About CFIS 24 – Investment Screening and Economic Security
The CELIS Forum (CFIS) is the flagship event of the CELIS Institute, now in its 6th year, and Europe’s first and foremost place to discuss investment screening and economic security issues.
Thought leaders in investment control and economic security from Europe, the U.S. and beyond debate current challenges and influential ideas from both a strategic and highly practical perspective to chart geo-economic strategies for Europe.
The number of participants is limited to no more than 60 speakers and 60 attendees. Participants are invited with the view to form a trusted community of economic security experts from business, government, and academia who deal with the subject matter on a high level. Discussions at CFIS 24 will be held in private (strict Chatham House rules apply). There will be no public sessions this year.
CFIS 24 topics include
- Competitiveness in the New Geoeconomic Environment
- The Security, Business, and Human Rights
- The Current Global Regulatory & Investment Environment: The OECD Countries’ Perspective
- Investment Screening and Economic Security in the Majority World
- FDI (Inward) Screening Mechanisms in the EU and its Member States -Latest Developments
- Preserving the Battlefield Gap in the Area of Technology- Between Export Control and Outbound Investment Screening
- Investment Screening and the Firm – The Business Perspective
- Investment Screening in the Military Sector
- Sovereign Funds and Investment Screening
- Legislators’ Perspective on Economic Security
- Foreign Subsidies Regulation
Why should you attend CFIS 24?
- Engage in dialogue with key policy makers and leading experts from government, business, private legal practice, and academia.
- Hear about the latest thinking on investment screening and economic security relevant to overcome current challenges
- Best practices, expectations, challenges in (inbound and outbound) investment screening in EU Member States, the EU, the United States and other jurisdictions
- Understanding security risks and methods or risk mitigation
- Thinking investment control 360 degrees – inter-linkage with sanctions, export control, and state aid
- Developments to follow in the a fast-changing geoeconomic landscape.
No open ticket sale. How to participate in CFIS 24?
The aim of our annual conference – CFIS – is to further foster our trusted community of thought leaders from government (c.40%), business (c.20%), private practice (c.20%) and academia, NGOs and others (c.10%). To allow for meaningful debate, sessions are held in private and the total number of tickets available for CFIS is therefore quite limited. Our speaker/attendee ratio is usually 50:50.
We have a significant number of returning participants, but we also aim to attract new participants each year who are interested in contributing to the strategic debate. If you are interested in attending CFIS 24 in Paris, we encourage you to contact our events team early at events@celis.institute or via the contact form at the bottom of the page, as we do not have an open ticket sale.
CFIS Alumni and CELIS Fellows will be given priority on the invitation list. More about CELIS Fellowships here.
Agenda CFIS 24
Wednesday, 16 October 2024
Venue
InterContinental Chantilly Chateau Mont Royal
FORUM OPENING
Dress Code: Business Attire
Registration and Opening Reception
Conveners’ Welcome Remarks
by Professor Steffen Hindelang (Executive Director, CELIS Institute, Berlin; Professor of Investment and Trade Law, Uppsala University, Uppsala) and Roland Stein (Deputy Director, CELIS Institute; Founding Partner, Blomstein, both Berlin)
Opening Keynote
by Laurent Giovachini (Deputy Director General, Sopra Steria; Member of the Executive Council; Co-Chairman of the Economic Sovereignty and Security Commission, MEDEF, all Paris)
on “Competitiveness in the New Geoeconomic Environment”
Reflection on the Opening Keynote: Fireside Chat
Moderator:
Mehreen Khan (Economics Editor, The Times, London)
Opening Remarks: Adam Vaccaro (Director, Office of Investment Security, U.S. Department of Commerce, Washington, D.C.)
Ana Novik (Head of the Investment Division, Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), Paris)
Kaarli Harry Eichhorn (former Vice-Chair and Member of the Board, American Chamber of Commerce to the European Union)
Bruno Dupré (Political Advisor for the Indian Ocean; Former Security and Defence Advisor to the Secretary General of the European External Action Service)
Bimal Patel (Member, National Security Advisory Board of India; Professor and Vice-Chancellor at Rashtriya Raksha University, Gujarat)
Followed by General Debate
Dinner followed by Drinks
Thursday, 17 October 2024
Venue
InterContinental Chantilly Chateau Mont Royal
Breakfast
Dress Code: Business Attire
The Security, Business and Human Rights Breakfast
on “Technology Export and its Human Rights Dimension”
Chair: Abdulwahab Alkebsi (Managing Director for Programmes, Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE), Washington D.C.)
Speakers: Tucker Boyce (Foreign Affairs Officer in the Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs, U.S. State Department, Washington D.C.)
Paola Gálvez Callirgos (Director and Founder of IdonIA Lab; Global Independent Consultant Tech Policy & AI Governance, Paris)
Thobekile Matimbe (Senior Manager for Partnerships and Engagement, Paradigm Initiative, Lagos; Member of the Board, Global Network Initiative, Washington D.C.)
Antoine Dumoret Mentheour (Head of the Arms Control Division, Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs, Paris)
Morning Panel Sessions
Panel 1: The Current Global Regulatory and Investment Environment: The OECD Countries’ Perspective on Economic Security
Chair: Jacopo Dettoni (Editor of fDi intelligence, Financial Times, London)
Speakers: Adam Vaccaro (Director, Office of Investment Security, U.S. Department of Commerce, Washington, D.C.)
Andrew Preston (Deputy Director, Investment Security and Organised Crime, British Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office, London)
Joffrey Celestin-Urbain (Director, Strategic Information and Economic Security Department, French Ministry of the Economy, Finance and Industrial and Digital Sovereignty, Paris)
Rodrigo Monardes (Head of International Affairs, International Finance and Affairs Division, Ministry of Finance of Chile, Santiago)
Panel Sherpa: Dominika Pietkun (CELIS Institute)
Keynote Event
by Meena Sharma (Director of the Office of Investment Security Policy and International Relations, U.S. Department of the Treasury)*
Networking and Refreshment Break
Panel 2: Securing Europe’s Future: Investment Screening and Economic Security in the Context of EU Enlargement
Chair: John Kay (Program Director for Eastern Europe, Center for International Private Enterprise, Washington D.C.)
Speakers: Mila Malairău (Executive Director, American Chamber of Commerce in Moldova, Chișinău)
Serhii Smetanko (Director, Department on Security Economics and Defense, Ministry of Economy of Ukraine, Kyiv)
Viktor Mizo (President, Foreign Investors Council, Economic Chamber of North Macedonia, Skopje)
Mircea Esanu (Executive Director, Public Services Agency of Moldova, Chișinău)
Panel Sherpa: Liam McGrath (CELIS Institute)
Luncheon
Foundational Keynote and the Regulator’s Panel
Panel 3: FDI (Inward) Screening Mechanisms in the EU and its Member States – Latest Developments
Chair: Géraldine Amiel (Partner, Head of Office, FGS Global, Paris)
Speakers: Thomas Ernoult (Head of Unit, Foreign Investment Screening, French Treasury, Paris)
Zornitsa Kutlina-Dimitrova (Senior Analyst, Technology and Security, FDI Screening Unit, Directorate-General for Trade, European Commission, Brussels)
Ivo Nobel (Head of the Investment Review Office, Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy, The Hague)
Panel Sherpa: Marcelo Sousa (CELIS Institute)
Networking and Refreshment Break
Afternoon Panel Sessions
Keynote Event
by Arnaud Danjean (Special Advisor, Office of the Prime Minister, Paris)*
Panel 4: Preserving the Battlefield Gap in the Area of Technology – Between Export Control and Outbound Investment Screening
Chair: Ana-Maria Belacurencu (Case Handler, Foreign Investment Department, Romanian Competition Authority, Bucharest)
Speakers: Oliver Sigaud (Deputy Director, General Secretariat for Defence and National Security at the Prime Minister’s Office, Paris)
Antonio Calcara (Head of Geopolitics and Technology at the Centre for Security, Diplomacy and Strategy (CSDS) Vrije Universiteit Brussels)
Ryan Stoner (Deputy Director of Investment Affairs and Foreign Affairs Officer, U.S. State Department, Washington D.C.)
John Kabealo, Founder of Kabealo Law PLLC, Washington DC
Panel Sherpa: Simon Sharghi-Erdmosa (CELIS Institute)
Networking and Refreshment Break
Panel 5: Investment Screenng and the Firm – The Business Perspective
Chair: Sarah Bauerle Danzman (Associate Professor of International Studies, Indiana University, Bloomington)
Speakers: Björn Grözinger (Senior Manager Trade Policy & Political Intelligence, Mercedes-Benz Group AG, Stuttgart)
Tommaso Spanevello (Head of European Affairs, Port Haropa Port, Le Havre)
Sofia Bournou (Senior Advisor at Business Europe, Brussels)
Panel Sherpa: Floor Doppen (CELIS Institute)
CFIS Reception & Banquet
CFIS Drinks Reception
Banquet
Friday, 18 October 2024
Venue: Chantilly Chateau Mont Royal
Dress Code: Business Casual
Keynote – The Judiciary’s Perspective
on “Economic Security and EU Fundamental Freedoms“
by Juliane Kokott (Advocate General at the Court of Justice of the European Union, Luxembourg)
Morning Panel Sessions
Panel 6: Investment Screening in the Military Sector
Chair: Thomas Feddo (Founder, The Rubicon Advisors; Former Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Investment Security (CFIUS), Washington, D.C.)
Speakers: Sebastian Gräfe (Deputy Head of Unit for Investment Screening, Federal Ministry of Defence (BMVg), Berlin)
Dominik Eisenhut (Senior Legal Counsel, Airbus SE, Toulouse)
Myrto Pantelaki (Legal Counsel, General Directorate for Defence Investments and Armaments (GDDIA), Hellenic Ministry of Defence, Athens)
Jun Nagashima (Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to Burkina Faso, Ouagadougou)
Panel Sherpa: Neil Noronha (CELIS Institute)
Networking and Refreshment Break
Panel 7: Sovereign Wealth and Pension Funds and Investment Screening
Chair: Charlotte Hafstad (Associate Lawyer at Ræder Bing; Former Member of the Norges Bank Investment Management’s Council on Ethics, Oslo)
Speakers: CHUA Eu Jin (Managing Director, Institutional Relations, Temasek International, Singapore)
Ulf Sverdrup (Professor at the Department of Law and Governance, Norwegian School of Business, Oslo)
Grégoire Chauvière Le Drian (Head of Group Office in France, European Investment Bank (EIB), Paris)
Panel Sherpa: Simon Sharghi-Erdmosa (CELIS Institute)
Luncheon
Afternoon Panel Session
Panel 8: Foreign Subsidies Regulation
Chair: Max Klasse (Partner, Blomstein, Berlin)
Speakers: Daniela Mariotti (Director Corporate Legal Counsel, Competition Law, Infineon Technologies, München)
Jani Ringborg (Economic Policy Advisor, European Commission Representation in Finland, Helsinki)
Pierre-Eliott Rozan (Head of the Trade Policy, Strategy, and Coordination Office, French Treasury, Paris)
Panel Sherpa: Dominika Pietkun (CELIS Institute)
Final Remarks by the Convenors
by Steffen Hindelang (Executive Director, CELIS Institute, Berlin; Professor of Investment and Trade Law, Uppsala University) and Roland M. Stein (Director, CELIS Institute; Founding Partner, Blomstein, both Berlin)
Farewell Reception
End of CFIS 24
Background Papers and Issue Notes
Background Papers
This year’s CFIS is held under the patronage of the Minister of the Economy, Finance and Industrial and Digital Sovereignty of France.
Three perspectives, one issue: How to balance economic security, competitiveness, and open markets?
What brings speakers from diverse professional backgrounds such as Advocate General Kokott, Mr. Eu Jin Chua of Temasek, and Thomas Ernoult of the French Treasury to the CELIS Forum on Foreign Investment Screening (CFIS 24)?
We are delighted to introduce three of our 60 distinguished speakers for the CELIS Forum on Foreign Investment Screening (CFIS 24)
Professor Juliane Kokott, Advocate General at the European Court of Justice (CJEU) – The Judicial Perspective
Professor Kokott will provide insights into the interplay between economic security and the EU Internal Market. Her profound legal expertise will help us understand the judicial dimensions of this balance. Discover more about her here.
Mr Eu Jin Chua, Managing Director of Institutional Relations at Temasek Holdings, Singapore: Business Perspective
Eu Jin Chua will share his expertise on the priorities and challenges faced by business in the context of increasing economic security concerns. His perspective is essential for understanding the business implications of state ownership and national security. Learn more about Temasek here.
Thomas Ernoult, Head of France’s investment screening unit: Regulatory Perspective
Thomas Ernoult will discuss the practical implementation of economic security policies. His regulatory insights will be invaluable for comprehending the operational aspects of these policies. Explore the French FDI screening here.
Engage with these and other thought leaders and explore the multifaceted challenges and strategies shaping Europe’s geoeconomic landscape at CFIS 24. Stay tuned for further updates and additional speaker announcements!
Economic Security “made in Bercy” – What are the Perspectives and Priorities of France as an EU Member State at the forefront of the debate on economic security in Europe?
Bertrand Dumont is Director-General of the French Treasury at the Ministry of Economics, Finance and Industrial and Digital Sovereignty. Mr Dumont will explore the challenges and priorities of screening investment in France and Europe. His perspective is essential for understanding France’s economic security policy.
Joffrey Célestin-Urbain is Director of Strategic Information and Economic Security Department at at the Ministry of Economics, Finance and Industrial and Digital Sovereignty. Mr Célestin-Urbain will discuss the French perspective on how to tackle economic security with allied nations within the OECD Framwork. His insights are crucial for understanding the crossborder aspect of tackling economic security in Europ and beyond.
Thomas Ernoult is Head of France’s Investment Screenin Unit at at the Ministry of Economics, Finance and Industrial and Digital Sovereignty. Mr Ernoult will discuss the practical implementation of economic security policies. His regulatory insights will be invaluable for comprehending the operational aspects of these policies.
The “Business Trio”-Björn Grözinger, Daniela Mariotti, and Sofia Bournou-will bring the business perspective on economic security to the table at the CELIS Forum in Paris this October (CFIS 24).
Daniela Mariotti is the Director Corporate Legal Counsel for Competition Law at Infineon Technologies. Ms Mariotti will reflect on her insights that have emerged from the first year of implementing the Foreign Subsidies Regulation (FSR). Her perspective will shed light on the practical challenges and implications of the FSR for companies operating in highly competitive sectors like semiconductors, where foreign subsidies can significantly impact market dynamics and competition.
Björn Grözinger is Senior Manager for Trade Policy and Political Intelligence at Mercedes-Benz Group AG. Mr Grözinger will discuss the perspective of the automotive industry in the context of evolving investment screening frameworks. As the automotive sector navigates the challenges and opportunities presented by these changes, Mr Grözinger’s analysis will be crucial for understanding how companies like Mercedes-Benz are adapting to new rules and regulations, as well as how they perceive future trends in global trade and investment policy.
Sofia Bournou, Senior Advisor at BusinessEurope in Brussels, will address the implications and stance of European businesses regarding evolving investment screening instruments. Her discussion will provide a comprehensive overview of how European companies are responding to these changes, balancing the need for open markets with the growing emphasis on security and strategic autonomy.
What do former CFIS participants say about their experience?
Our CFIS 24 Patrons
Would you like to become a CELIS Patron and sponsor CFIS 24? Please reach out to events@celis.institute.
Queries on the CFIS 24
If you have any questions about participation and sponsorship opportunities, please contact us.
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