024
12:15–13:45
12:15–13:45
Broadcast Legal Technologies, Design, and other Innovations in Managing Legal Functions
Congress Centre, conference hall B1
The evolution of technology is leading to changes in the approaches and requirements for certain professions. The legal profession, which has always been associated with pen and paper, is rapidly developing. The daily work of a lawyer no longer involves just a single computer, but a whole range of devices. A company lawyer who had previously been responsible for a certain area of work must now have an entirely different set of skills in order to replace a colleague at any time. What is the optimal way to organize the work of a legal department at a major company? How can measure a legal department’s effectiveness? How is the legal function being automated? Is legal design a trend or a necessity?
26.06.2024
12:15–13:45
12:15–13:45
Broadcast A Lawyer’s Word: Law Visualization 2.0
Congress Centre, conference hall D1
Law and art are two worlds that are seemingly far apart from one another, however, there is a unique interdisciplinary space in the area where they overlap. Cinema and theatre represent a mirror in which society sees a reflection of its values, stereotypes, vices, and, last but not least, legal norms. We see artistic images form social behavioural models. Heroes of the stage and screen often define public consciousness, the concept of good and evil, morality, and justice. Truly popular works create rules and replace law in some cases. How can we choose between beautiful fiction and ‘legal truth’? What needs to be done so as not to create a funhouse mirror that distorts social relations? What is a lawyer willing to tolerate and turn a blind eye to in a work of art, and what is considered unacceptable? Is it appropriate for lawyers to be involved in the creation of plays and film scripts? Can we improve the legal literacy of society through art?
26.06.2024
12:15–13:45
12:15–13:45
Broadcast Legal Education in the BRICS Nations: On the Path to Integration
Congress Centre, conference hall D3
Expanding the constructive dialogue between BRICS countries makes it possible to deal with completely different issues, including legal education and how the high-quality training of legal specialists impacts the development of national jurisdictions and the BRICS integration process. What joint steps are needed to improve the quality of legal education in BRICS countries? What goals should we set and what results should we expect in the short and long term? What experience should representatives of BRICS countries pay close attention to?
26.06.2024
12:15–13:45
12:15–13:45
Broadcast Interactive session ‘The Vera Zasulich Case: For and Against’
Congress Centre, conference hall D2
26.06.2024
12:15–13:45
12:15–13:45
Broadcast The Russian and Global Carbon Unit Market: Problems and Prospects
Congress Centre, conference hall B3
As part of decarbonization and the national energy transition, climate legislation has been active in recent years. Key regulatory acts aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions have been adopted, a necessary regulatory framework established to regulate the release of carbon units from climate projects, and a system of emission quotas launched within the framework of the Sakhalin experiment. In 2023, a registry was created for climate projects and carbon units issued into circulation and for use in transactions and regulations introduced into legislation to develop relations in the production and consumption of electricity generated by low-carbon generating facilities alongside new decarbonization instruments for generation attributes and certificates of origin. However, for the market to function properly here and abroad, a number of important issues remain to be resolved to determine the nature of the relations governing the issue and turnover of carbon units (quotas) and applicable legislation, the legal qualification of carbon units (quotas), generation attributes and certificates of origin, rules governing such instruments, and issues around liability and forefeiture.
26.06.2024
12:15–13:45
12:15–13:45
Broadcast Digital Justice: A Step into the Future
Congress Centre, conference hall E10
Advanced technologies in the justice system are having a major impact on the modern legal space. Leading experts are ready to discuss the digitalization of law as part of their common goal of debating the prospects for the digital transformation of justice, sharing their experience in introducing innovative solutions, and tracing the path to the modernization of the legal system through the prism of technology. What is the future of digital law? What will the legal space look like in the near future?
26.06.2024
12:15–13:45
12:15–13:45
Broadcast Marketplaces: Platforms or Trade? In Search of Regulatory Models
Congress Centre, conference hall E9
E-commerce once again demonstrated significant growth over the past year: turnover increased by 38% (to RUB 7.9 trillion), while the number of orders grew by 60% (to 4.5 billion orders). According to various estimates, almost every fifth product in Russia is purchased online. Much of this growth is being driven by marketplaces – service platforms where millions of buyers can meet hundreds of thousands of sellers. Marketplaces let people buy almost any product from anywhere in Russia and have it delivered within a reasonable timeframe. Sellers can peddle their wares regardless of where they are located. At the same time, the rapid growth in marketplaces is attracting more and more attention from the government, which has begun searching for models to regulate marketplaces in 2024. What failures of marketplaces should the government correct and how can this be done so as to provide a new impetus to e-commerce?
26.06.2024
12:15–13:45
12:15–13:45
Broadcast Customs Know-How in Relation to Replenishing Public Coffers
Congress Centre, conference hall E12
As Russia’s foreign trade turnover declines and the target indicators for the collection of customs duties increase, the customs authorities are looking for new ways to boost customs duties. The use of such methods raises numerous questions from a legal, economic, and political standpoint. When one agency performs fiscal tasks without taking into account the general tax implications in violation of the principle of equal taxation, while testing the elasticity of the law and ignoring the general goals of creating a conducive investment climate and modernizing production with advanced technologies, this does more harm than good to the state’s interests. Judicial control is designed to have a stabilizing effect on the economy, since the law must be applied uniformly, regardless of the financial situation in the country. Unfortunately, however, judicial practice in customs disputes shows that during an economic downturn, judges take a pro-budget position and are not above ignoring or distorting legal norms.
26.06.2024
12:15–13:45
12:15–13:45
Broadcast Russia’s Financial Market: What Does the Future Hold? (A Dialogue Between the Regulator and the Regulated)
Congress Centre, conference hall B4
The Russian financial market has been in the process of adapting to major changes and the transformation that followed since 2022. In this period, the conditions for working with global institutions have changed, as has the way financial institutions operate within the country. The new reality facing the financial market in combination with rapidly changing external conditions has required immediate legal regulation. New legal regulations continue to be formed for financial market participants even today. How has the financial market weathered this period? How are the interests of financial market service users being protected? What features define the current state of financial market architecture? What legal approaches may the new market architecture require to keep developing?
14:00
26.06.2024
14:30–16:00
14:30–16:00
Broadcast Abuse and Manipulation of the Concept of Human Rights as a Tool of Political Pressure in the International Arena
Congress Centre, conference hall B4
On the world stage, the topic of human rights over the past quarter century has become a tool for numerous states to promote their own opportunistic political and economic interests. Manipulation and doublespeak have been purposely used to give an entirely different meaning to generally accepted terms and concepts that are enshrined in universal and regional instruments. In addition, people who abuse this topic in order to combat ‘undesirable regimes’ often hide behind the plausible pretext of protecting human rights. The growing global geopolitical confrontation has intensified these trends and given rise to the concept of ‘legal aggression’. How does the destructive politicization of human rights issues by individual states manifest itself, and what are its implications for universal and regional international platforms? Are there effective ways to counteract this phenomenon? What could the further instrumentalization and politicization of human rights issues lead to from the standpoint of the international system for the protection of human rights?
26.06.2024
14:30–16:00
14:30–16:00
Broadcast Legal Protection of Russia’s National Interests in a World Order Undergoing Transformation
Congress Centre, conference hall D1
Major changes are taking place in political, economic, and legal relations between states. A new model of the multipolar world is being formed, and the shape it eventually takes depends on all participants in international politics. Russia consistently defends its sovereignty, its spiritual and moral values, a fair and just world order, and the basic principles of international law, calling for representatives of different cultures and traditions to engage in a productive dialogue. Russia has well-defined national interests and development goals, the protection and achievement of which must be ensured by law. What legal mechanisms can be used for this purpose? How, in the current geopolitical climate, can we use the law and the potential of the law enforcement system to counter new global threats and challenges? And how can we ensure that the needs of the individual, society, and state in terms of safe and sustainable development are met?
26.06.2024
14:30–16:00
14:30–16:00
Broadcast Bankruptcy 2024: New Trends
Congress Centre, conference hall B1
In this era of global changes, it is important that the law respond to new challenges immediately. And the dynamic legal institution of bankruptcy is no exception. The first half of 2024 has already set the year apart among the professional community for the number of fundamental new legal positions: the granting of Russian courts jurisdiction over the bankruptcy of foreign companies, adjustments to the system for redistributing the tax burden for insolvents, new insolvency thresholds proposed by the legislator, and the unification of procedural rules for the consideration of separate disputes in bankruptcy cases. In what cases is the bankruptcy of a non-resident company in the Russian Federation permissible? How can we compromise between the fiscal interests of the governing body and the claims of bankruptcy creditors? How do the participants and management of a corporation protect their property rights when attempting to resolve a corporate conflict through insolvency?
26.06.2024
14:30–16:00
14:30–16:00
New Challenges and Modern Solutions in Antimonopoly Regulation
Congress Centre, conference hall B2
The existence and development of a diverse market economy is based on protecting competition, ensuring competitive market relations, and preventing monopolistic activity. In 2024, the Russian Federal Antimonopoly Service is celebrating its twentieth anniversary. It is difficult to overestimate the antimonopoly service’s importance as a key component of Russia’s public, political, and social life. Over the past 20 years, Russia has created and developed the foundations needed to protect competition: legislation on antimonopoly activities, government procurements, state defence procurements, advertising, trade, tariffs, and foreign investment in strategic industries. Antimonopoly requirements have also been introduced into industry-specific legislation. What challenges do the antimonopoly authorities face today amidst economic transformations and the growing influence of technology and innovation? How effective are the existing antimonopoly response measures, taking into account the experience that the antimonopoly authorities have accumulated over the years of their operation? What prospects exist for the development of new enforcement tools that can increase the efficiency of providing competitive conditions in the Russian Federation and abroad?
26.06.2024
14:30–16:00
14:30–16:00
Broadcast Professionalisation of Legal Aid: ‘Homework’ Inspired by the 11th Forum
Congress Centre, conference hall D2
A discussion was held on the topic ‘Legal Services Market and Legal Representation’ on the sidelines of the 11th St. Petersburg International Legal Forum. Possible scenarios for regulating the legal profession were discussed in order to properly ensure that citizens are entitled to receive qualified legal assistance, as well as minimize and prevent poor-quality services and cases of fraud. As a promising model of regulation, the majority of the session participants agreed that only someone with the status of a lawyer should be entitled to provide legal services, including for the further professional development of legal representation. Based on the results of the discussion at the previous Forum, the main conceptual approaches were formulated for legal representation, as well as how to improve the regulation of the legal practice. These issues need to be discussed once again with participants and the professional community, including professional legal representation, along with ways to expand the forms of legal entities, opportunities for lawyers to work under employment contracts, and the regulation of the institution of advocacy.
26.06.2024
14:30–16:00
14:30–16:00
Broadcast Criminalization and Decriminalization: Striking a Balance
Congress Centre, conference hall B3
The use of criminal law to deter people from carrying out socially dangerous acts requires states to take current threats and challenges, as well as the specifics of social relations and the significance of protected values, into account. In a rapidly changing world, crime is undergoing an equally rapid transformation. At the same time, new crimes are appearing, while certain actions are no longer regarded as socially dangerous. The changes that are taking place require an immediate response from the state, while the stability of legislation continues to be the most important indicator of its effectiveness. Criminal legislation implies the existence of two seemingly mutually exclusive trends – criminalization and decriminalization. During the session, participants will discuss how to find a balance between these trends, with due account of the positive developments that have taken place in criminal legislation. The criteria for establishing and excluding criminal liability, as well as ways of complying with these criteria in lawmaking practice, will also be discussed. How should specific areas of legal relations be taken into account when recognizing acts as criminal or non-criminal? Where is criminal law and the practice of its application heading?
26.06.2024
14:30–16:00
14:30–16:00
Broadcast Regulating the Use of Artificial Intelligence in Education and Science
Congress Centre, conference hall E10
The legal regulation of artificial intelligence over the past few years has transformed from an unconventional task into a challenge for the legal community worldwide. This is above all due to the development of technology itself. Until recently, when speaking about artificial intelligence, we were referring to a self-learning programme capable of automating routine tasks based on big data. However, so-called ‘generative AI’ is a system that can independently create images and texts. Speaking at the Artificial Intelligence Journey Conference, Russian President Vladimir Putin called its introduction a new page in the life of humanity. Each year, AI is increasingly being used in various industries, such as medicine, transport, and ensuring public order. Science and education are no exception. The emergence and rapid development of generative AI is precisely what has prompted lawyers working in education and science to think about the need for legal regulation in this area and find answers to numerous questions. Who is legally and morally responsible for AI-generated educational content? Who verifies it? Who owns the copyright? How will copyright holders, i.e., ordinary people, be protected?
26.06.2024
14:30–16:00
14:30–16:00
Broadcast Law of the East: Do We Know It?
Congress Centre, conference hall D3
The pivot to the East that has been seen in Russia’s foreign policy over the past two years has significantly altered the landscape of the country’s foreign economic relations, which cannot help but affect the development of legal education, legal science, and legal practice. Educational programmes with in-depth study of Eastern languages are emerging, the legal systems of individual Eastern states (mainly China and Arab countries) are becoming the subject of systematic scientific and practical research, and major law firms are opening divisions and practices that specialize in work in Eastern jurisdictions. This session aims to bring together members of the academic community who work with the legal systems of Eastern countries and practitioners with experience in such jurisdictions to discuss the further development of the Eastern focus of legal education, legal science, and legal practice. What kind of geography and scope exists in Russian academic research on the legal systems of Eastern countries, and how in demand is such research in the legal community and legal practice? What are the current focuses for the development of higher legal education and the prospects for continuing professional education (professional retraining) programmes in the light of Russia’s foreign policy and foreign economic pivot to the East? What are some of the peculiarities of organizing and running a legal business in Eastern countries? What are some of the distinctive features of the legal culture, as well as professional and business ethics in Eastern countries? What do the legal systems of individual Eastern countries have in common and what makes them special from the standpoint of a legal researcher and a practicing lawyer? What are some of the specifics of the settlement of disputes in the courts and arbitration institutions of Eastern countries? What prospects exist for creating alternative international centres in international commercial and investment arbitration in Eastern countries? How can we understand the forms and methods of international cooperation in Eastern countries?
26.06.2024
14:30–16:00
14:30–16:00
Broadcast Openness and Transparency of the Electoral Process: Practices of Civil Society’s Involvement in Independent Election Observation
Congress Centre, conference hall E12
More than 60 countries are holding presidential and parliamentary elections in 2024. Over 2 billion voters will take part in them. In Russia, the most important sociopolitical event took place in March 2024, when the prospects for the country’s further development were determined with the election of the Russian president. Public observers played a key role in ensuring the openness and transparency of the electoral process and have formed a highly professional community over the six years since they were institutionalized. Public control over electoral processes is an effective tool for ensuring that people are able to lawfully express their will, preventing illegal forms of participation in electoral processes, and developing an active civic position in Russian society. As international observations of election voting become politicized with the use of arbitrary criteria for their assessment, independent public observers who work in accordance with national legislation based on a standardized observation procedure are playing a greater role. International observers highly value the ‘gold standard’ of public observation used in Russia as a tool for ensuring the openness and transparency of the electoral process. What kind of experience do Russia and other countries have in terms of civil society institutions participating in the public observation of electoral processes? What is the legal community’s role in providing expert support for elections and advising citizens on electoral issues?
26.06.2024
14:30–16:00
14:30–16:00
Broadcast International Law: A Perpetual Motion Machine in Need of Repair?
Congress Centre, conference hall E9
On the one hand, international law is perpetual and an established part of human life. It originated to regulate relations between distinct subjects – representatives of different peoples and tribes. On the other hand, international law often comes under attack from various individuals since it cannot always appropriately respond to all manifestations of life: from emergency situations and economic restrictions to the ineffectiveness of procedural institutions. However, to date, no new ideal regulator of international interaction has been established. How do people view the current viability of international law, and what are some possible ways to reform it?
26.06.2024
14:30–16:00
14:30–16:00
Broadcast Succession and Estate Planning: A Glance into the Future
In partnership with Gazprombank
Congress Centre, conference hall D4
In just a little under ten years, we have witnessed the evolutionary development of inheritance law in Russia. The emergence of new legal institutions in Russian legislation helps stimulate entrepreneurial activity, develop economic relations and social stability, and preserve traditional (family) values. The legal order in place today provides an opportunity to choose not only for large businesses, but also for the emerging middle class as part of ensuring the interests of heirs and society. In a rapidly changing world where social and economic metamorphoses are often unpredictable, the flexible legal instruments that are available to participants in civil transactions are crucial to prosperity and stability. The idea of the primacy of individual will, coupled with the need to respect the interests of the state, should become the basis for the drafting of effective and internally consistent legislation. A bill has been introduced to the Russian State Duma on the possibility of transferring control over a personal fund to management companies as professional participants in the securities market. At the same time, work is underway to improve legislation in terms of perfecting the mechanism for creating personal funds and regulating their activities.
16:00
26.06.2024
16:45–18:15
16:45–18:15
Broadcast Russia–Asia Dialogue: The role of Law in Strengthening Investment and Trade Cooperation with Business Partners in Asia
Congress Centre, conference hall B2
Throughout 2023, Russia continued its efforts to alter the structure of foreign business in the country, as an ever-increasing share of Asian partners entered the Russian market. Trade and economic interaction with Eastern countries continued to expand, and in some areas it virtually supplanted Western businesses. Russia and China are celebrating the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations in 2024. The two countries continue to actively develop their close partnerships. Trade between Russia and China increased by 27.7% in dollar terms in January–October 2023 compared with the same period of the previous year and amounted to USD 196.482 billion. Exports from Russia to China increased by 12.4% to USD 106.405 billion, while imports from China rose by 52.2% to USD 90.077 billion. Russia and India also continue to develop their relations, as Moscow and Delhi reconfigure business ties amidst sanctions. In April 2024, Delhi hosted the 24th meeting of the Intergovernmental Russian-Indian Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific, Technical, and Cultural Cooperation after a five-year break. The two countries are seeing record volumes of trade turnover, which grew almost 2.9 times to USD 33.5 billion in the first half of 2023 compared with the same period in 2022. Delhi has also stated that its partnership with Russia is one of the future drivers of India’s economic growth. Positive trends have also been seen in Russia’s relations with other BRICS countries. What steps does Russia need to take to improve legal mechanisms that aim to regulate business ties with its Asian partners? How can we ensure the security of foreign investments?
26.06.2024
16:45–18:15
16:45–18:15
Broadcast Legal Regulation of the Introduction of Healthcare Innovations
Congress Centre, conference hall D4
Russia needs to create its own critical technologies or take them to a new level, including the manufacturing of drugs. Developing this key segment is crucial to ensuring the country’s technological sovereignty. In this regard, the issue of regulatory support for innovations related to the healthcare system takes on added importance. One of the main goals in this regard is to increase the efficiency, volume, types, and quality of medical services in line with the needs of the population as well as the advanced achievements being made in medical science. Often, the direct incorporation of new technologies into practice is hampered by the insufficient flexibility of the regulatory system. This leads to difficulties both in terms of the development of and ensuring subsequent access to drugs and, as a result, the significant limitation of patients’ ability to receive modern, high-quality medical care. Issues concerning regulatory support are important for innovations related to digital technologies, additive technologies, biomedical cell products, molecular genetic research, and much more. In this regard, it is crucial to pay attention to and discuss ways to draft legislation on issues related to the development of such medical technologies, as well as approaches to their inclusion in the public funding system and ensuring their effective use. What legal norms are currently limiting factors and which ones will create the conditions needed to develop and introduce innovative technologies in the clinical practice of Russian healthcare? What are the risks of introducing artificial intelligence into healthcare? What financial opportunities exist for artificial intelligence in healthcare? What mechanisms could be proposed to take into account the absence or insufficiency of data needed to adopt a decision on funding? Are doctors and the healthcare system ready to use innovative medical technologies?
26.06.2024
16:45–18:15
16:45–18:15
Broadcast Criminal Law: Crime and Punishment
Congress Centre, conference hall E10
The discussion will open a new stage in the interdisciplinary study of the fundamental problems of criminal law and statutes, including the moral, religious, philosophical, and historical foundations of criminal law, the social conditioning of modern criminal policy, and the development of criminal law and legislation. Today, there are a number of key problems, including the criminalization of new socially dangerous acts; the identification and elimination of unworkable provisions of criminal law; improving the effectiveness of punishment and the balance of the criminal law system; protecting the country’s economic interests, including the return of lost assets to state ownership; ensuring the protection of the public and the state against terrorist and extremist threats and organized crime; upholding historical truths; and protecting traditional spiritual and moral values. What are the most important aspects of modern scientific research that meet the current needs of practical activities? What are some of the specific features of comprehensive legal and methodological support to counter socially dangerous encroachments on the territory of new regions?
26.06.2024
16:45–18:15
16:45–18:15
Broadcast The Role of Artificial Intelligence in Countering the Propaganda of Radical, Extremist, and Terrorist Activities
Congress Centre, conference hall B1
In the early 21st century, one of the most serious problems for social development worldwide was the need to combat extremism and terrorism in all their many forms of manifestation. The Concept for Countering Terrorism in the Russian Federation cites the dissemination of ideas related to terrorism and extremism through the Internet and the media as one of the main factors that facilitates the emergence and spread of terrorism in Russia. Artificial intelligence plays a huge role in countering the propaganda of radical, extremist, and terrorist activities. The use of modern technologies, artificial intelligence, and neural networks makes it possible to achieve better results, save time, and quickly analyse a large amount of information. A comprehensive approach helps to quickly and effectively investigate crimes related to terrorist activities, as well as develop a set of measures to counter and prevent terrorism. Will artificial intelligence technologies help to effectively combat extremism and terrorism? What prospects do they have for use in the future? What can be done to stop hackers and who will win the technology race?
26.06.2024
16:45–18:15
16:45–18:15
Broadcast International Courts Versus National Courts: Finding a Way Out
Congress Centre, conference hall E9
Conceived by States as subsidiary bodies in relation to their national judicial systems, international courts and quasi-judicial institutions have been instrumental in promoting the judicial cooperation across the globe for the last 50 years. Judges at different levels in different countries have benefited from an enriching judicial dialogue through international adjudication. The cooperation and interaction between national and international courts reached the highest point in the legal history along with the unprecedented level of acceptance of international judgments by national judicial systems. More recent developments have, however, tainted both the authority and credibility of some long respected international judicial institutions, raising doubts at their sustainability and even their raison d’être. The subsidiarity and cooperation left place to strained relationship that States are no longer willing to accept. Accordingly, the acceptance of international judgments by national courts and other actors is likely to fall beyond the critical line. What happened to the checks and balances that had long kept the international adjudication within its statutory and acceptable limits, thus ensuring its positive impact ? What choices are left to national decision-makers when the critical rift is being reached as a result of frivolous attitude by some international courts to international law, let alone their own established jurisprudence ?
26.06.2024
16:45–18:15
16:45–18:15
Broadcast Legal Regulation, Practice and Prospects for Out-of-Court Settlement of Financial Disputes
Congress Centre, conference hall D1
What are the current trends in disputes between financial consumers and financial institutions? How can we combat unfair practices employed by financial organizations? What problematic issues does the financial ombudsman face in his work when considering appeals from consumers of financial services? What needs to be improved in the current procedure for the out-of-court settlement of disputes by the financial ombudsman and to develop the institution of financial ombudsmen?
26.06.2024
16:45–18:15
16:45–18:15
Broadcast Not All Real Estate is Moveable Property. The Qualification of Movable and Immovable Property When Calculating Property Tax in the Electricity Sector
Congress Centre, conference hall B3
In recent years, there have been active discussions about classifying property into movable and immovable for tax purposes. Five years ago, the Russian Supreme Court, seeking to unify law enforcement practices, proposed conceptual approaches that would eliminate certain legal uncertainties in this regard. The court’s decision was supposed to ensure uniformity in judicial practice, which, in turn, would help to fairly distribute the tax burden among taxpayers. However, subsequent clarifications from the Federal Tax Service and the judiciary, and, as a result, mass control measures initiated by the tax authorities with respect to electric power companies put this problem back on the radar once again. Such actions could lead to billions in additional taxes and significantly increase the financial burden of companies. The law enforcement and judicial practices emerging in the electric power industry could spread to other sectors of the economy, which makes these issues even more important. The common understanding and consistent application of legal norms should be an important step towards strengthening the legal and economic system, which would benefit both public institutions and private economic entities and help create a favourable business climate and increase investment.
26.06.2024
16:45–18:15
16:45–18:15
Broadcast Modern Trends in Legal Management and Consulting
Congress Centre, conference hall D3
The effective interaction of companies’ legal services and legal business is a key issue amidst the digital transformation of the economy. Building a systematic dialogue between them is crucial to ensuring proper legal protection for business, the successful development of local rule-making, as well as preventing risks and various types of legal liability. What principles should the legal departments of companies and the legal business follow in their interaction? In what cases can legal departments and law firms engage in long-term strategic cooperation? What tools can be used to evaluate the effectiveness of a partnership when a legal business solves problems brought to them by the customer? What key issues arise when legal departments and law firms collaborate? How can representatives of the legal business reach the required level of customer focus and immersion in the specifics of a customer’s activities?
26.06.2024
16:45–18:15
16:45–18:15
Broadcast Regulation of the EAEU Space: Protection Mechanisms and New Opportunities for Business
Congress Centre, conference hall B4
Ten years have passed since the Treaty on the Eurasian Economic Union was signed on 29 May, eventually leading to the establishment of the Court of the EAEU. It is time to reflect on what has been achieved and use the experience gained to outline ways to move forward, to further improve the institutions and legislation in place within the Union, to assess the place of its judicial body, the Court of the EAEU, in strengthening the rule of law in the EAEU, in protecting the rights and legitimate interests of states and economic entities on the basis of the Treaty on the EAEU and other legal acts of the Union, and in ensuring its uniform application by member states and Union bodies. The successful resolution of these tasks, achievement of goals, and implementation of principles enshrined in the Treaty on the EAEU by its member states would be unthinkable without a systematic and constructive effort on the part of the Court of the EAEU, in accordance with its expertise, to work together with the Eurasian Economic Commission and other bodies within the Union, EAEU member states, authorized bodies and national judicial authorities, the legal community, and the business community. The effectiveness of the Court depends on a number of factors, not least of which is the awareness of the general public of what this international judicial body means for legal defence in the context of foreign economic activity across the EAEU among others. In this regard, a systematic dialogue must occur with the authorized bodies and judicial authorities of Member States, the legal community, and the business community in order to identify and eliminate gaps in Union legislation, improve its application, and ensure consistent and effective implementation of the goals and principles of the EAEU Treaty. What is the role of the Court of the EAEU and how has it strengthened legal order? What mechanisms exist for protecting the rights and legitimate interests of the subjects of legal relations regulated by the Treaty on the EAEU and other acts of the Union, including economic entities (legal entities, individual entrepreneurs) from Member States and third countries?
26.06.2024
16:45–18:15
16:45–18:15
Broadcast Digitalization in Law: Modern Challenges and Regulation
Congress Centre, conference hall E11
26.06.2024
16:45–18:15
16:45–18:15
Opening of the Exhibition "Protecting the Sovereignty of the Russian State: History and Modernity"
Congress Centre, Stand of the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation
26.06.2024
16:45–18:15
16:45–18:15
Broadcast Foreign Trade Lending and Insurance: New Legal Realities in New Markets
Congress Centre, conference hall E12
Необходимость поддержать экспортеров из различных отраслей создает стимулы для государства, финансово-кредитных и страховых организаций для развития правового инструментария по финансированию российского экспорта. Как российская система поддержки ВЭД и финансовый рынок адаптируются под запросы клиентов-экспортеров и формируют комплексные предложения, учитывающие актуальные правовые вызовы и ограничения международной торговли? Как современные механизмы кредитования и страхования внешнеторговых операций от политических и коммерческих рисков позволяют оценить и какие правовые инструменты позволяют сбалансировать риски банка и экспортера? Какие продукты может предложить финансовый рынок бизнесу для поддержки выхода на новые внешние рынки и развития производства? Каковы ключевые тенденции в сфере поддержки и проведения страхования и кредитования экспортно-импортных операций и инвестиций?
26.06.2024
16:45–18:15
16:45–18:15
Broadcast Back to the Future: Examining Soviet Law’s Influence on Current Legal Systems
Congress Centre, conference hall D2
As Russia restructures its foreign economic relations, Russian businesses have shown a growing interest in studying the features of the legal systems of key trading partners. The Soviet legal doctrine had a significant influence on the development of many of these countries, including China, Vietnam, Laos, Mongolia, Angola, and Cuba. The legal systems that have emerged as a result of this influence use entirely different legal institutions that differ conceptually from the legal institutions of continental law and common law with which Russian entrepreneurs are already familiar. The need to take swift and informed decisions in rapidly changing circumstances related to both trade as well as manufacturing and investment projects underscores the importance for Russian businesses of mastering the basic concepts of the legal thinking of their trading partners, as well as the importance of obtaining a thorough legal analysis of the legal systems that were influenced by Soviet law. What impact does the legacy of the Soviet legal system have on legal relations today? What legal developments could be effectively used in the current conditions?
26.06.2024
16:45–18:00
16:45–18:00
Special Meeting of the Expert Advisory Council of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Collective Security Treaty Organization on the theme ‘The Security Umbrella of Eurasian Integration’
One of the priority focuses of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) is the rapprochement and harmonization (unification) of the national legislation of CSTO member states on issues concerning the organization’s statutory competency. Legislation is the main tool in this regard and is implemented through the drafting of model legislative acts, recommendations, and other legal acts of this nature. During this special meeting, the participants will discuss the main parameters of the system of modern challenges and threats to Eurasian security amidst global transformation, as well as the key focuses of the legal and regulatory counteraction of these threats, and outline prospects for the drafting of model legislation within the CSTO as a crucial security instrument for Eurasian integration.
20:00
08:00
27.06.2024
27.06.2024
08:15–09:15
08:15–09:15
Business Breakfast of the Association of Lawyers of Russia
By invitation
Congress Centre, VIP restaurant
09:00
27.06.2024
09:30–11:00
09:30–11:00
Broadcast Cross-Border Trade in the Context of Unilateral Economic Measures
Congress Centre, conference hall D1
Problems associated with legal support for international trade amidst economic restrictions are important due to how quickly relations change in this regard. Key issues that need prompt solutions include legal support for the sustainability of foreign economic activities, the modernization of legal regimes for parallel imports, the organization of logistics processes, optimal customs procedures, the taxation of international trade amidst restrictions, and civil legal instruments, including contractual decisions, the provision of effective legal measures to combat the spread of counterfeit products, and the problem of unifying approaches to the certification and labelling of products. How can we effectively use technological solutions to ensure sustainable foreign economic activities? What prospects exist for creating and operating a consortium for the export of Russian goods, services, and IT solutions to international markets?
27.06.2024
09:30–11:00
09:30–11:00
Broadcast Legal Aspects of Migration Policy in Today’s Russia
Congress Centre, conference hall E11
During globalization, migration impacts the economy, politics, and the community in significant ways. One of the strategic goals of the state is to create the conditions and mechanisms necessary to attract highly qualified specialists capable of benefiting the economy. Ultimately, the effectiveness of migration policy depends on the quality of legal regulation, how Russian legislation governing migration is actually applied, and the effectiveness of countermeasures. Modern technology is becoming increasingly important as a means to increase the effectiveness of the administrative procedures governing migration and prevent, detect, and mitigate violations of Russian legislation, and, finally, take administrative action.
27.06.2024
09:30–11:00
09:30–11:00
Broadcast Global Transactions: Special Aspects of Antitrust Control in the Era of Economic Transformation
Congress Centre, conference hall D3
Controlling economic concentration is becoming an increasingly important issue on the current and future agenda of competition authorities around the world. Antimonopoly authorities are intensifying their activities to improve legal regulation and practical enforcement in the control of economic concentration due to the real processes of economic and organizational transformation in global markets. First, numerous transactions represent cooperation between digital companies in fundamentally new markets that require adapted approaches to an economic analysis of the extent of their impact on competition. Second, people continue to engage in cross-border transactions that involve multiple jurisdictions and require cooperation among the antimonopoly authorities and the harmonization of common approaches. What challenges do antimonopoly regulators face when assessing economic concentration transactions in a rapidly changing economic situation? What role does cooperation between competition authorities from different jurisdictions play in developing common approaches to the assessment of cross-border mergers?
27.06.2024
09:30–11:00
09:30–11:00
Broadcast Professional Risks in Legal Practice
Congress Centre, conference hall B4
Lawyers play a vital role in ensuring access to justice and the right to a fair trial, as well as protecting the citizens’ rights and freedoms. For lawyers to be able to fully carry out their professional activities, the government must guarantee their independence, the absence of any outside influence, equality in the judicial process, as well as their protection and safety at the legislative level and as a practical matter. There are certain risks inherent in advocacy, including the risk of criminal prosecution as a way of putting pressure on the lawyer of an opponent in proceedings. The risks and threats that lawyers may face depend on the nature of the cases they handle, as well as their specific actions in a particular case. It is crucial for attorneys to be aware of the risks involved and have a defence plan in place to manage such risks. The lack of the appropriate protection mechanisms to ensure the safety of lawyers cannot help but have an adverse impact on the quality of their advocacy. What are the main risks associated with the legal profession, including attacks on lawyer immunity? How can we minimize them?
27.06.2024
09:30–11:00
09:30–11:00
Broadcast A Digital Code: Prospects and Risks
Congress Centre, conference hall E12
The codification of information and digital legislation has become a trend in the legal systems of EAEU and CIS member states. Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan are developing digital codes, and Azerbaijan has announced plans to develop one soon. Russia has prepared its own Concept of the Digital Code of the Russian Federation and is currently working on determining its optimal structure. Upcoming changes and legislative innovations in the regulation of digital and information technologies, the Internet, the communications industry, data processing, the functioning of digital platforms, and the use of artificial intelligence technologies will have a major impact on how the state, the digital economy, society, and business all function. What pillars of information relations should the Digital Code regulate? What is the most effective way to organize the development of the Digital Code? What experience from foreign legal systems could be used when developing the Digital Code? What approaches to regulating artificial intelligence technologies, big data, digital platforms, and other digital technologies need to be enshrined in the Digital Code? What risks could arise when developing the Digital Code?
27.06.2024
09:30–11:00
09:30–11:00
Broadcast Digital Assets and Decentralized Finance: An Opportunity or Challenge for the Financial System?
Congress Centre, conference hall D4
Russia’s digital asset market only recently started to develop following the adoption of the law on crowdfunding (2019) and the law on digital financial assets (2020). Yet, it is already making significant progress, as evidenced by the diversity of digital financial assets (DFAs) and the ‘hybrid’ digital rights that have been issued. There has recently been a sharp surge in the issuance of DFAs. For example, just one year ago, the volume of DFAs issued was worth about RUB 2 billion, while as of the end of May 2024, the total volume of DFAs issued is already estimated at more than RUB 106 billion with 400+ issues completed. Players on the decentralized finance market expect interest in DFAs to skyrocket in the near future. And the main issue on which this market depends involves ways to attract liquidity. Some representatives of the digital assets market believe that to increase its volume, improvements need to be made to legislation and the existing regulatory arbitrage needs to be eliminated. For their part, traditional financial market players believe that in order to boost interest in digital assets, they should be harmonized with conventional financial instruments by weakening the regulation of the latter. What are the priorities of the decentralized finance market? What barriers exist in its development and need to be lifted to help attract liquidity to the market? What do we need to do to develop the market considering the approaches that are being taken in the adoption of digital finance laws?
27.06.2024
09:30–11:00
09:30–11:00
Broadcast Open meeting of justice ministers
Congress Centre, conference hall E10
27.06.2024
09:30–11:00
09:30–11:00
Broadcast Unity of Legal Space: Systematization of Legal Acts in Modern Times
Congress Centre, conference hall B2
27.06.2024
09:30–11:00
09:30–11:00
Broadcast Credit Where Credit’s Due: Uncontested Debt Recovery
Congress Centre, conference hall D2
Current Russian legislation not only allows for collecting debt in court, but also through a notary’s writ of execution. How effective are existing collection methods? How convenient and accessible are they for lenders in various relations, including housing and utility services?
27.06.2024
09:30–11:00
09:30–11:00
Broadcast Fighting for the Sky: From Challenges to Opportunities. Strategies to Protect Business and Passengers
In partnership with Aeroflot
Congress Centre, conference hall B3
The sanctions ‘tsunami’ that has the Russian aviation industry, and not only, dealing with countless new challenges and difficulties can, nevertheless, be overcome. The new legal realities arising where jurisdictions overlap have given rise to new trends and approaches. A comprehensive analysis of foreign regulations and Russian counter-sanction measures has resulted in a new approach to relations in the operation of aircraft and aircraft engines owned by foreign companies from unfriendly countries. What is the best way to effectively protect Russia’s rights and interests in disagreements with foreign leasing companies? How can we avoid lengthy and costly court proceedings? What arguments will get us to an agreement?
27.06.2024
09:30–11:00
09:30–11:00
Broadcast Open Dialogue with the Federal Bailiff Service
Congress Centre, conference hall B1
The modern compulsory enforcement system is an integral part of the structure of Russian statehood. As such, it has the same strategic development reference points as all government institutions – reference points that are determined by the dynamically changing socioeconomic reality. In this regard, the enforcement authorities are constantly guided in their activities by the principles of social responsibility and a client-oriented approach. In the context of the changing international situation and the need to respond to the challenges of our time, the enforcement authorities are hurrying to develop new conceptual approaches to optimize their activities, exercise governmental powers, and look after the legitimate interests of citizens and businesses. It is especially important today to protect socially vulnerable groups, including children. To this end, the Federal Bailiff Service of the Russian Federation is working to restore the violated rights of unprotected categories of the population. Part of this work is to help provide housing for orphans, fight for parental rights, ensure support for minors, supply medicines, and so on. Another key area of the Federal Bailiff Service’s activities in the current climate is protecting and restoring the rights of those taking part in the Special Military Operation, providing assistance to soldiers and members of their families, and ensuring the security of the legal system in Donbass and Novorossiya. With the expansion of the scope of the Federal Bailiff Service’s supervisory functions, which from 1 February 2024 extend to professional collection organizations, as well as credit and microfinance companies, the Federal Bailiff Service now pays special attention to issues related to the activities of professional collectors. What are the main achievements in this area as of today? What role does the Federal Bailiff Service of the Russian Federation play in protecting family values? What constitutes state control (supervision) over the activities of financial institutions in the market of professional collectors at the current stage?
27.06.2024
09:30–11:00
09:30–11:00
Broadcast State Penitentiary Policy and Its Role in Reducing Recidivism: International Experience and Accomplishments
Congress Centre, conference hall E9
The level of recidivism affects the security of the state and society and demonstrates the effectiveness of the government’s activities in preventing it. The country’s penitentiary policy is an integral part of preventing recidivism. What international experience exists in this regard? How effective is interaction and the exchange of experience in instructional work with convicts, as well as in post-prison resocialization and social adaptation?
10:00
11:00
27.06.2024
11:30–13:00
11:30–13:00
Broadcast International Justice: Today’s Problems and Challenges
Congress Centre, conference hall B4
The current system of international justice is becoming a battlefield between the countries of the Western camp and the states of the multipolar world. More and more accusations are being made about violations of fundamental international obligations in the fight against terrorism, racial discrimination, and genocide. International judicial bodies, primarily the International Court of Justice, are being subjected to unprecedented pressure, including through mass ‘interventions’ (by third parties) that aim to support a particular party in a dispute. During the first stage of this process, the ‘prosecutors’ were mainly Western countries that initiated numerous proceedings against Russia, Syria, Iran, and other countries. However, Russia managed to successfully repel this attack: in early 2024, the International Court of Justice handed down several high-profile decisions that rejected almost all Western-backed Ukrainian accusations and completely denied Kyiv any compensation. On the contrary, Ukraine now finds itself in the position of the accused, as the Court will consider whether Kyiv committed genocide in the Donbass. The initiative in the International Court of Justice is gradually passing to the states of the Global South, while countries in the Western camp, namely Israel, Canada, and Germany, have found themselves ‘in the dock’. As this legal confrontation escalates, there are increasing risks of political pressure on international judges and arbitrators, greater efforts from discredited judicial bodies (the European Court of Human Rights and the International Criminal Court), as well as the creation of new quasi-judicial structures that are clearly under political control, but seek to administer justice. International criminal justice bodies, including the International Criminal Court, are increasingly being used to hunt down domestic and foreign political opponents. In addition to an obvious political bias, their activities show a clear disregard for generally recognized norms of international law, including the immunity of officials of a foreign state. Given the high-profile decisions of the International Court of Justice and the destructive activities of the International Criminal Court, how should the global community find a way to prevent a crisis in the international justice system and maintain the impartiality and arms’ length approach of international judicial and arbitration bodies, which were created to ensure the peaceful resolution of interstate disputes?
27.06.2024
11:30–13:00
11:30–13:00
Broadcast Regulating Economic Relations in the EAEU and CIS: New Challenges and Solutions
Congress Centre, conference hall D4
Economic legislation in the countries of the EAEU and CIS has traditionally been very similar, since it has common roots. This has always made it easier to build transnational markets. However, corporate, investment, contractual, and other economic relations in these countries have now become much more complicated, new civil law rights have emerged, and the securities market is actively developing. Pandemic restrictions and sanctions policies provided a new impetus to the transformation of economic relations. All this significantly impacted the legal field in each country. In Russian law, the sweeping modernization of civil legislation began in 2013–2015 and is still ongoing. Other countries have experienced similar changes and some fundamentally different developments. What conditions are needed for our legal systems to cooperate? What are some of the practical issues of ensuring cross-border economic processes in the new conditions?
27.06.2024
11:30–13:00
11:30–13:00
Broadcast Preserving the Institution of the Family
Congress Centre, conference hall E9
Traditional family values are key to the stable development of a state and its society. The numerous ongoing attempts to externally influence Russia by foreign countries that wish to undermine the foundations of the country’s family values are having a negative impact on the young people of today. It is essential not only to preserve, but to strengthen traditional Russian spiritual and moral values, including family values. The Russian government and the Orthodox Church are currently paying great attention to problems associated with strengthening and establishing the institution of family, family upbringing, and fostering spiritual and moral family values. The Russian president has declared 2024 the Year of the Family. This initiative has made it possible to pay close attention to such issues as maternal, paternal, and childhood protection, as well as direct additional social support measures to improve the demographic situation in the country and the health of the nation. In addition, Russia has adopted strategic regulatory legal documents that aim to protect traditional Russian spiritual and moral values. What influence do traditional family values have on legislation? What proposals to reform this legislation could currently be implemented?
27.06.2024
11:30–13:00
11:30–13:00
Broadcast The Law and the Challenges of Artificial Intelligence
Лекция
Congress Centre, conference hall D1
27.06.2024
11:30–13:00
11:30–13:00
Broadcast Punishment before Sentencing: Is there an Alternative to Detention?
Congress Centre, conference hall E12
Every country has its own system of pretrial restrictions, and each has developed its own approaches to preventing suspects from absconding and stopping them from hindering investigations. Detention is the most severe preventive measure used when prosecution through less stringent measures is not possible. At the same time, pretrial detention is the most effective way to ensure that the state can keep tabs on the suspect, which is what makes it the most desirable course of action for the preliminary investigation bodies. The state thus has to balance the interests of the criminal investigation and human rights when applying pretrial restrictions. This session will consider possible alternatives to pretrial detention. What factors influence the decision to use detention as a pretrial measure? Why is bail common in certain countries and almost unheard of in others? How are preventive measures regulated in foreign regulation? How are these measures used in practice?
27.06.2024
11:30–13:00
11:30–13:00
Broadcast Trust in Remote Communications: Protecting Oneself from Social and Engineering Scams
Congress Centre, conference hall B3
In the modern world, where more and more transactions and communications are taking place online, fraud and social engineering are becoming a particularly acute problem. Remote communication offers new opportunities for attackers who can use various methods of deception and manipulation to obtain personal information or money. This is an important topic that deserves an in-depth discussion among legal professionals. We must find effective ways to protect people against fraud in remote transactions to ensure security and trust between the parties involved. What are some of the criminal fraud schemes used in remote communication and the distinctive features of how fraudsters behave? Would it make sense to introduce a mechanism that ensures the deferred execution of an agreement between a bank client and a banking organization? What are safe payment methods for remote transactions? How are artificial intelligence technologies being used to analyse people’s behaviour? Is it essential to distinguish the concept of a ‘remote transaction’ as a legal category?
27.06.2024
11:30–13:00
11:30–13:00
Broadcast Balancing the Interests of the Claimant and the Debtor in Enforcement Proceedings: Identifying the Optimal Model
Congress Centre, conference hall E11
Balancing the interests of parties involved in enforcement proceedings is the golden mean that the Russian Ministry of Justice and key state bodies strive to achieve when drafting and implementing the state policy concerning compulsory enforcement. What has already been done to protect the rights of claimants and debtors? Whose rights are more protected? What problems arise when parties to enforcement proceedings exercise their rights? Are their rights being abused in enforcement proceedings and what can we do about it? What prospects exist for improving legislation to balance the rights and legitimate interests of claimants and debtors?
27.06.2024
11:30–13:00
11:30–13:00
Broadcast The Development of Legal Mechanisms to Protect Businesses
Congress Centre, conference hall B2
Given the external pressure currently being exerted on Russia, supporting domestic business and providing it with guarantees is an absolute must. In 2023, Russia managed to successfully institutionalize business crimes, with the relevant concept being introduced into Article 5 of the Code of Criminal Procedure of the Russian Federation. How important is it to humanize criminal proceedings and legislation? How sufficient is the level of legal, including procedural, guarantees for entrepreneurs? Do businesses and the government interact effectively? What are the advantages of Russian jurisdiction for doing business, and what further steps need to be taken to develop it? What legal mechanisms are needed today to protect business, and what should the government be paying attention to? What new formats of interaction between the government and business community have proven to be effective?
27.06.2024
11:30–13:00
11:30–13:00
Broadcast Key Issues Related to Improving Legal Regulation in Hydrocarbon Pipeline Transportation
In partnership with Transneft
Congress Centre, conference hall D3
As a result of the illegal trade restrictions that have been imposed against the Russian Federation and its largest infrastructure companies, Russian exporters are now being forced to redirect their products to countries in the Asia-Pacific region, work with new buyers, and build new supply chains, which means that the capabilities of pipeline and port infrastructure need to be increased. Diversifying the export routes of hydrocarbon supplies to international markets and accelerating the implementation of infrastructure projects have become new strategic objectives that require the prompt adoption of appropriate and effective response measures. What could these measures entail? How can we solve existing problems with compliance practices? What legislative initiatives could serve as a reliable platform to ensure the uninterrupted and smooth operation of the oil and gas transportation industry?
27.06.2024
11:30–13:00
11:30–13:00
Broadcast The U.S. Federal Reserve: The Highest Form of Corruption
Congress Centre, conference hall D2
Corruption is a term that refers to the abuse of one’s official position for personal gain. The official definition of corruption is “dishonest or fraudulent conduct, undertaken by a person or an organization, which is entrusted in a position of authority, in order to acquire illicit benefits.” The role of the Federal Reserve System, i.e. the central bank of the United States and, de facto, the whole world, is one of the most frequently avoided topics for public discussion (on Wikipedia, when you click on the link “criticism of the Fed,” a blank page appears...). Could it be because this outwardly respectable body is the ‘slush fund’ of global financial capital and the main tool of corruption and outright robbery. The Fed was created in 1913 at the initiative of New York bankers in response to a series of financial market panics as the headquarters and ‘project office’ of the financial oligarchy – a quasi-governmental, independent, and extra-constitutional body that was governing the country (and now the whole world) by managing money. Since then, it has been run by unelected people (a board of governors) who in the past were selected based on the criterion of wealth and power, and currently according to the criterion of ‘trust’ of the financial elites. The Fed’s corruption involves a group of individuals usurping and using the monopoly power of money management through the unrestricted theft of economic rent from the vast majority of the world’s population. In this sense, US officials who do not prevent corruption at the Fed are complicit in it. What does the Fed corruption machine look like if you remove the canopy of academic verbiage and media PR? How are they able to rob people in this manner? What is the future of the Fed? What should the rest of the world do to break away from the dictates of the US financial monopoly?
13:00
27.06.2024
13:30–15:00
13:30–15:00
Broadcast Humanitarian Progress in BRICS Countries: People’s Values and Rights and the Development of Cultural and Natural Heritage
Congress Centre, conference hall D3
To bring BRICS+ countries closer together, it is crucial to understand the culture, mentality, traditions, and values of the organization’s partner states. We live in the reality of not just a multipolar, but a multicivilizational world. The people of the world do not want hegemony; they want respect for their history, traditions, and religion. Human rights and freedoms should not be used as a tool of pressure on ‘inconvenient’ countries. How can we establish a new view that is consistent with modern conditions based on the unity of a social world? What are some alternative independent institutions that can study, measure, and evaluate the performance of countries? How can we intensify cooperation in nature conservation and study the cultural practices and values of different civilizations? How can we effectively prevent transnational companies from manipulating consumers in the online environment?
27.06.2024
13:30–15:00
13:30–15:00
Broadcast Legal Protection of Traditional Values: Us and Them
Congress Centre, conference hall E9
With the current propagation of moral ideals that are foreign to Russia, it is becoming important to define the substance of traditional Russian spiritual and moral values, solve the problem of their interrelationship, and search for legal instruments to protect values. Amidst aggressive Western propaganda, it is crucial to strengthen the Russian civic identity, unify the multinational people of the Russian Federation, serve the Fatherland and assume responsibility for its fate, remain patriotic, and censure any betrayal of the Motherland. Preserving and promoting traditional Russian spiritual and moral values is key to the security and sovereignty of the Russian state. For Russia and its multinational people, traditional values ensure an inextricable connection with their history and a special attitude towards their Fatherland and families.
27.06.2024
13:30–15:00
13:30–15:00
Broadcast Philosophy of Law in the Context of the Russian National and Cultural Identity and the Protection of Sovereignty and Historical Truth
Congress Centre, conference hall D1
The Russian school of the philosophy of law is in demand now more than ever. It is in no way inferior to other schools and plays the extremely important role of preserving Russian civilizational space. The main task of Russian philosophy of law today is to develop conceptual meanings and ideas for effective ways to solve current and future problems of government administration, the justice system, the protection of citizens’ rights, and sustainable social development. What is Russia’s experience of state-building and laying the philosophical foundations of various social models? What concepts and ideas have Russian philosophers and scientists put forward, and what role do they play in the field of political and legal research? What is the significance of historiographic studies of political and legal knowledge in countering distorted pictures of Russia’s civilizational development? How are today’s models of political and legal models constructed? How do they form a holistic and complete understanding of approaches to the interpretation of key events in the history of political and legal thought?
27.06.2024
13:30–15:00
13:30–15:00
Broadcast Let’s Make Peace: Mediation or Meditation?
Congress Centre, conference hall E11
Mediation is a promising and actively developing method used to settle disputes and resolve conflicts, which encompasses a wide range of legal relations – from family and labour to economic and business. To ensure the broader use of the institution of mediation, the Russian Ministry of Justice, along with other government bodies and organizations, is drafting proposals to improve the regulation of the institution of mediation, which could create a foundation for future legislative initiatives. What prospects exist for further developing mediation, establishing growth points for this method of dispute settlement, and popularizing and increasing people’s level of trust in this institution?
27.06.2024
13:30–15:00
13:30–15:00
Broadcast The Role and Responsibility of Law Enforcement Agencies, Managers and Consultants When a Company Faces Sanctions
Congress Centre, conference hall B1
With sanctions impacting a large number of Russian businesses, such issues as management liability are becoming even more important for corporate lawyers. Given the current legal uncertainty and economic turbulence, senior executives and management bodies have to take decisions more quickly: the clock is often ticking, and the situations that companies face are extraordinary. Legislation is changing every day and relationships with partners are being restructured. Company executives should be focusing on all of this, and each decision they take undergoes a stress test to assess liability risks. How can senior management properly organize a company’s work in these turbulent times? What aspects of doing business currently deserve particular attention in order to reduce risks and prevent potential damage?
27.06.2024
13:30–15:00
13:30–15:00
Broadcast Cities of the Future: Smart Technologies and Efficient Space Management
Congress Centre, conference hall B3
The urban economy is a complex system in which various legal issues arise that require attention and resolution. Creating a comfortable and safe living environment is one of Russia’s national goals. Given that the urban economy is multifaceted and legal matters are closely intertwined with social, economic, and environmental issues, the development and introduction of an effective legal framework is crucial to the sustainable development of urban economies. Spatial development, planning and management issues, and smart technologies play an important role in this process. These factors help to optimize the use of resources, promote innovation, and also improve people’s quality of life. How does the legal framework affect a city’s economy? What issues in this regard require urgent attention and solutions? What else can be done to this end to improve the quality of life of urban residents?
27.06.2024
13:30–15:00
13:30–15:00
Broadcast International Law and Property: New Challenges and Solutions
Congress Centre, conference hall E12
Property rights are traditionally considered the foundation of economic relations. However, despite their generally recognized and inviolable nature, guarantees for the protection of property have become subject to politics. International and national standards for the protection of property rights in the rapidly changing geopolitical situation are undergoing a true test of endurance. Numerous countries are adopting legislative initiatives to confiscate sovereign assets. The publicly declared goal of confiscating state assets by force is becoming a particularly cynical one. There is no doubt that such actions are eroding the centuries-old principles of the sovereign equality of states and the inviolability of their property. The assets of private individuals and government-related companies are coming under attack: their accounts are being frozen, and movable and immovable property is being seized and confiscated under far-fetched criminal pretexts. Such actions are accompanied by restrictions on other fundamental rights, including recourse to court. Of course, neither states nor private entrepreneurs can sit by idly in the face of gross violations of international and national law. What do we need to create new guarantees to protect property from the abuse of cross-border and national instruments of law?
27.06.2024
13:30–15:00
13:30–15:00
Broadcast Electric Scooter: Transport of the Future or a Hazard on the Roads?
Congress Centre, conference hall B4
More and more people are using personal mobility aids in Russia. The average speed of a mobility aid is 15 km per hour, comparable to the average speed of passenger buses and trams, making personal mobility aids attractive to the inhabitants of the modern metropolis. Along with the growth in their popularity, however, comes a growth in accidents. It is imperative that we strike a balance between the regulation of mobility aids, resolve problematic violations of the rules governing traffic, and develop urban infrastructure for the use of such aids.
27.06.2024
13:30–15:00
13:30–15:00
Meeting of the Interstate Council for Combating Corruption working group, attended by representatives of Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Russia
Congress Centre, conference hall E10
27.06.2024
13:30–15:00
13:30–15:00
Broadcast Digitalization to Enhance Efficiency: Minimizing Discretionary Decisions in Bankruptcy Law
Congress Centre, conference hall D4
The integrated debt management and administration system uses its capabilities to determine what support measures are needed to settle debts not only with the budget, but with commercial creditors as well. When bankruptcy is imminent, creditors look at insolvency proceedings as a means of collection and expect the debt to be repaid. How can we evaluate the effectiveness of the bankruptcy procedure? Could a point system be used as an alternative to randomly selecting an administrator? Could the bankruptcy procedure become clearer and more serviceable for the parties involved?
27.06.2024
13:30–15:00
13:30–15:00
Broadcast Legal Aspects in the New Social Studies Programme
Congress Centre, conference hall B2
The global changes taking place before our eyes today are challenging the national education system in new ways. Especially affected are school social studies programmes, designed to ensure schoolchildren grow up to be good citizens of the Russian Federation. New federal state educational standards and programmes provide for changes to the content of social studies at school for up to three years – from 9th to 11th grades. The crux of the new programme is the absolute necessity of sovereignty if Russian society and every Russian family and individual are to develop and prosper. Why did the social studies programme need to be updated? What are there risks involved in replacing a 6-year programme with a 3-year programme? How will the new programme and state textbooks guide students to a correct understanding of legal culture and consciousness, rights and duties, and respect for generally accepted social norms and moral values? How are the primacy of national interests and the importance of the legal principles enshrined in the Constitution of the Russian Federation covered? What does the new social studies programme look like?
27.06.2024
13:30–15:00
13:30–15:00
Broadcast Abolition of Law in Western Countries
Congress Centre, conference hall D2
The presumption of innocence? The supremacy of law? Legal procedures? Yes, but no, according to the European authorities. Over the past two years, Russian citizens and companies, as well as Europeans who violate the bloc’s discipline, have been involuntarily competing in a new sport: ultimate legal fighting. What legal chokeholds are European bureaucrats using, and what wording brings tears to the eyes of even the most seasoned prosecutors at sanctions hearings?
16:00
27.06.2024
16:00–18:00
16:00–18:00
Broadcast Law: The Foundation of Global Balance
Пленарное заседание
Congress Centre, Congress Hall
10:00
28.06.2024
28.06.2024
10:00–11:30
10:00–11:30
Broadcast Between a Rock and a Hard Place: Ways for International Companies to Continue Doing Business in Russia in the face of Foreign Sanctions and Russian Countermeasures
Congress Centre, conference hall B3
Numerous foreign countries have ratcheted up sanctions pressure on Russia since February 2022. Thousands of Russian companies and individuals have been placed on sanctions lists. Russia does not recognize these sanctions as legal on its territory. Government agencies and courts have given negative assessments of compliance with sanctions restrictions, which may also entail risks for companies and management. In addition, Russia has introduced a number of retaliatory countermeasures that significantly limit numerous transactions and operations. The current situation is a major challenge for international companies that continue to operate in Russia, as well as prominent Russian companies operating abroad. On the one hand, the failure to comply with foreign sanctions puts an entire group at risk because, in many cases, such companies are required by foreign laws to comply with the sanctions. On the other hand, compliance with foreign sanctions for companies operating in Russia exposes them to the risk of liability, sanctions, and other negative consequences on Russian territory. Foreign companies that remain in Russia are also subject to many of the requirements and restrictions of Russian counter-sanctions legislation, despite their decision to continue developing their business. Such companies find themselves between a rock and a hard place.
28.06.2024
10:00–11:30
10:00–11:30
Broadcast International Private Law and Shortcomings: How Unilateral Restrictions Impact International Private Law
Congress Centre, conference hall D1
The restrictive measures imposed by individual foreign countries have a major impact on all institutions and mechanisms of private international law. In this distorted reality, all the usual rules and principles regarding conflict of law rules, the jurisdiction of courts, the cross-border enforcement of court and arbitration decisions, and international cooperation in civil proceedings function differently. It would be impossible to list all the side effects of foreign sanctions. Alarming examples include: limited access to justice, the disruption of projects, attempts to avoid debts owed to sanctioned persons, and obstacles in the protection of personal non-property rights. What challenges do practitioners face, and what responses can private international law provide to sectoral challenges?
28.06.2024
10:00–11:30
10:00–11:30
Broadcast Law as the Basis for the Development of Innovation and Technology
Congress Centre, conference hall D2
The further development of innovations and technologies and the strengthening of Russia’s technological sovereignty on this basis is one of the country’s strategic and key objectives. In the current conditions, Russia needs new information, digital, and other technologies that are critical for the sustainable and safe functioning of the economy and society. Technological innovations are not simply one of the factors of economic growth and national security. They dictate the prospects for the development of the economy and social sector, people’s well-being and quality of life, and the effective operation of state institutions. The law must provide a modern and comfortable regulatory environment for Russia’s innovative scientific and technological development, the introduction and use of new technologies, the encouragement of technological innovation, and the implementation of goals and objectives in all spheres of life on this basis. How does the law ensure the creation and development of innovations and technologies? What breakthrough end-to-end digital technologies should legal regulation primarily aim to develop? What kind of legal framework is needed to ensure the country’s innovative scientific and technological development? How can we effectively use legal instruments in the technology race? What legal support measures do high-tech companies need?
28.06.2024
10:00–11:30
10:00–11:30
Broadcast Assurances and Guarantees in Russian Law: Distribution of Contractual and Tax Risks
Congress Centre, conference hall B1
The civil law rules that took effect in 2015 on assurances and indemnity agreements enabled contractual parties subject to Russian law to include conditions similar to representations and warranties, as well as indemnity clauses in contracts under English law. Of course, Russian law was previously able to achieve the same effect for the proper recording and redistribution of risks or the assumption of additional liability. But since there were huge problems with this in practice, rules on assurances and indemnity agreements needed to be incorporated into Russian law. The new rules, as expected, raised new questions, ranging from the correlation of these institutions with the general concept of the obligation to their use in relation to public law, for example, tax risks. This roundtable will feature a discussion of the practical challenges that have emerged in recent years regarding assurances and indemnity agreements. The legal qualification of assurances and indemnity agreements as the concept of an obligation: what are we basing our conclusions on about what we face? Formalization of warranties and representations: do they really need to be prepared in writing with clear, explicit, and unambiguous statements? Is it possible to provide an assurance about something in the future? Is it possible to conclude an indemnity agreement based on a circumstance related to the debtor’s behaviour? Can representations and warranties be effectively used to protect one party to a contract against tax risks?
28.06.2024
10:00–11:30
10:00–11:30
Broadcast Digital Freedom: Law and the Evolution of Market Relations
Congress Centre, conference hall B4
The digital economy is the most rapidly developing sector of economic relations and is primarily driven by digital platforms and services, based on which new economic ties and types of legal relations are established every day. The modern legal system is designed to meet the current needs of the market and society, which are based on the principles of freedom of economic activity and maintaining a balance of interests of all parties. The legal regulation of the digital economy is currently one of the most pressing topics and requires a comprehensive discussion involving representatives of business, the legal scientific community, and the state. What role does the development of marketplaces play in the modern e-commerce market? How can we maintain a balance of interests in relations between sellers, consumers, and aggregators? What is the government’s role in all of this? How can we apply international best practices in regulating digital platforms in the Russian market? Where should we look for an industry balance between traditional retail and digital platforms?
28.06.2024
10:00–11:30
10:00–11:30
Broadcast Profession: Legal Expert
Congress Centre, conference hall E9
Where do you study if you want to become a legal expert? Court proceedings today require highly trained legal experts and specialists in various legal fields to use their multifaceted specialized knowledge in their activities. The Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation is dedicated to creating an institute for the training and continuing professional development of legal experts. In what cases is legal expertise ordered and what is the procedure for appointing it? What can legal expertise do? The work of legal experts is varied. Not only does it involve carrying out standard legal expertise, for which standardized algorithms have been developed, but it also includes the use of non-standard approaches – developing new research methods and simulations to help determine the properties of objects.
28.06.2024
10:00–11:30
10:00–11:30
Broadcast Rosenberg International Commercial Arbitration Student Competition
Congress Centre, conference hall E10
The Rosenberg contest, which was founded in 2014, is an annual international student competition in international commercial arbitration that is held in the format of game-based model arbitration proceedings. The competition is organized by the Russian Academy of Foreign Trade of the Russian Ministry of Economic Development and the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The competition is named after Professor Mikhail Rosenberg, one of the creators of the 1980 UN Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods and an arbitrator in the International Commercial Arbitration Court (ICAC) at the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry. During the competition, the two best teams will speak at oral arbitration hearings about one of the competition’s game-based cases before a jury comprised of leading arbitrators from the ICAC and representatives of the professional legal community. Following the hearings, arbitrators, students, graduate students, and representatives of arbitration centres and law firms will exchange views on the role of moot courts (arbitration training competitions) in the professional development of young lawyers.
28.06.2024
10:00–11:30
10:00–11:30
Broadcast Protecting Investments under the BRICS Umbrella
Congress Centre, conference hall D3
BRICS is a dynamically developing platform for foreign direct investment (FDI). According to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), FDI flows between the BRICS countries grew sixfold over the course of ten years. However, these numbers do not cover the past two years, and no figures are available for the countries that joined the association in 2024. Approximately twenty agreements on investment promotion and protection are currently in force in the BRICS zone and, given the lack of unified BRICS regulation in this area, they form the basis for structuring new investments and resolving disputes related to ongoing projects. However, the majority of these agreements were concluded in the late 20th or early 21st centuries and do not take recent developments into account. Moreover, there are no such bilateral agreements in effect as of now. In addition, countries are taking different approaches to investor protection standards and alternative dispute resolution. What does international legal cooperation in investment protection between BRICS countries look like? What obstacles do investors encounter when implementing projects in the BRICS countries? What specific features need to be taken into account? What measures do countries take to resolve disputes related to foreign investments? What role can arbitration bodies in the BRICS countries play in protecting investors?
28.06.2024
10:00–11:30
10:00–11:30
Broadcast Restricted Use Zones: Real Solutions for Managing Spatial Development
Congress Centre, conference hall D4
Restricted Use Zones (RUZ) are used in many countries to manage spatial development and regional policy. They are established to regulate economic, social, and environmental activity in certain territories. Under the Land Code of the Russian Federation, RUZ land plots are subject to a number of restrictions, including a ban on the construction or use of buildings and other structures. There are currently 28 types of RUZs. Special attention is required when establishing a zone as it may limit the use of land and real estate located there and result in land disputes and even negative consequences for the investment climate of a region, territorial development, and implementation of national projects. How does the establishment of a RUZ affect locals and investors? How appropriate are the statutory restrictions in light of the reasons for establishing RUZs? Should the relations tied to establishing a RUZ be further regulated?
28.06.2024
10:00–11:30
10:00–11:30
Broadcast Labour Disputes
Congress Centre, conference hall E12
The primary goals of labour legislation are to establish state guarantees for the labour rights and freedoms of citizens, create favourable working conditions, and protect the rights and interests of workers and employers. As such, legislators, emphasizing that employees are the weakest party in employment relations and require additional measures of support from the government, have determined that the interests of the employer are also subject to protection. Various legal mechanisms can be used to ensure a balance of interests between employees and employers, including tools to consider and resolve labour disputes, which are far from ideal today from both theoretical and practical standpoints. Is it true that the employee is always the weaker party in employment relations? What are some of the procedural problems with employees and employers using various methods of interaction (including digital means) as part their employment relationship? How do pre-trial, extra-judicial, and judicial procedures for the consideration and resolution of labour disputes correlate in terms of effectively protecting the rights and legitimate interests of both parties in employment relations? The will and expression of will of employees within the dynamics of employment relations: what do we give preference to in practice? What are the limits of judicial discretion when resolving labour disputes and how do these limits relate to an employer’s freedom to make management decisions? Are any features of electronic justice involved in the consideration of labour disputes?
28.06.2024
10:00–11:30
10:00–11:30
Broadcast Arbitrarily Equating Russian Business with the Russian State
Congress Centre, conference hall E11
The tectonic shifts that took place in 2022 have made the double standards employed by the countries of the Global North even more apparent. On the one hand, new attempts are being made to deprive states of their special status that distinguishes them from private individuals, above all, to overcome the immunities that the state, its officials, and assets enjoy under international law. On the other hand, when it is advantageous, the public and private businesses of undesirable countries (primarily Russia) are equated with the state, e.g., if private assets have to be confiscated/frozen under the pretext of ‘demands’ made upon on the state or compliance with sanctions.
11:00
28.06.2024
11:30–12:00
11:30–12:00
Broadcast Итоговая пресс-конференция ПМЮФ
Congress Centre, conference hall B10
12:00
28.06.2024
12:15–13:45
12:15–13:45
Broadcast Intellectual Property Law in the 21st Century
Congress Centre, conference hall B4
The growth of the global intellectual property market in the 21st century is significantly outpacing that of global markets for resources, goods, and services. There is a reason why intellectual property is referred to as the ‘new oil’ and people recognize its vital role in a country’s economic development. However, unlocking the potential of intellectual property requires an answer to the question about what kind of legal regulation is optimal in this regard and takes into account the development of new technologies and industries, as well as new challenges in economics and geopolitics. What trends are we currently seeing in the development of intellectual property law in the 21st century? How should intellectual property law respond to major political and economic changes? How is the active use of artificial intelligence affecting the legal regulation of intellectual activities? What limits should there be in the legal protection of genomic research results? What are some of the specifics of protecting intellectual property in the creative industries?
28.06.2024
12:15–13:45
12:15–13:45
Broadcast Patriotism and Law
Congress Centre, conference hall E10
Studying ways to form a Russian civic identity, support for the patriotic movement, and the protection of the natural right to patriotism are fundamental conditions for the state’s stability. To this end, do we need to determine what regulatory acts underlie the formation of patriotism? What are the most effective methods for forming a civic identity, including in the process of educational work and military patriotic education? What government support measures are being used to develop civic consciousness among young people and how effective are they? How can we provide legal mechanisms to foster patriotism as a natural need of citizens.
28.06.2024
12:15–13:45
12:15–13:45
Broadcast Customs Disputes: Identifying the Key to Success in Court
Congress Centre, conference hall D2
State customs regulation was transferred to the Eurasian Economic Union level by the Union’s members. It became the ‘heart’ of integration, constitutes a ‘unified policy, so requires uniform law enforcement in the EAEU member states. Yet disputes involving customs authorities of these states are considered by national courts applying state procedural codes on the basis of sometimes differing approaches to various questions of substantive customs law. What are the difficulties encountered by businessmen during customs clearance and protection of their rights? What are the specifics of challenging goods classification and its influence on customs value? How are benefits and preferences applied in customs relations? What is the balance of interests in imposing liability for breach of the customs legislation? What is the status of parties to customs relations, including of customs representatives? What approaches are taken by the EAEU Court, whose acts are called on to ensure unified enforcement of customs law on the customs territory of the Eurasian Five countries?
28.06.2024
12:15–13:45
12:15–13:45
Broadcast Protect your Business: Notary Assistance for Legal Entities
Congress Centre, conference hall D4
Notaries support commercial activities at all stages of business: when registering a legal entity or individual entrepreneur, and later when resolving corporate issues at established organizations. It is also impossible to resolve issues concerning the inheritance of business assets without a notary. What are some of the special aspects of how notaries use information technologies and perform new types of notarial actions (including for remote meetings of the collegial bodies of legal entities) and how they provide assistance in preventing adverse property and reputational threats? What are some possible legislative initiatives on notarial assistance for businesses?
28.06.2024
12:15–13:45
12:15–13:45
Broadcast A Synthesis of Tradition and Innovation in Legal Education: Striking a Balance
Congress Centre, conference hall E12
The importance of preserving traditions in legal education is a pressing issue given the rapid development of technology. While innovation is actively penetrating the legal practice and educational process, the fundamental principles of jurisprudence, such as justice, equality before the law, and the protection of human rights, must remain unchanged. These fundamental values ensure the stability and predictability of the legal system, which is critical to the proper functioning of society and the state. As a result, legal education faces the challenge of striking an optimal balance: on the one hand, new technologies and teaching methods need to be integrated to train specialists so that they are capable of working in the modern legal field, while, on the other hand, the classical approaches and values that underlie law need to be preserved. How can these classical approaches to legal education be effectively complemented by innovative technologies and methods? Why do new IT solutions need to be integrated into the legal educational process and what are some possible risks of this? How is the role of the teacher changing in the learning process with the spread of digitalization and the availability of online resources? What new skills and expertise do teachers need? How can we integrate programmes to develop stress resistance and maintain emotional well-being into the educational process, given the high stress levels in the legal profession?
28.06.2024
12:15–13:45
12:15–13:45
Broadcast Re-(de-)Politicization of International Arbitration: The Evolution of Principles and Procedural Institutions
Congress Centre, conference hall D1
Until only recently, it was considered a competitive advantage of international arbitration that it was depoliticized, resistant to the influence of the public policy of individual states, even the states of the seat of arbitration, beholden solely to the will of the parties, strictly confidential, and adversarial in nature. But this advantage has gradually turned to weakness. While the protection of human rights and antitrust regulation have naturally moved from public law to private arbitration, the fight against corruption, the political interests of states, including national security, ecology, and tax regulation, have become a real challenge. The classic paradigm of international arbitration has been completely undermined by sanctions and trade wars and the European Union’s crusade against arbitration clauses in intra-EU investment protection treaties. The idea can now be heard more often that to retain influence, arbitration must become more court-like and live up to its responsibilities to the parties and to the rule of law. International discussion around these issues looks less like a full-fledged dialogue than an investigation of positions. The global community of arbitrators is in no hurry to swear in the new arbitral order as states see it. UNCITRAL Working Group III continues to discuss the reform of investment arbitration, but there is still much to do before final decisions are made. What awaits international arbitration? Should it consider political factors? If it does, will it manage to preserve procedural flexibility and attract global business?
28.06.2024
12:15–13:45
12:15–13:45
Broadcast Investing in Russia: Five Tools to Protect against Conflict with a Local Partner
Congress Centre, conference hall B2
Protecting the interests of a foreign investor in a joint venture with a local partner requires a special focus on minimizing potential sources of conflict. By failing to understand the tools that exist in the event of a corporate dispute, we reduce our ability to interest foreign investors in Russian companies. Risks can be mitigated by fine-tuning governance mechanisms within the company and the structuring of corporate contracts. Should a conflict nevertheless arise, we must approach its resolution comprehensively: from negotiation and court to the use of PR and GR technologies and correct business valuations. The latter often go unused. Equally important is where disputes are heard, in a Russian state court or in arbitration. What tools do foreign investors possess to effectively protect their interests at every stage of a corporate conflict?
28.06.2024
12:15–13:45
12:15–13:45
Broadcast Platform-Based Work in the Digital Economy: Legal Issues Related to Regulation (Federal Law on Aggregators)
Congress Centre, conference hall E9
Today, platform-based employment involves individuals providing services and performing work with the help of an intermediary – a digital platform. The number of platforms is increasing, and the number of people who use them for their work and to make a living is also growing as a result. However, legislation has only partially resolved such issues as the legal regulation of people who work using platform-based employment and the distribution of responsibility to third parties between platforms and the people who work with them. When building models of the relevant legal mechanisms that are needed, it is crucial to choose the most effective legal means that can both help provide certain guarantees to platform-based employment workers and secure development opportunities for this sector of the economy. Why did platform-based employment emerge and why is it developing? What types of platforms are there? Is working through a digital platform a special type of employment? And if so, how should it be regulated? Is it possible to require all workers on a platform to register as being self-employed? How, on the one hand, can we protect workers on digital platforms from having unfair penalties imposed on them, and, on the other hand, make them legally liable in the labour world? How can we neutralize such negative manifestations as high levels of competition on platforms, a lack of professional growth, and the growing precarization of labour? Will effective legal regulation mechanisms be created for society when regulations on aggregators are adopted?
28.06.2024
12:15–13:45
12:15–13:45
Broadcast Improving Legal Mechanisms to Protect Rights in Sports
Congress Centre, conference hall B3
Russian sport is going through some difficult times due to external pressure and isolation. A perfect example of the unsportsmanlike behaviour shown by international organizations was the ban on Russian Paralympians, tennis players, football players, chess players, and even e-sportsmen participating in tournaments. The mass suspension of Russian athletes could drag on and lead to them being excluded from the Olympic Games and other international competitions. Discrimination, exclusion, and various kinds of restrictions are not only violations of the rights of athletes, but also of the human right to work. This obviously jeopardizes the fundamental principles of the sport. What are some of the current problems in sport that are preventing citizens from realizing their right to play sports? What are some of the legal aspects of the development of sports, as well as legal protection and guarantees for participants in both Russian and international sporting events? What is in store for Russian sport in the near future and what role could law play in its fate? What are the main problems in realizing the right to sport? How and when will Russian sport make its return to the international stage?
28.06.2024
12:15–13:45
12:15–13:45
Broadcast Legislation on Administrative Offences: Issues Related to Procedural Law
Congress Centre, conference hall E11
What are some of the key problems associated with the procedure for considering cases involving administrative offences, in particular such issues as the codification of procedural legislation on administrative offenses, the digitalization of the process, and its adaptation to modern realities, and what measures need to be taken to resolve them?
28.06.2024
12:15–13:45
12:15–13:45
Broadcast Problems Facing the Electric Power Industry of the Russian Federation Today
Congress Centre, conference hall B1
Reliable, high-quality and affordable energy is a must-have for a comfortable life, and an indispensable condition for the free growth of the Russian economy. The most important task when it comes to achieving these goals is to consolidate the country’s power supply network. Global trends in the development of the industry. The task set by the government for the electric grid complex to achieve a new level of technological development. The changes in the energy consumption model. All these factors dictate how grid companies operate.
14:00
28.06.2024
14:30–16:00
14:30–16:00
Broadcast Notification in Transnational Proceedings: Speed or Due Process
Congress Centre, conference hall B1
Providing notification to parties involved in a court case is an integral guarantee of justice in civil and commercial cases. In transnational proceedings, this procedure raises numerous practical questions for the parties in legal proceedings, as well as the central and competent authorities. They are at the confluence of different legal orders that have their own principles and procedures, constantly searching for an acceptable balance for all the relevant jurisdictions between the actual notification of the parties, compliance with formalities, and a reasonable period of legal proceedings. What practices are there for using cross-border cooperation tools to notify the parties in proceedings? What approaches exist to determine the applicable law for the judicial notification procedure? What problems arise when searching for defendants and when can they not be served with notifications abroad? What prospects exist for the introduction of electronic technologies to provide notifications in transnational proceedings?
28.06.2024
14:30–15:15
14:30–15:15
Broadcast Moral Principles in the Works of Anatoly Koni and His Role as a Moral Ideal in Educating the Younger Generation of Lawyers
Лекция
Congress Centre, conference hall E9
28.06.2024
14:30–16:00
14:30–16:00
Broadcast Stolen Identity: Legal Aspects Related to the Regulation of Deepfakes and Voice Imitation
Congress Centre, conference hall D4
The development of modern technologies and artificial intelligence has made it possible to create generative content: videos, audio, and texts that can be extremely similar to real recordings. Deepfakes can be used to manipulate political processes and society, create fake news, commit fraud, and steal personal information. Since this is a new, but rapidly developing phenomenon, it is crucial for companies, governments, and society to join efforts to combat this type of unreliable information. This not only requires constant improvements to the models and systems used to recognize and verify content, but also the creation of a transparent regulatory framework to regulate generated content. How can we ensure a legal balance and join forces in combatting false and generated content? What regulations and restrictions on the use of this type of content are already in place? Should such practices be limited in the creative industries? How can governments, companies, and users protect themselves against scammers and identity theft?
28.06.2024
14:30–16:00
14:30–16:00
Broadcast Great Patriotic War: History and Legal Lessons
Congress Centre, conference hall B2
Given the growth in international tensions, which is based on the destruction of historical memory, as well as the rehabilitation and resurrection of neo-colonialism, neo-imperialism, and neo-Nazism, the Russian state and society have had to deal with attempts to deform historical memory and distort historical truth, as well as negative assessments of events and periods of Russian history, including Great Patriotic War. Russia is able to ensure its sovereignty with historical and legal traditions that help to establish and implement the sovereign policy that is being pursued by society and the state and ensures their progressive development based on the positive past of the country and its people and a well-developed legal theory, regardless of anything or anyone from the outside. The discussion session provides a platform on which lawyers, historians, philosophers, political scientists, and sociologists can formulate a body of reliable and scientifically based historical knowledge, which serves as one of the foundations of a Russian civic identity and collective historical memory. In addition, they will pay special attention to legal mechanisms that can promptly identify and counteract threats to the state and society and are built based on historical and legal theories that are unacceptable to the state and society. The session will feature a special discussion of the principles of international law that were established following World War II, as well as legal mechanisms to implement the Russian state’s constitutional obligation to honour the memory of the defenders of the Fatherland.
28.06.2024
14:30–16:00
14:30–16:00
Broadcast Forensics for Future Justice
Congress Centre, conference hall B4
One of the main objectives for the security and sovereign development of the Russian state is to effectively counteract and combat domestic and international crime. In the current conditions, the government must have sufficient and optimal means and methods, primarily for forensic purposes, which will enable government structures and society to function with stable and positive trends in the country’s socioeconomic development. Monitoring the current state of crime in the country using modern forensic tools and methods is not only a factor in its progressive development, but also a crucial condition for all national security and sovereignty. This ultimately ensures the achievement of economic and social development goals and promotes the well-being and quality of life of Russian citizens. How can we overcome current criminal challenges based on the development, introduction, and use of the appropriate innovative forensic technologies, including those related to artificial intelligence, neural networks, and digital footprints in the current conditions?
28.06.2024
14:30–16:00
14:30–16:00
Broadcast The Creativity of Artificial Intelligence and the Results of Intellectual Activity: Legal Aspects
Congress Centre, conference hall B3
Over the past few years, artificial intelligence has come a long way from simple algorithms to powerful systems that can create intellectual property. Elon Musk believes that AI will become smarter than humans in two years, while Baidu CEO Robin Li believes it will happen in 10 years. Both forecasts are frighteningly short. No one has been left untouched by the achievements of artificial intelligence in the creative industries, and there is no longer a clear answer to the question of who is the author of such results. The correlation between artificial intelligence and intellectual property law is taking on rather bizarre forms. AI needs the works and other results of human intellectual activities to further develop, while the results of the creative activities of AI are much in demand in society and a variety of industries. However, representatives of numerous creative industries are sounding the alarm bell about the risks of AI expanding into the sphere of human creativity. What are some of the special features related to the fair use of intellectual property created by artificial intelligence? What problems and prospects exist for using neural networks in copyright law? How will artificial intelligence help to improve the current state of creative industries and what needs to be done to effectively realize its limitless possibilities?
28.06.2024
14:30–16:00
14:30–16:00
Broadcast Legal Assistance in the BRICS Countries: Legal Infrastructure for Mutual Investments
Congress Centre, conference hall E10
Law firms in BRICS countries may encounter a number of difficulties and restrictions locally, for which there is no common established practice or stable legal regulation. It is essential to identify obstacles to such cooperation that could be overcome by creating new or improving existing legal mechanisms. Throughout 2023, we saw the structure of foreign business in Russia continue to change and a growing share of BRICS partners on the Russian market. Trade and economic interaction with BRICS countries continued to intensify, and in some areas it virtually supplanted Western business. BRICS countries occupy a unique place in the global economy. Together they create roughly 25% of the world’s GDP and make up a massive global market of around 3.21 billion people (42% of the world’s population). One of the objectives of the Strategy for BRICS Economic Partnership is to consolidate efforts to overcome the crises in the economy caused by the pandemic, as well as to develop effective measures to respond to the challenges of the global economy, including countering trade restrictions. In this situation, one of the government’s top priorities is to improve legal mechanisms that aim to regulate business relations with BRICS partners and ensure the safety of foreign investments, since it directly affects the economic security of the Russian state. How are the legal mechanisms used to regulate business relations between BRICS countries changing in the current conditions? What can be done to improve them?
28.06.2024
14:30–16:00
14:30–16:00
Broadcast Protecting Rights in the Financial Market: Keeping People Informed, Resolving Disputes, and Ensuring Fair Contractual Terms and Conditions
Congress Centre, conference hall D3
Modern conditions have led to a significant increase in accessibility and the speed with which financial services may be attained. Financial services have become more difficult for people without special knowledge to understand, and the application of artificial intelligence technologies by financial institutions presents a new challenge with the potential to multiply consumer vulnerabilities. In this context, the old problems associated with the imbalances in the relationship between consumers and financial institutions maintain their relevance. To ensure consumers are adequately protected when receiving financial services, we must consider the following: the financial services provided must be transparent. It is not uncommon for the consumer to be inundated with information without ever bringing to their attention the most important aspects and risks of a financial product. How can we make product information simple and easy to understand? What additional measures are needed? Contractual terms and conditions must be fair. Can the consumer influence the terms of the contract? How can we avoid provisions that infringe the rights of the consumer? Disputes arising with financial services should be resolved with the participation of the consumer. What problems do banks face with the settlement of debt and how can the Financial Ombudsman help? How can the pre-trial procedure balance the interests of creditors and borrowers?
15:00
28.06.2024
15:15–16:00
15:15–16:00
Broadcast Resolution of Intellectual Property Disputes in Eurasia
Презентация монографии
Congress Centre, conference hall E9
At present, national and regional patent systems operate in parallel in the countries that are part of the Eurasian Patent Organization. Their coexistence raises questions about the harmonization of compliance practices and the development of a system to resolve disputes concerning Eurasian patents. Practice shows that national courts can make different decisions regarding the same Eurasian patent, even when objections are filed by the same person and are based on the same prior art documents. The decision to deny a Eurasian patent cannot be challenged in court at all now. The monograph presents the experience of regional courts in Eurasia, current opportunities for challenging decisions, and prospects for the development of a system that would consider patent disputes. How can you protect your intellectual rights in Eurasian countries? How many courts do you have to go through to protect a Eurasian patent? The Eurasian Patent Convention and national courts: does everyone read it the same way? Why do we need the Eurasian Patent Court?
16:00
28.06.2024
16:00–17:30
16:00–17:30
Broadcast Values of Law in the New World Order
Пленарное заседание ММЮФ
Congress Centre, conference hall D1
The values of law are key to the development of international legal relations. As things stand today, the protection of human rights, the rule of law, and the way international and national legal systems come together in the context of global change all receive a great deal of attention. What role do legal norms play in global stability and security? What challenges do modern legal systems face, and how can they adapt to the new reality?
18:00