For the first Geneva International Sanctions Network (GISN) of the calendar year, we will have two speakers.

Speaker

Anton Moiseienko from the Australia National University in Canberra will give a talk on: "Freeze to Seize: Do sovereign immunities prevent the seizure of central bank assets?"

The debate about the lawfulness of transferring frozen Russian central bank assets to Ukraine is swathed in complexity. There are multiple proposals; various areas of international law are involved, each with uncertainties around the edges; and the anxiety about the lack of prior precedent and implications for future practice is ever-present. This article parses through that complexity by providing a comprehensive overview of existing proposals; principal issues of international law involved; and the implications of such a transfer for future practice. It is argued that the seizure of state property, including central bank assets, is a lawful response to serious breaches of international law, such as aggression. To ensure its credible and consistent use, a proposal is made for extending the mandate of the multilateral REPO Task Force beyond the Russian invasion of Ukraine to coordinate the design and enforcement of G7 sanctions, as well as seizures of frozen assets.

discussant

Bart Szewczyk, lawyer at Covington & Burling will act as a discussant and provide a few reflections on Anton's paper.

Bart is a lawyer at Covington & Burling, where he advises on European and global public policy, particularly on technology, economic sanctions and asset seizure, as well as other matters. Previously, he worked in the European Commission as advisor on global affairs and served in the U.S. State Department as a member of the Policy Planning Staff.

This event will be hybrid, click above to join online.