The Jubilee Fifteenth Belgrade Arbitration Conference, jointly organized by the Faculty of Law, University of Belgrade, the German Arbitration Institute (DIS), and the Serbian Arbitration Association, was held on 4 April 2025 at the Serbian Chamber of Commerce. The Conference continued its long-standing tradition of bringing together prominent domestic and international experts in the field of international arbitration and confirmed its status as one of the key professional and academic events in this area.
The Conference was traditionally opened and moderated by Ass. Prof. Milena Djordjević, while welcome addresses were delivered by representatives of the partner institutions involved in organizing the Conference: Prof. Jelena Lepetić, Vice-Dean for International Cooperation of our Faculty, Prof. Vladimir Pavić, and Prof. Reinmar Wolff.
Following the opening remarks, Professors Wolff and Pavić signed a cooperation agreement between two arbitration associations – the German Arbitration Institute, on the one hand, and the Serbian Arbitration Association and the Belgrade Arbitration Center, on the other – thereby establishing an institutional framework for their cooperation and future joint activities. On this occasion, the co-chairs of the newly established Serbian–German Arbitration Group, Evgenija Fajfer and Blagoje Milošević, presented its objectives and future activities.
The program of the Belgrade Arbitration Conference was structured around three thematic panels, inspired by the current case of the Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot, which has for many years been one of the Conference’s distinctive features.
The first panel, entitled “Blueprints for Resolution: Navigating FIDIC Contracts and Construction Arbitration,” was dedicated to FIDIC contracts and construction arbitration. The panel was chaired by Jovan Nikčević (Nikčević | Kapor), while Chris Seppälä (Seppälä Arbitration), Milan Dakić (BDK Advokati), Sally Kottb (Baker McKenzie), and Filip Šušulić (Karanović & Partners) analyzed, from different practical perspectives, key challenges in the application of FIDIC contracts as well as in conducting construction arbitration proceedings.
The second panel, “Arbitration at a Crossroads: Balancing Procedure, Jurisdiction, and Strategy,” focused on issues of arbitral procedure, the jurisdiction of arbitral tribunals, and strategic considerations in arbitration. The panel was chaired by Evgenia Peiffer (CMS). Presentations were delivered by Aleksandar Ristić (Wolf Theiss), who analyzed the effects of recent Court of Justice of the European Union case law on asymmetric jurisdiction clauses; Marija Šćekić (Squire Patton Boggs), who addressed pre-arbitration procedural requirements; Reinmar Wolff (DIS / University of Marburg), who discussed preliminary views and pro-settlement approach under DIS rules; and Blagoje Milošević (Schoenherr), who examined parallel proceedings and offered practical approaches to managing them.
The third panel, entitled “Behind the Curtain: Legal Privilege, Admissibility, and Procedural Challenges in Arbitration,” was devoted to challenges related to evidentiary issues in arbitration proceedings. The panel was moderated by Milica Savić (Karanović & Partners). Speakers included Greta Körner (WilmerHale), who addressed legal privilege in arbitration; Parvan Parvanov (I.A. Chambers), who analyzed the admissibility of “without prejudice” communications; Shane Daly (Bredin Prat), who discussed the admissibility of illegally obtained evidence; Katarina Živković (SOG-Kinstellar), who spoke on data protection and cybersecurity in arbitration; and Đorđe Novčić (JPM & Partners), who examined the application of interim and protective measures in arbitration.
The Conference concluded with the ceremonial opening of the XVII Belgrade Open Pre-Moot competition.
We sincerely thank the German Arbitration Institute (DIS), the Serbian Arbitration Association, and the Serbian Chamber of Commerce, as well as all institutions and law firms that supported the XV Belgrade Arbitration Conference: Moravčević Vojnović i Partneri (in cooperation with Schoenherr), CMS, Karanović & Partners, Wolf Theiss, SOG/Kinstellar, Nikčević | Kapor, Bredin Prat, WilmerHale, Squire Patton Boggs, Baker McKenzie, BDK Advokati, JPM & Partners, Dimitrijević & Partners, the Bar Association of Vojvodina, the Bankruptcy Law Association, and the Association of Business Lawyers of Serbia. As in the previous years, their support was an indispensable pillar in maintaining the Conference’s high professional and academic standards.