Recent developments have brought to the fore the question of the lawfulness of economic activities in occupied territories. Many States, NGOs and scholars maintain that international law prohibits economic dealings with occupying States that extend to territories under their control. Still, the legal framework governing the lawfulness of such dealings remains highly disputed. In this light, this workshop aims to explore three different perspectives on the international legality of economic activities in occupied territories.

The workshop will open with a keynote lecture by Prof. François Dubuisson from Université Libre de Bruxelles, which will be followed by three panels dealing with different (but interconnected) aspects of the main theme of the workshop. The first panel will investigate the legality of economic activities in occupied territories under Public International Law. The second panel will touch upon the legality of economic activities in occupied territories under European Union Law, especially in light of the recent decisions by the Court of Justice of the EU. Finally, the closing panel will address the legal obligations/rights of non-State actors with regard to economic activities in occupied territories.

This event co-organised by the Asser Institute and The Hague University of Applied Sciences is supported by the Hague Academic Coalition (HAC) and the Royal Netherlands Society of International Law (KNVIR).

Price: REGISTRATION IS NOT OPEN YET

•          Fee (covering coffee and lunch): 50€
•          Members of HAC Institutions, Members of the KNVIR : Free

9:00 Registration - Coffee

9:30 Opening by Prof. Janne Nijman (Asser Institute)

9:35 - 10:30 Keynote Lecture by Prof. François Dubuisson (Université Libre de Bruxelles) – Followed by a Q&A with Prof. Janne Nijman (Asser Institute)

10:30 - 12:15 Panel 1 – The legality of economic activities in occupied territories under Public International Law

•          Prof. Tom Ruys (Ghent University) - The Hunt for Phosphate Shipments from the Western Sahara and the curious case of the NM Cherry Blossom - Whither State Immunity and Act of State?  
•          Prof. Eugene Kontorovich (Northwestern University) - State Practice with Regards to Trade with Occupied Territories
•          Dr. Ralph Wilde (University College London) - Effects-based human rights responsibilities in occupied territories
•          Tom Moerenhout (Graduate Institute for International and Development Studies) - The Duty of Non recognition and Illegal Occupation: A Legal Discipline with Two Marriages and One Fragile Baby
•          Commentator: Prof. Cedric Ryngaert (Utrecht University)

12:15 – 13:15 Lunch

13:15 – 15:00 Panel 2 - The legality of economic activities in occupied territories under European Union Law

•          Dr. Mauro Gatti (Université du Luxembourg) - The EU's Approach to Occupied Territories: Non-Recognition De Jure, Recognition De Facto?
•          Dr. Nikolas Kyriacou (Court of Justice of the European Union) - The EU's trade relations with northern Cyprus: Obligations and limits under public international and EU law
•          Dr. Joris Larik (Leiden University) - The EU's Constitutional Self-Restraint: Occupied Territories and the "strict observance" of International law
•          Olia Kanevskaia (Tilburg University) - Mislabeled, Mistreated or Misunderstood? EU Labelling Practices for Products Imported from Disputed Territories
•          Commentator: Dr. Paschalis Paschalidis (Court of Justice of the European Union)

15:00 – 15:15 Coffee Break

15:15 – 17:00 Panel 3 – Non-State actors and the legality of economic activities in occupied territories

•          Dr. Ka Lok Yip (Graduate Institute for International and Development Studies) - Extracting Natural Resources in Territories under Belligerent Occupation – the Conjunction between Jus in Bello, Jus ad Bellum and Human Rights Law
•          Dr. Marco Pertile (University of Trento) - Economic activities in Occupied Territories and Civil Society Campaigns: A Comparison of Two Cases and a Taxonomy of Legal Arguments
•          Prof. Alessandra Annoni (Università degli Studi di Ferrara) & Grazia Careccia (former Head of Al-Haq’s Legal Research and Advocacy Department) - Litigating Corporate Complicity in International Crimes perpetrated in Palestine: Can Domestic Jurisdictions Effectively Fight Impunity for Delicta Juris Gentium
•          Sebastian Wuschka (Luther Rechtsanwaltsgesellschaft & Ruhr-University Bochum) - Investment Tribunals Adjudicating Claims Relating to Occupied Territories - Curse or Blessing?
•          Commentator: Prof. Nadia Bernaz (Wageningen University)