Conference programme

Critical minerals are essential to the energy transition, digital infrastructure, and electrification. But securing them responsibly presents complex ESG challenges. This panel of in-house counsel will discuss how mining and mineral extraction companies are addressing the complex risks in mining, such as Indigenous rights, land use, permitting, modern slavery, and shareholder activism while advancing sustainability in a sector under increasing global scrutiny.
 

This keynote will provide a focused overview of how emerging hydrogen fusion technologies could reshape Europe’s decarbonisation pathways, investment priorities, and regulatory frameworks. Drawing on insights from EU private practice, the speaker will address the current state of fusion development, its alignment with the Union’s climate and industrial strategies, and the governance challenges that accompany early-stage deployment. The session will highlight what companies, investors, and policymakers should monitor as fusion shifts from long-term aspiration to a potential component of Europe’s sustainable energy mix.

Lawyers are often dismissive of “soft law” and focus on “hard law” when advising clients. Certain jurisdictions treat the lawyer as “advisor” or “officer of the court” or use other terms to caution lawyers to include considerations beyond “hard law” when providing legal advice. The line, though, is often not so clear cut. Certainly “soft law” instruments, whether international or domestic, become hard law when codified, issued in legal opinions, or otherwise incorporated into contracts. On the other hand, “soft law” may become part of the backdrop for hard law, and lead to unanticipated results, such as a court adopted “soft law” considerations as policy that informs a legal decision. The panel will focus on how “soft law” is finding increasing relevance and importance, including in areas generally falling within the contours of what are considered ESG issues.