Overview
This registration is intended for the selected participants interested in attending the public discussion. Registeration for the closed-door workshops is now closed.
The Sanctions and Illicit Finance Monitoring and Analysis Network (SIFMANet) will host its annual summit, convening leading stakeholders from across Europe to assess the evolving role of sanctions in responding to the most pressing security challenges in 2025.
Sanctions have risen to the forefront of Europe’s response to international security challenges, most visibly in countering Russia’s aggression. Russia remains the primary threat to European security and requires sustained targeting, yet the sanctions toolkit is in need of constant updating. New hybrid challenges, from the operation of shadow fleets circumventing oil restrictions, to the role of cryptocurrency in procuring critical high priority list items to sabotage activities against critical infrastructure, all expose gaps in the system and demand sharper, more coordinated responses. At the same time, transnational crime has become an increasingly important focus, with organised crime groups, cybercriminals, and networks involved in irregular migration exploiting regulatory loopholes to sustain their activities.
As the threat landscape shifts, Europe must refine its sanctions regimes, strengthen enforcement, and close the gaps exploited by hostile actors.
Agenda
08:30 – 09:00 Registration and Welcome Coffee
09:00 – 10:00 Breakfast Session (Closed-Door)
09:00 – 09:30 The Future of EU Sanctions Enforcement
On the heels of the expansion of EU sanctions lawmaking since February 2022, the EU adopted a new directive requiring member states to harmonise on the definitions of minimum criminal acts and penalties for restrictive measures violations. With the criminalisation directive as a baseline, we will explore the legal and policy dimensions of EU restrictive measures enforcement – and particularly focus on instruments that the directive leaves out.
Speaker: Jeff Nielsen, Ramboll A/S, International Sanctions & Export Controls Lawyer
Moderator: Gonzalo Saiz, CFS at RUSI, Research Fellow
09:30 – 10:00 Inside EU Sanctions: How Enforcement Really Works
Mark Handley will provide an inside look at how EU sanctions are applied in practice, offering insights into enforcement mechanisms, compliance expectations, and emerging challenges. The session will highlight practical red flags, real-world case lessons, and strategies for strengthening sanctions compliance across financial systems and related technologies.
Speaker: Mark Handley, Duane Morris, Partner
Moderator: Kinga Redlowska, RUSI Europe, Head of CFS
10:00 – 12:00 Workshop 1 (Closed-Door)
Countering Russia’s Hybrid Threats through Sanctions
Russia remains Europe’s foremost sanctions challenge. This first workshop will examine how restrictive measures can disrupt Russia’s hybrid toolkit, including its shadow fleet operations, sabotage activities against critical infrastructure and cyberattacks, and how sanctions can be better integrated with other defensive instruments.
12:00 – 13:30 Networking Lunch (Closed-Door)
13:30 – 15:30 Workshop 2 (Closed-Door)
Targeting Transnational Crime: Expanding the EU Sanctions Toolbox
Sanctions must play a stronger role in tackling non-state threats. This session will assess the EU’s growing use of thematic regimes against organised crime, cybercrime, and irregular migration, considering where they are effective, where gaps remain, and how to sharpen them against fast-evolving criminal networks.
15:45 – 16:15 Coffee Chat (Open to Public - Lobby)
Inside the Sanctions Process: Challenging Designations
An insider’s view from those who represent designated individuals. This conversation will explore how cases are built and contested, the challenges of due process, and what policymakers can learn from those who fight sanctions in court.
Speaker: Michael O'Kane, Peters & Peters, Senior Partner
Moderator: Tom Keatinge, CFS at RUSI, Director
16:15 – 16:45 Coffee Chat (Open to Public -Lobby)
Sanctioned: The Inside Story of the Sale of Chelsea FC. Author Nick Purewal on Roman Abramovich's Exit
A behind-the-scenes look at one of football’s most dramatic ownership changes. Nick Purewal unpacks the legal, political, and commercial pressures surrounding Roman Abramovich’s sale of Chelsea FC, offering insights into how the deal was shaped, challenged, and ultimately completed.
Speaker: Nick Purewal, Author and Freelance Reporter
Moderator: Tom Keatinge, CFS at RUSI, Director
17:00 – 18:30 Public Panel Discussion (Open to Public)
Host: Balazs Gyimesi, RUSI Europe, External Relations and Communications Manager
17:00 – 17:15 One-on-One: Workarounds and Warning Signs: Alternative Finance in a Sanctioned World
A one-on-one conversation with Kinga Redlowska, co-author of RUSI’s report “Alternative Financial Systems and the Reshaping of Global Finance.” The discussion will delve into how new (and old) alternative payment rails, including digital currencies, stablecoins, hawala and gold are quietly rewiring global finance, and what this means for the power of Western sanctions in an era of growing geopolitical fragmentation.
Speaker: Kinga Redlowska, RUSI Europe, Head of CFS
Moderator: Koen Verhelst, Politico Europe, EU Trade Reporter
17:15 - 18:30 Cryptocurrencies and Sanctions Evasion beyond the Financial System
Cryptocurrencies are increasingly exploited to purchase high-priority items outside the traditional financial system, creating new risks for sanctions enforcement. This panel will bring together regulators, industry, and academics to explore the typologies of abuse observed, the investigative tools available, and the policies needed to close these loopholes.
Panellists:
Richard Sanders, Intelligence Support, Targeting Lead, Hybrid Operations
Mykhailo Tutin, Ukrainian Modern Digital Science (UMDS) Expert
Matthias Bauer-Langgartner, Head of Policy Europe, Chainalysis
Moderator: Tom Keatinge, CFS at RUSI, Director
18:30 – 20:00 Reception and Networking Drinks (Open to all summit guests, including public panel participants)
How to attend
This registration is intended for the selected participants interested in attending the public discussion. Registeration for the closed-door workshops are now closed.
This is an in-person event taking place in Brussels. Please register your interest by 5 PM CET on 3 December to be considered. Confirmations will be sent shortly after the registration deadline.
Please note that filming/photography is taking place at this event