Call for abstracts: The European Union as a sanctioning actor: Legal and institutional developments

The Centre for the Law of EU External Relations (CLEER), the T.M.C. Asser Instituut
and the Multidisciplinary International Network on Sanctions (MINOS) operating at
Ghent University invite abstracts for a conference on ‘The European Union as a
Sanctioning Actor: Legal and Institutional Developments’ that will take place on
11th December 2026 at the premises of the T.M.C. Asser Institute in The Hague.

Over the past decades, the European Union (EU) has become one of the most active
sanctioning actors. EU sanctions (restrictive measures) have expanded significantly in
scope, frequency and ambition. At this moment, there are over 40 different EU
sanctioning regimes in force. Some of them implement UN Security Council resolutions
or expand them with stricter and additional measures. The EU also has a long history of
imposing autonomous sanctions, a trend that has been reinforced following Russia’s
full-scale invasion of Ukraine.


This increasing reliance on sanctions has been accompanied by important legal and
institutional developments. Judicial scrutiny by the Court of Justice of the European
Union, evolving roles for the EU’s institutions and new anti-circumvention measures
have all reshaped the EU sanctions practice. Continued tensions exist between the
adoption of sanctions as part of the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) and
other areas of EU law. Tackling sanctions circumvention and ensuring the uniform and
effective implementation of restrictive measures, in full respect of fundamental rights
and freedoms, remains high on the agenda.


The conference aims to take stock of the EU’s evolving sanctioning practice and to
answer some of the most pressing conceptual, normative and practical legal questions
concerning this practice. We welcome abstracts that address (but are not limited to) the
following questions:

Centre for Finance and Security (CFS) at RUSI and SGH Warsaw School of Economics, the Multidisciplinary International Network on Sanctions (MINOS) is pleased to invite paper proposals for the conference:

“European Sanctions in Perspective: History, Practice, and Policy”

📅 24-25 September 2026
📍 Warsaw

The conference will bring together scholars and practitioners to examine how sanctions have evolved over time, how they are implemented in practice, and how effective they are, with a particular focus on Central and Eastern Europe and the broader contemporary geopolitical context.

Proposed topics include (but are not limited to):
– Sanctions past and present
– European and global sanctions regimes
– Central Europe as a testing ground for sanctions policy
– What works, what does not, and unintended consequences
– Compliance, enforcement, and circumvention
– Sanctions and international security
– Sanctions and the future global economy
– EU–UK cooperation after Brexit

How to apply:
📩Please send a 300–400 word abstract and a short bio (max. 150 words) to:
sanctions.conference@sgh.waw.pl (Subject line: “Conference Proposal”)
🗓 Deadline to apply: 28 February 2026

Selected papers will be considered for an edited post-conference volume.

More details here: https://lnkd.in/e8p2-JKG

Conference covenors:
Prof. Peter Van Elsuwege (Ghent University)
Prof. Ewelina Szczech-Pietkiewicz (SGH Warsaw School of Economics)
Dr. Kinga Redlowska (Centre for Finance and Security (CFS) at RUSI, RUSI Europe)
Dr. Celia Challet (European School of Political and Social Sciences (ESPOL), Université catholique de Lille)
Dr Przemyslav Biskup (SGH Warsaw School of Economics, SIFMANET Network)

Geneva, 22-23 June 2026

The two-day intensive course will be taught by Clara Portela, the University of Valencia, Thomas Biersteker, Geneva Graduate Institute and Dawid Walentek, Ghent University. It will focus on cutting edge quantitative and qualitative approaches to sanctions. The course is aimed at both junior and senior scholars interested in expanding their methodological toolkit on sanctions research.

The course is free of charge, participants have to cover accommodation and travel costs.

Send an email with your interest of participation to Dawid Walentek (dawid.walentek@ugent.be).

The Elgar Encyclopedia of International Sanctions has just been published, offering one of the most comprehensive and accessible overviews of sanctions available today. Bringing together expert contributions from across disciplines, including MINOS members, the encyclopedia explores the evolution of sanctions as a policy tool, their legal and institutional frameworks, and their impact on international relations.

The volume provides a clear and structured reference point for readers seeking to understand how sanctions are used, why they are implemented, and how they shape global politics. It is designed to serve researchers, policymakers, legal experts and practitioners who work with sanctions in their daily professional environment.

Full details and ordering information are available here:
https://www.e-elgar.com/shop/gbp/elgar-encyclopedia-of-international-sanctions-9781035339525.html

In new episode of This Month in EU Sanctions, a podcast and newsletter run by Jan Dunin-Wosowicz, Dr. Celia Challet, research coordinator of MINOS, discusses the growing role of the Court of Justice of the EU in interpreting EU sanctions through references for preliminary rulings.

👉This Month in EU Sanctions 👈

🎧Apple Podcasts: https://lnkd.in/eG9mSj8V

🎧Spotify: https://lnkd.in/ekurT2hm

🎧YouTube Music: https://lnkd.in/eG_djKwB

Ghent European Law Institute (GELI) organises Scholarship-In-Progress seminar dedicated to sanctions.

The session will feature two presentations  by MINOS visiting researchers Dr. Anna Pau (University of Bologna) and Marita Gorgiladze (Mykolas Romeris Unviersity, Ghent University).

Anna’s project examines how the principle of substantive consistency operates within the CFSP, focusing on restrictive measures, Member State prerogatives, and Council discretion. Marita’s research analyses the interaction between AML and sanctions regimes and explores whether sanctions are becoming a third pillar of EU AML policy.

Join us on Wednesday, 26 November, Teams link.

Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine has profoundly impacted the European Union and its Member States. In response, the EU has made assertive use of its Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) instruments to counter economic and geopolitical threats posed by Russia, while advancing its strategic interests in a changing global order.

📉 Despite its previous reluctance to rely on prototypical secondary sanctions, the EU has increasingly turned to the use of the tool in ways unique to EU practice – ancillary listings— by designating actors from China, Turkey, the UAE, North Korea, and other countries linked to Russia’s war effort. This development marks a significant shift in the EU’s sanctions practice. The just-announced 19th sanctions package which targets additional Chinese entities underscores this evolving approach.

❓ This trend raises key legal and policy questions. What is the true scope of prototypical secondary sanctions as a legal instrument originating in US practice? How has the EU employed the tool in ways unique to the policy and legal dynamics of EU sanctions? What structured framework crafted upon the new term “ancillary listings” can govern this new approach? What lessons can be drawn from Russia-related ancillary listings for the future of EU sanctions policy?

Join our MINOS webinar where Jeff Nielsen (Ramboll), Jan Dunin-Wasowicz (Bennink Dunin-Wasowicz), and Gonzalo Saiz (Centre for Finance and Security (CFS) at RUSI) will explore these questions and discuss what the rise of ancillary listings means for the EU’s sanctions toolbox. The discussion will be moderated by Celia Challet (Université catholique de Lille).

📅 Date: 9 December 2025
⏰ Time: 13:00–14:30 CET
💻 Online: https://lnkd.in/eq_HWRRA
👉 Register here: https://lnkd.in/eKjMH6Sh

The Ljubljana Sanctions Conference 2025, co-organised by the Faculty of Law, University of Ljubljana and MINOS, brought together over 150 participants from across Europe and beyond to explore the rapidly evolving world of sanctions.

Maruša Veber, the Conference Chair, welcomed scholars, practitioners, and policymakers, encouraging an open exchange of ideas and collaboration. The conference was officially opened by Tanja Fajon, Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of the Republic of Slovenia, setting the stage for two days of rich discussion across 13 multidisciplinary panels.

The opening panel, “Sanctions in a Shifting Geopolitical Landscape: Current Challenges and Emerging Complexities,” examined sanctions from both regional and global perspectives.

The discussions reflected on the possible bifurcation of the global sanctions system, drawing parallels to the Cold War and speculating on a renewed role for the UN General Assembly amid the paralysis of the Security Council.

Another highlight was the roundtable “Measuring the Impact of Sanctions (Against Russia): Effectiveness Across Disciplines,” moderated by Celia Challet. The session marked the presentation of the upcoming Elgar Encyclopedia on International Sanctions, edited by Clara Portela and Marko Sossali. Bringing together contributions from 80 scholars worldwide, the encyclopedia integrates diverse social science perspectives and offers a comprehensive overview of sanctions as a growing tool of global governance.

The conference concluded with the roundtable “Navigating the Future of Sanctions: Insights, Challenges, and Opportunities.” Speakers reflected on how sanctions have evolved from tools of international law enforcement to instruments deeply intertwined with global power politics. They discussed the erosion of the multilateral order, global economic decoupling, and the rise of sanctions as a preferred foreign policy instrument — a trend that could eventually see such measures turned against the EU itself.

Thank you to all participants for contributing to a truly multidisciplinary dialogue bridging academia and policy practice. Through debate and exchange, the Ljubljana Sanctions Conference reaffirmed the importance of studying sanctions not just as instruments of policy, but as reflections of broader transformations in global order.

The Ljubljana Sanctions Conference is a unique international interdisciplinary event
organised in cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Republic
of Slovenia, the Centre for International Humanitarian and Operational Law (Palacký
University Olomouc) and the Multidisciplinary International Network on Sanctions (MINOS)
(University of Ghent). Conference fostered interdisciplinary debate, bringing together
practitioners from relevant state authorities (such as Ministries of Foreign Affairs) and the
private sector, as well as experts and scholars, to discuss sanctions in the context of
international and European law, politics and economics. Over 165 participants gathered in
Ljubljana to discuss the theoretical, normative, conceptual and practical challenges of
contemporary sanctions practices across 14 panels, two roundtables and two lectures. The
conference provided a unique opportunity to exchange views, evaluate and analyse lessons
learned.

The Ljubljana Sanctions Conference explored the evolving role of sanctions in international law and politics, particularly following their expansion after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. It addressed key legal, human rights, and practical challenges arising from the growing use of sanctions by states, international organizations, and non-state actors. Discussions focused on the legitimacy and effectiveness of sanctions, their implementation and enforcement, emerging confiscation regimes, and the complex interactions between overlapping sanctions systems. The conference also examined the selective application of sanctions, their humanitarian and geopolitical impacts, and their broader implications for global justice and the international legal order.

Ljubljana Sanctions Conference 2025, for publicationDownload

The upcoming Ljubljana Sanctions Conference will be held on 25–26 September 2025 at the Faculty of Law, University of Ljubljana. The event is jointly organized by the Faculty of Law, the MINOS network and the Centre for International Humanitarian and Operational Law. 

The conference will bring together academics and practitioners from Europe and beyond to explore sanctions from multiple perspectives. The newly published programme includes: 

This combination of scholarship and expertise from various disciplines makes the Ljubljana Sanctions Conference a key forum for anyone working on or researching sanctions. 

The registration closes 22 September.

📄 Explore the full programme here: https://sanctions.upol.cz/

🗓️ Date: 26 June 2025, 15:30-17:00 CET
📍 Location: Online
🔗 Register here: https://lnkd.in/eVYsE__J

The turbulent process of negotiations between Russia, Ukraine and the US has opened the question of the potential lifting of sanctions. Easing financial sanctions, including restoring access to SWIFT, have emerged as one of the main bargaining tools which the Kremlin has made as a precondition for a ceasefire in the Black Sea region.

The EU remains firm in its restrictive measures. Meanwhile, the US Congress is considering new legislation targeting Russia’s financial system and oil revenues. In this volatile landscape, sanctions remain the key diplomatic leverage to attain the ceasefire but their future depends on domestic shifts and the unity of the G7+ coalition.

Given that the largest asset of the G7+ coalition’s sanctions lies within the EU’s blocking measures and freezing of the Russian Central bank assets, what would happen if the US moved to lift sanctions? What are the legal instruments at the Trump administration’s disposal to revoke restrictions, and what would this mean for the EU’s credibility and the G7+ alliance? How would the Graham-Blumenthal bill affect Russia and third countries?

Join us for a discussion on sanctions lifting with Thomas Biersteker, Sascha Lohmann, Richard Nephew and Celia Challet, moderated by Iana Ovsiannikova.

On 16 May 2025, MINOS hosted a talk by Anna Sebestyén (Eötvös Loránd University & Institute of World Economics in Budapest), currently a MINOS visiting researcher at UGent, on the role of coherence in EU restrictive measures towards Sub-Saharan African countries – with a particular focus on the Tigray War.

During the talk, Anna examined the emerging internal challenges and impediments related to coherence within the EU’s sanctions’ practice, while also sharing preliminary results of the interviews conducted during the MINOS research stay.

We are delighted to welcome Anna Sebestyén, PhD candidate at Eötvös Loránd University and junior research fellow at HUN-REN CERS Institute of World Economics / HUN-REN KRTK Világgazdasági Intézet, for a 2-month MINOS research stay at the GIES (Ghent Institute for International and European Studies).

Anna’s PhD research explores the role of coherence in the imposition of EU restrictive measures towards Sub-Saharan African countries, examining the internal challenges and impediments in the EU’s sanctions practice in the Africa-EU context. Her broader areas of research include EU foreign policy (CFSP), EU sanctions, and EU-Africa relations.

We look forward to engaging discussions and collaborations during her time with us!

MINOS is offering a course on Sanctions Methods in Ghent on 31 March and 1 April. The two-day intensive course will be taught by Thomas Biersteker and Dawid Walentek and focus on cutting-edge quantitative and qualitative approaches to sanctions. The course is aimed at both junior and senior scholars interested in expanding their methodological toolkit on sanctions research. There is no fee but participants have to cover accommodation and travel costs. Those interested in participating are invited to email Dawid Walentek (dawid.walentek@ugent.be).