In this newsletter you can find:

• Chairman's Note
• ESCL Conference 2026 in Istanbul-Call of Abstracts
• The Tenant’s Works- Les Travaux Du Preneur 
• Next ESCL Webinar: Dispute Boards. The most important aspects you must know
• 1^st Eastern European Conference-Construction Across Borders- Save the Date
• Promotion of events

Chairman's Note

Dear Colleagues and Friends,

The primary goal of this newsletter is to wish you a prosperous 2026, filled with success and satisfaction.

In the coming year, the ESCL will continue to provide numerous opportunities for discussion and in-depth analysis of construction law and practice worldwide.

First, I am pleased to inform our French colleagues and those visiting Paris later this month that the 40th AFDCI Annual Conference will take place on January 29, 2026. Organized by AFDCI with the support of CERCOL and JURIDIM, the event is dedicated to the highly significant topic: “The tenants’ works.” This theme bridges construction and real estate law, staying true to the tradition of our French member society, Association Française pour le droit de la construction et de l’immobilier, a member of ESCL since its inception. Full details are available via the link in this newsletter.

The following day, January 30, 2026, at 13:00 CET, we will host our first webinar of the year: “Dispute Boards: The most important aspects you must know,” featuring Boyana Milcheva and Pavlina Ivanova. This is a fantastic opportunity to review the international functioning of dispute boards with two highly experienced speakers.

I am also proud to announce the 1st Eastern European Regional Conference, organized for the very first time by our representative associations in Eastern Europe: SCL Serbia, SCL Bulgaria, SCL Hungary, SCL Poland, SCL Romania, and SCL Turkey. This inaugural conference will be held in Belgrade on April 27, 2026. In the coming years, this will become a must-attend traveling event, moving to different cities across the region. It offers a unique platform to analyze key legal issues affecting both the Eastern region and European jurisdictions at large. We applaud the national associations involved for launching such a significant project!

Finally, please save the date for the next Annual ESCL Conference in Istanbul on October 23–24, 2026, focusing on: "Global Turmoils: Uncertainties in Construction Projects." We encourage you to actively respond to the Call for Abstracts, which has just been launched. This is an excellent opportunity for you to contribute as a speaker and for our community to benefit from your high-level expertise.

This year promises to be full of landmark events that highlight the growth of the ESCL and our commitment to remaining an unequivocal point of reference for the global construction sector.

Warm regards,

Roberto Panetta
Chairman of Council, ESCL

ESCL  Conference 2026 in Istanbul- Call for Abstracts

Next year's conference will take place on 23-24 October 2026 in Istanbul (Turkey). The topic of the event will be "Global Turmoils: Uncertainties in Construction Projects".

SCL Turkey and ESCL invite you to submit an abstract for an oral presentation, to share your research, knowledge and experience and be part of the conference programme. Authors must follow the guidelines for abstract submission set out below.
All accepted abstracts will be published in the conference proceedings and delivered during the conference.

The conference is seeking submissions related to the following main topics; however, other related tracks and topics will also be considered:

• Recent developments in Construction Law in line with the conference theme including their impacts on the resolution of construction disputes in different jurisdictions.
•  Funding Construction Projects as well as Construction Disputes
• Sustainability, Use of AI and Construction Industry
• Management of changes in the industry with a particular focus on digitalisation
• Cost, time, and commercial management in construction projects

Submitted abstracts will be evaluated by the Academic Committee of SCL Turkey. All submissions should be original, authentic, and previously unpublished. Format for abstracts is specified below:

• Microsoft Word document
• Arial, 12 point
• Maximum of 600 words
• Single spacing without justified margins.
• You will be required to enter short biographies (maximum 400 words in total) on all presenting authors, during the abstract submission process.
  Important deadlines are:
• Abstract Submission Deadline: 30 March 2026
• Full Paper Submission Deadline: 31 August 2026
• Registration Deadline: 15 October 2026
• Conference Dates: 23-24 October 2026

Please send your abstracts/papers to ESCL2026@sclturkey.org with info@sclturkey.org in cc

The TENANT'S WORKS-LES TRAVAUX DU PRENEUR

The French Society of Construction and Property Law in collaboration with CERCOL and JURIDIM, organizes the 40th Annual Conference at the French Building Federation HQ in Paris:

THE TENANTS' WORKS - LES TRAVAUX DU PRENEUR

on Thursday January 29^th , 2026 from 8:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Online registration is available via this link.

Next ESCL Webinar: Dispute Boards. The most important aspects you must know.

Date: Friday 30^th January 2026 

Time: 1.00-2.00 pm CET (UTC+1)

           12.00-1.00 pm UK time (UTC+0)

Title: Dispute Boards. The most important aspects you must know.

How dispute boards help parties avoid or resolve disagreements throughout the construction process, preventing costly litigation. Boyana Milcheva and Pavlina Ivanova will speak on the important aspects you should know to benefit the full potential of dispute boards.

Speakers:

Boyana Milcheva is a Bulgarian based lawyer- partner in Dimitrov, Petrov and Co Law Firm with extensive experience navigating major domestic/international companies in the construction process. Boyana is recognized both as a Thought Leader and a Global Leader in construction by international legal directories.

Pavlina Ivanova is Senior Associate at Dimitrov, Petrov and Co Law Firm, experienced in the whole process of investment in real estate. She is praised both for her litigation practice and consultancy skills and recognized as a Thought Leader in construction by international legal directories.
Moderator: Stephanie Englert – Dougherty, Prof Englert & Partner Rechtsanwälte PartGmbB

Registration

Via Microsoft Teams: details will be provided upon request of registration.

Registration is open until 30^th January 2026 completing the online form available on www.escl.org.

All webinars are free of charge.

Registration and more information

1st European Regional Conference-Construction Across Borders- Save the Date

The Conference is co-organised by SCL Serbia, SCL Bulgaria, SCL Hungary, SCL Poland, SCL Romania and SCL Turkey and is in partnership with ESCL.

📅 Save the Date – 27 April 2026
📍 Belgrade, Serbia

Join us in Belgrade, Serbia for a day of knowledge sharing, networking, and collaboration as we explore cross-border construction challenges and opportunities in our region.

On 5^th November 2025, the Society of Construction Law Serbia (SCL Serbia) was officially launched at an event held in Belgrade, marking an important milestone for the regional and European construction law community.

The Launch Event gathered leading experts from Serbia, Bosnia and Hercegovina, France, Italy, Montenegro, Romania, Turkey and UK and included representatives of key stakeholders in the infrastructure and construction sectors. With 93 attendees, the Launch Event achieved an excellent turnout and created a strong foundation for future collaboration.

The Launch Event featured insightful opening remarks from esteemed representatives of the ESCL, SCL France, SCL UK, SCL Romania, and SCL Türkiye, demonstrating the strength of international cooperation within the SCL community.

An engaging panel discussion followed on “The importance of the programme and record-keeping on construction projects”, highlighting essential practices and challenges faced in the industry.

A key moment of the event was the presentation of the Serbian translation of the SCL Delay and Disruption Protocol.

The launch of SCL Serbia represents a new platform for sharing knowledge, fostering dialogue, and strengthening ties among professionals from legal, engineering, and construction disciplines.

Promotion of events

SCL Turkiye’s 4^th Annual Conference to be held on 11 June 2026 https://event.sclturkey.org/Annual-Event-2026/

Events organised by the National Societies of Construction Law or other organisations with an ESCL reference can be published on the ESCL Website or mentioned in the ESCL Newsletter. Send your events, with short description in English and a link to the event on your website to info@ibr.nl.

LinkedIn

The ESCL can also be found on LinkedIn.

ESCL Newsletter

If you know of people who might be interested in receiving the ESCL Newsletter, please let them know that it is possible to subscribe.

Subscribe

If you have any questions please contact:
Prof. Dr. E.M. (Evelien) Bruggeman (Secretary of the ESCL)
E. (Ellen) Boomer-van der Ploeg
V. (Victoria) Penkova (Member ESCL Council)
Tel.: +31 - (0)70 3245544
E-mail: info@ibr.nl

This email was sent to 

You receive this newsletter because you signed up to the mailing list of the European Society of Construction Law. No longer want to receive mailings? Use the Unsubscribe button at the top of this email.

ESCL · Postbus 93077 · The Hague, Zh 2509AB · Netherlands