Workshop 1 - Security of Investments in a Changing Legal Environment - A Case for International Arbitration?

The workshop focuses on investment security in light of recent regulatory changes in different EU countries leading to several arbitration cases under the Energy Charter Treaty. In the morning, representatives from the Energy Charter Secretariat and the Energy Community Secretariat are invited to present latest trends and developments in such disputes. In the afternoon, a panel discussion (including leading practitioners like ICSID-arbitrators) will focus on the legal and practical issues involved, e.g. potential discrimination of national vs. international investors.

Speakers :

- Juan Ignacio González Ruiz (Uría Menéndez – ELG Member Spain)
- Dirk Uwer (Hengeler Mueller – ELG Member Germany)
- Dirk Buschle (Energy Community Secretariat)
- Nicolas Angelet (Liedekerke Wolters Waelbroeck Kirkpatrick – ELG Member Belgium)
- Claire Stockford (Shepherd & Wedderburn – ELG Member Scotland)

Workshop 2 – Gas pipeline projects, gas storage and shale gas

This workshop will be dedicated to selected legal topics from the gas industry. The morning session will discuss the various pipeline projects being planned for the connection of Europe to Russia and alternative supply arrangements. It will contain a brief description of each project, its state of development, the interested parties and the correlation with other projects as well as its effects on the security of supply requirements of Europe. Gas storage issues will also be discussed. The afternoon session will focus on shale gas in the UK and in Poland (incl. processes used for the extraction of shale gas, key objections to the industry, addressing risks and managing opposition, current and expected regulatory landscape, tax regime).

Speakers :

- Marina Kolia (Zepos & Yannopoulos – ELG Member Greece)
- Angeliki Mourtzikou (RAE – Greek Regulatory Authority for Energy)
- Afra Mantoni (Ughi e Nunziante - ELG Member Italy)
- Samantha Brady and Jolyon-Smith (Slaughter & May – ELG Member England)
- K. Parmar (former President Polish Exploration and Production Industry Organization)

Workshop 3 - REMIT: policy and practical issues facing energy market participants in the changing regulatory regime

The workshop is designed to help you get fully up to speed with the implications of REMIT and other aspects of the fast moving regulatory environment for energy. Subtopics discussed with specialized ELG members or external speakers will focus on (i) The evolving regulatory regime; MIFID II/ EMIR / REMIT, how they fit together and the challenges that market participant organisations face (ii) REMIT-perspective from national regulator (iii) the practical implications of REMIT - how is it working within market participant organisations (iv) REMIT, implementing an effective compliance program - in-house perspective.

Speakers :

- Gordon Downie (Shepherd & Wedderburn – Elg Member Scotland)
- Aviv Handler (ETR Advisory)
- Daniel Leliefeld (Authority for Consumers and Markets – Dutch NRA)
- David Jose Gonzalez Fernandez (Iberdrola)
- Marek Dal-Canton (Statkraft)
- Fabian Möller (Swissgrid)

Workshop 4 - Challenges in Renewables in the Middle East and Africa

In a region where environmental concerns are not perceived as a priority, and where energy independence is often not an issue, what is the status of the renewable energy industry? What are its prospects? What are the key steps that lawmakers and the industry should push for? Subtopics discussed with specialized ELG members or external speakers will focus on (i) Regulatory and legal international frameworks to promote renewables in MENA (ii) Integrating renewables in emerging markets: challenges and concessions (iii) Renewables in the GCC countries (iv) Renewables in African Lusophone countries (v) Renewable energy case studies from Sub-Saharan Africa, specifically mini-grid and off-grid solutions (vi) Challenges for implementing a wind farm IPP in North Africa.

Speakers :

- Fadi Moghaizel (Moghaizel Law Office – ELG Member Lebanon)
- Ernesto Bonafé (Energy Charter Secretariat)
- Masood Afridi (Afridi & Angell – ELG Member United Arab Emirates)
- Salman Mahmood (Sultan Al Abdallah Law Firm – ELG Member Qatar)
- Isabel Cancela de Abreu ( Associação Lusófona de Energias Renováveis)
- David Lecoque (Alliance for Rural Electrification)
- Hughes de La Forge (Jeantet Associés – ELG Member France)

Workshop 5 – Oil & Mining: current trends of development in Europe and Africa

This workshop will look into the current trends of development in Eastern Europe, Africa and the Middle East, where minerals extraction and exports continue to drive the economy to a significant extent. The morning session will be dedicated to oil and mining in Eastern Europe with presentations from Bulgaria (Structure of the Value Chain in the Minerals Industries), Poland (Polish mining licenses – on the way to liberalize the market), Serbia (Mining on the Balkans – Selected Project Opportunities and Industry Tendencies in SEE) and Romania. The afternoon session will target the evolving legal environment and new challenges in the mining industries in Africa and the Middle-East. Reports will focus on (i) Investing and financing projects in the mining sector in Africa: challenges and opportunities (ii) The new Mining Code of Democratic Republic of Congo (iii) the Malian and the UEMOA Mining Codes: incentives and opportunities in Western Africa (iv) The mining sector in Southern and Eastern Africa: recent developments, opportunities and perspectives.

Speakers :

- Yassen Spassov (Djingov, Gouginski, Kyutchukov & Velichkov – ELG Member Bulgaria)
- Robin Clarkson (Oil & Gas UK’s Legal Working Group on Decommissioning)
- Tomasz Młodawski (Sołtysiński Kawecki & Szlęzak - ELG Member Poland)
- Ruxandra Bologa (Nestor Nestor Diculescu Kingston Petersen – ELG Member Romania)
- Yassen Spassov (Djingov, Gouginski, Kyutchukov & Velichkov – ELG Member Bulgaria)
- Ivan Nonković (Karanovic & Nikolic – ELG Member Serbia)
- Thierry Lauriol and Emilie Raynaud (Jeantet Associés – ELG Member France)
- Mamadou Diarra (Malian Minister of Promotion of Investments and Private Sector)
- Aimery de Schoutheete (Liedekerke Wolters Waelbroeck Kirkpatrick – ELG Member Belgium)
- Dr Anthony Harwood (Montero Mining)
- François du Plessis (Greenstone Resources)

Magritte museum

During an exclusive guided tour, you will have the opportunity to admire the world’s largest collection of works of the surrealist artist René Magritte. Opened in June, 2009, the Magritte Museum contains more than 200 works consisting of oils on canvas, gouaches, drawings, sculptures and painted objects as well as advertising posters, musical scores, vintage photographs and films produced by the artist.