On 27 April 2026, Belgrade hosted the 1st Eastern European Regional SCL Conference, organised by the Society of Construction Law Serbia (SCL Serbia) together with its counterparts from Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Turkey, in association with the European Society of Construction Law and the Society of Construction Law International. The event was supported by Serbian Chambre of Commerce and Industry, ICC Dispute Resolution Services and ICC Serbia.
The conference, held under the theme Construction Across Borders, brought together more than 160 construction law professionals, engineers, financial institutions and project managers from across the region for a day of panel discussions, keynote addresses and networking. The conference agenda covered four key areas: financing and procuring infrastructure projects, construction and contracting in the nuclear sector, digital technologies and AI in construction and dispute resolution, and dispute avoidance and resolution mechanisms.
Our Senior Partner Milan Lazić participated as a panellist in the session dedicated to digital technologies and AI on construction sites and in dispute avoidance and resolution. The panel was introduced by a keynote address from Živa Filipič, Managing Counsel at the ICC International Court of Arbitration, who shared insights into how different participants are using AI in arbitration proceedings and the ICC’s evolving approach to these developments.
Milan joined fellow panellists Svetlana Borisova, from Build DRS (Bulgaria), Bence Rajkai from Cerha Hempel (Hungary), Stanisław Koziarski from Thomas-Koziarski Consulting (Poland), Angelica Boca from HKA (Romania), and Yasemin Çetinel from Çetinel Law Firm (Turkey), in exploring the practical implications of these technologies for the construction sector and dispute resolution practice across the region.
The remaining panels covered equally significant grounds: Rafael Torrente from the EBRD delivered a keynote on financing and procuring infrastructure projects through international financial institutions; Jens Bürkle, Managing Partner at COMINDIS, addressed risk allocation in nuclear construction; and Donny Mackinnon, Chartered Arbitrator and FIDIC Certified Adjudicator, examined adjudication’s place in the construction ADR toolkit.
We thank the SCL Serbia and all co-organising societies for establishing what is set to become a key milestone in the regional construction law calendar. We are pleased to have contributed to this inaugural gathering, and we look forward to continued engagement with the construction law community across Europe.
The information in this document does not constitute legal advice on any particular matter and is provided for general purposes only.
