In this newsletter you can find:

• Chairman's Note
• Next ESCL Webinar: Variations: Parties’ Rights and Obligations, the Role of the Engineer, and the Evolution from the 1999 to the 2017 Edition
• Construction Law Conference-organized by SCL Turkey and SCL Romania in Ankara
• 1^st Eastern European Conference-Construction Across Borders
• Promotion of events 

Chairman's Note

Dear Colleagues and Friends,

This month marks the beginning of an incredibly rich season for our international construction law community, offering premier platforms for knowledge sharing and professional networking.

Our upcoming schedule is packed with high-value events:

• ESCL Webinar (28 April 2026): We will dive into "Variations: Parties’ Rights and Obligations," examining the evolving role of the Engineer from the 1999 to the 2017 FIDIC editions. This event will be addressed by Alfonso Pelosi, FIDIC Certified Adjudicator;
• Ankara Construction Law Conference (15 April 2026): A joint event organized by SCL Turkey and SCL Romania, in collaboration with the Turkish Constructors Association, focusing on regional legal developments.
• 1st Eastern European Regional SCL Conference (Belgrade, 27 April 2026) focusing, among the others, on infrastructure financing, nuclear sector contracting, and the impact of AI on dispute resolution.
• ESCL Annual Conference in Istanbul (23-24 October 2026) regarding "Global Turmoils: Uncertainties in Construction Projects”.

I encourage you to review the details for each session and register promptly to secure your place in these essential discussions.

Warm regards,

Roberto Panetta

Chairman of Council, ESCL

Next ESCL Webinar: Variations: Parties’ Rights and Obligations, the Role of the Engineer, and the Evolution from the 1999 to the 2017 Edition

Date: Tuesday 28 April 2026

Time: 12.30-13.30 pm CEST (UTC+1)

Title: Variations: Parties’ Rights and Obligations, the Role of the Engineer, and the Evolution from the 1999 to the 2017 Edition.

Employers which enter into a construction contract which will take several years to be completed must have a degree of freedom to modify the scope of work. The FIDIC contracts offer this flexibility preserving the fair balance of risks and responsibilities between the Parties. The FIDIC Engineer has a pivotal role in interpreting the Employer’s needs and in delivering the consequent instructions to the Contractor. The procedures set down guarantee the equitable payment and the successful completion of the Works, with mutual satisfaction.

Speaker:

Alfonso Pelosi - Alfonso is a FIDIC Certified Adjudicator, FIDIC Certified Trainer and a contracts and claims specialist. He holds an MSc degree as civil hydraulic engineer, 45+ years of experience in Contracts Management and Construction of infrastructures, Roads, Highways, Railways, Bridges, Viaducts, Tunnels, Dams, Hydroelectric Power Plants, Water and Wastewater systems. Alfonso acted with the team of the engineer, the contractor, the designer and as employer’s consultant, designer, project manager, contracts manager and FIDIC Engineer. International experience, 25+ countries in Europe, Asia, Africa, New Zealand and Central America.

Alfonso has a comprehensive knowledge of the FIDIC Conditions of Contracts, and he is a member of the FIDIC contracts committee, in the sub-group TG9 YRE. Alfonso is a trainer and a regular lecturer at a post-graduated master classes in “Contracts claims and delay management” held at Politecnico of Milan, and a visiting lecturer at Luiss Guido Carli university in Rome. 

Alfonso is a chartered member of the Institution of Engineers (Italy), a member of the Dispute Resolution Board Foundation (DRBF) and a member of the Society of Construction Law (SCL).

Certificates No: FIDIC-CA-1501 & FIDIC-CT-1549

linkedin.com/in/alfonso-pelosi-86b84440 

Moderator: Stephanie Englert – Dougherty, Prof Englert & Partner Rechtsanwälte PartGmbB

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

Registration is open until 28 April 2026 completing the online form available on www.escl.org.

Target group
The ESCL Webinars are meant for lawyers and people interested in European Construction Law and Alternative Dispute Resolution methods.

Registration

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

Registration is open until 28^th April 2026 completing the online form available on www.escl.org.

All webinars are free of charge.

Registration and more information

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 Turkiye 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 project

Submitted abstracts will be evaluated by the Academic Committee of SCL Turkiye. 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

SCL Turkey and SCL Romania in collaboration with Turkish Constructors Association organize Construction Law Conference in Ankara on April 15^th, 2026

Location: Turkish Contractors Association Building Conference Room

Seats are limited → register at info@sclturkey.org

The program and other details will be announced soon.

Please save the date and If you have already registered, please update your information!

1st Eastern European Regional SCL Conference “Construction Across Borders” – One month to go! Do not miss out!

The Conference is co-organised by SCL Serbia, SCL Bulgaria, SCL Hungary, SCL Poland, SCL Romania and SCL Turkey and is in association with ESCL, SCL International, ICC International Court of Arbitration, ICC Serbia and the Serbian Chamber of Commerce.

📅 27 April 2026

📍 Belgrade, Serbia

One month to go and we are excited to share that the programme is now complete and all the speakers confirmed. This inaugural conference will bring together 4 keynote speakers and 24 expert panellists for a full day of practical, cross-border insights.

The four conference themes address some of the most pressing issues currently facing the construction industry:

Financing and Procuring Infrastructure Projects with keynote speaker Rafael Torrente from the EBRD, drawing on his experience leading procurement strategies across Western Balkans and Central Europe.

Construction and Contracting in the Nuclear Sector with keynote speaker Jens Bürkle, ex-Areva, who brings over twenty years of experience advising on nuclear new-build and major EPC programmes.

Digital Technologies and AI on Construction Sites and in Dispute Avoidance/Resolution with keynote speaker Živa Filipič, Managing Counsel of the ICC International Court of Arbitration, sharing first-hand insights into the way parties use AI in arbitration proceedings and the ICC's approach.

Dispute Avoidance and Dispute Resolution Mechanisms with keynote speaker Donny Mackinnon examining adjudication's place in the construction ADR toolkit.

Each panel features 6 experts, with each organising SCL selecting their speaker, ensuring diverse regional perspectives on every topic.

For members of an SCL which is a member of ESCL, registration is only 85 EUR which represents unprecedented value considering the calibre of speakers assembled for this event. And that's not all, the registration fee includes a 3-hour networking cocktail reception to round off the day.

Capacity is already 50% filled. To secure your place, visit the conference website at www.scl-serbia.org/2026-conference for the full programme, speaker profiles, venue and travel information, and registration.

Please share this with colleagues who may benefit from attending and we look forward to welcoming you to Belgrade!

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.

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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

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