About CFIS 26 – The Leading Small Room-High Trust Forum on Investment Security
The CELIS Forum (CFIS) is the flagship event of the CELIS Institute, now in its 8th 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 26 will be held in private (strict Chatham House rules apply). There will be no public sessions.
Topics
CFIS 26 takes place amid an unfolding erosion of international trade rules, a growing U.S.-China confrontation, and ongoing war on European soil. These dynamics are challenging traditional notions of sovereignty, resilience, and openness across markets.
Against this backdrop, CFIS is more vital than ever. It offers trusted, cross-sector dialogue among thought-leading voices in economic security, thinking ahead in a time of accelerating global fragmentation.
Panels
- Protect, Partner & Promote
- The Art of Mitigation
- Data and AI in Investment Screening
- Emerging and Smaller Screening Regimes across the World
- The Pharmaceuticals Industry
- Regulatory Risk in Multi-Jurisdiction Investment Screening
- Judicial Recourse in Investment Screening
- Competition & Competitiveness in the EU
- Navigating Investment in European Defence
- EU Investment Screening Regulation and Economic Security Strategy
What Sets CFIS 26 Apart
A forum that goes beyond the current
CFIS is not limited to interpreting the contemporary regulatory landscape-it is designed to think ahead. Grounded in academic rigor and expert analysis, the Forum explores the future of economic security.
All stakeholders on deck
Every CFIS panel brings together thought leaders from across sectors and disciplines. This real-time, cross-disciplinary dialogue creates conversations that rarely occur in other forums or intergovernmental settings.
Closed-door format
Participation is by invitation only and limited to 60 speakers and 60 attendees. Each attendee is carefully selected to ensure optimal representation from government, academia, business, and law.
No spectators, only contributors
At CFIS, the line between panelist and participant disappears. Everyone is part of the conversation. The Forum avoids performative panels and fosters dynamic dialogue where every voice contributes to a richer understanding of today’s challenges and tomorrow’s solutions.
Rooted in Europe, engaged globally
While anchored in Europe, CFIS brings in key global voices. Past Forums have included voices from North and Central America, Southeast and East Asia, and beyond ensuring the conversation reflects the full spectrum of global economic security dynamics.
Unique stakeholder mix – Curated for balance
Each attendee is selected to ensure representation across government (≈35%), business (≈35%), academia (≈10%), and legal practice (≈20%).
Why You Should Attend CFIS 26
Government Officials
- Step into a room of peers from Europe, the U.S., and beyond to exchange on emerging best practices.
- Gain a 360° perspective into the evolving economic security landscape through a dialogue that complements intergovernmental consultations with thought-leading perspectives from business, academia, and law.
- Showcase your institution’s leadership and agency in navigating the economic security challenges of the 21st century.
- Steer tomorrow’s economic security policies by contributing your institutional expertise and strategic foresight.
Legal Experts
- Engage directly with peers, business leaders, and government officials to exchange perspectives on how economic security policies are or should be interpreted and applied in practice.
- Track legal developments across Europe, the U.S., and beyond to stay at the forefront of economic security regulation.
- Build relationships with government officials, in-house counsels and business leaders.
- Enrich the development of technically sound economic security policies by contributing your perspective as a legal practitioner.
Business Leaders
- Gain firsthand insights into today’s and tomorrow’s regulatory agenda-and bring business priorities directly into high-level policy dialogue.
- Learn how your peers are responding to an increasingly complex and fragmented global investment environment. ·
- Anticipate risks and opportunities amid rising geopolitical uncertainty.
- Drive sustainable, growth-enabling economic security policies by contributing your business perspective.
Academics
- Translate your research into real-time dialogue with government officials, business leaders, and legal experts.
- Stay on top of developments in Europe and beyond to be ahead of the curve in your research.
- Expand your academic network into policy and business circles to foster future collaborations. ·
- Stimulate forward-looking economic security policymaking by contributing your academic thinking.
CFIS 26 Event Location
All sessions will take place at
The Merode
Place Poelaert 6
B-1000 Brussels
Belgium
Please note that the location of the event dinner may vary.
DirectionsCFIS 26 Speakers
Speakers, chairs and moderators are listed by organisation and seniority. In keeping with the Chatham House rule that governs the Forum, no names are published.
Organisations represented on the programme
European Commission
Brussels- Deputy Director-General and Chief Trade Enforcement Officer, DG Trade
- Director for Economic Security, DG Trade and Economic Security
- Head of Unit, DG Trade
- Adviser, DG Competition
General Court of the European Union
Luxembourg- Judge
Belgian Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs
Brussels- Chairman of the Interfederal Screening Committee
German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy
Berlin- Head of Division, Investment Screening Germany
- Policy Officer, Foreign Investment Screening
German Federal Ministry of Defence
Berlin- Senior Desk Officer, FDI Screening
Investment Security Unit, UK Government
London- Deputy Director
Swedish Inspectorate of Strategic Products
Stockholm- Director General
- Head of Department
National Board of Trade Sweden
Stockholm- Legal Adviser
Ministry of Economy, Trade and Enterprise
Madrid- Deputy Director-General for Foreign Investments
Ministry of the Economy, Labour and Sport
Ljubljana- Head of the National Foreign Investment Screening Commission
Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment
Helsinki- Chief Specialist
Austrian Federal Chancellery
Vienna- Internal Market Envoy and Special Counsel on Competitiveness
Ministry of Energy, Trade and Industry
Singapore- Deputy Director, Office of Significant Investments Review
National Security Council
Manila- Assistant Director-General, Policy and Strategic Studies
Temasek
Brussels · Singapore- Head of Institutional Relations, EMEA
- Director, Antitrust & FDI
Airbus Defence and Space
Munich- General Counsel
Ericsson
- Senior Group Legal Counsel, Value Protection
Johnson & Johnson
Brussels- Senior Legal Counsel, Competition EMEA
Gilead Sciences
Brussels- Senior Legal Director, Global Competition Law
OHB SE
Bremen- General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer
TYTAN Technologies
- General Counsel
Nscale
- Vice President, EU Affairs
Women in Defense Tech
Vienna- Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder
BLOMSTEIN
Berlin- Partner
Debevoise & Plimpton
London- Partner
Kirkland & Ellis
Washington DC- Partner
Liedekerke
Brussels- Partner
- Of Counsel
data+law · 20Minds
Berlin- Managing Director and Managing Editor
- Managing Director, 20Minds
CELIS Institute
Berlin- Executive Director and Co-Founder
- Director
- Head of Programmes and Partnerships
- Managing Programme Associate
- Head of Event
Uppsala University
Uppsala- Professor of International Investment and Trade Law
BusinessEurope
Brussels- Deputy Director General
European Policy Centre
Brussels- Associate Director
Centre for Security, Diplomacy and Strategy
Brussels- Head of the Technology and Economic Statecraft Programme
Royal Military Academy
Brussels- Professor of Economics
fDi Intelligence, Financial Times
Milan- Senior Editor
POLITICO
Brussels- Senior Competition Correspondent
Independent
- International Journalist and Moderator
Programme as of the current draft. Further speakers to be announced.
CFIS 26 Participants
Beyond the programme, the room. Attending organisations are listed by sector and seniority, on the same terms as the programme: in keeping with the Chatham House rule that governs the Forum, no names are published.
Organisations in the room
European Commission
Brussels- Case Handler
Investment Security Unit, UK Government
London- Head of International Engagement
Korea Security Agency of Trade and Industry
Seoul- Director, Office of Policy Cooperation
- Investment Security Part Manager
- Researcher
Ministry of Trade, Industry and Fisheries
Oslo- Deputy Director General
State Secretariat for Economic Affairs SECO
Bern- Policy Advisor for Investment Screening
Ministry of Energy, Trade and Industry
Singapore- Senior Assistant Director
Public Services Agency
Chișinău- Head of FDI Screening and Export Control Department
American Chamber of Commerce in Moldova
Chișinău- Policy Manager
Loyens & Loeff
Brussels- Partner
DLA Piper
London · Washington DC- Lead Lawyer
- Partner
Covington & Burling
Brussels- Associate
Goodwin
- Partner
Wolf Theiss
Warsaw- Partner
Schoenherr
- Counsel
Bech-Bruun
Copenhagen- Associate
Advokatfirman Delphi
Stockholm- Partner
Simpson Thacher & Bartlett
- Partner
Liedekerke
Brussels- Associate
BLOMSTEIN
Berlin- Associate
Indiana University Bloomington
- Associate Professor
University of Trento
- Professor
Royal Military Academy
Brussels- Researcher
The Wall Street Journal
Listed with each organisation’s agreement. Participation is by invitation and the list is updated as registrations are confirmed.
CFIS 26 Tickets
Participation is by invitation only.
Each attendee is carefully selected to ensure a balanced representation from government (35%), business (35%), academia (10%), and legal practice (20%).
While we have a significant number of returning participants, 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 26 in Brussels, we encourage you to contact our events team early at events@celis.institute or by clicking the button below to send an email indicating your interest.
Ticket pricing is aligned to stakeholder groups.
CFIS 26 Patrons
Impressions from CFIS 25
Queries on CFIS 26
If you have any questions about participation and sponsorship opportunities, please contact Joanna K Thomsen at jkt@celis.institute.
All CELIS Events are subject to the General Terms and Conditions of Events of the CELIS Institute, Berlin.
