The project was funded by:
ARIS - Slovenian Research and Innovation Agency
Information about the Project
doc. dr. Maruša T. Veber
marusa.veber@pf.uni-lj.si / +386 1 420 31 17 / Ln
Project Objectives
Project Code: Z5-50476
Duration of the Project: 1 November 2023 - 31 October 2025
Project Manager:
The war in Ukraine has led to the adoption of extensive sanctions against Russia, aimed at ensuring Russia's compliance with its international legal obligations. The scope of the sanctions adopted, in particular the freezing of state and private assets, is unprecedented in history, with the total value of frozen Russian assets worldwide already exceeding USD 300 billion. In addition, the European Union (EU) and some countries (e.g., the United States (US)) have announced the possibility of seizing frozen Russian assets to secure funds for Ukraine's reconstruction. In the US, the first procedures for seizing private property for the reconstruction of Ukraine have already been carried out. On the other hand, some countries, such as Switzerland, are much more cautious about seizing assets, as this could conflict with their national and international obligations. At the EU level, various proposals have been made in recent months regarding a possible legal framework for asset seizures, and special groups have been set up to examine options that would enable the EU to seize Russian assets for Ukraine's reconstruction. The seizure of frozen Russian assets raises several legal issues, particularly the concern that any unlawful seizure could lead to extensive compensation claims by states and individuals, further destabilizing international relations.
The purpose of the research project is to examine international legal issues arising from the seizure of property by defining the various international legal rules governing this area and subsequently clarifying the conditions for lawful seizure.
Based on the distinction between the seizure of state and private property, the proposed research project pursues the following three objectives:
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To define and analyze the rules of international law governing the seizure of state property and to clarify the conditions that must be met for the lawful seizure of property under these rules
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Defining and analyzing the rules of international law governing the seizure of private property and clarifying the conditions that must be met for the lawful seizure of property under these rules
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Analysis of the proposed EU regulation on the seizure of frozen Russian assets. The proposed research project is structured around these three objectives.
Project Phases
Phase 1 – Seizure of State Assets:
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Objective: to identify and analyze the rules of international law governing the seizure of State assets and to clarify the conditions that must be met for the lawful seizure of assets under these rules.
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Activities: analysis of two sets of legal rules: 1) rules on state immunities, with a particular focus on the analysis of exceptions to immunity from enforcement that allow for the seizure of state property, and 2) rules on state responsibility, in particular analysis of provisions on the obligation to provide reparations by states responsible for internationally wrongful acts and rules on countermeasures.
Phase 2 – Seizure of private property:
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Objective: to identify and analyze the rules of international law governing the seizure of private property and to clarify the conditions that must be met for the lawful seizure of property under these rules.
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Activities: legal analysis of the seizure of private property from the perspective of three sets of legal rules: 1) international investment law, with an emphasis on the conditions for lawful expropriation; 2) international human rights law and the conditions for the lawful seizure of property from individuals by the state; 3) seizure of property gains obtained through criminal activity.
Phase 3 – Analysis of the proposed EU regime for the seizure of Russian assets:
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Objective: to analyze the proposed EU regime for the seizure of frozen Russian assets.
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Activities: clarification of how the relevant rules analyzed in the previous phases bind the EU and/or its Member States; critical analysis of the proposed EU mechanisms for the seizure of Russian assets with a view to securing funds for the reconstruction of Ukraine; concrete proposals for the future legal regulation of this area.
Phase 4 (non-substantive) – project management and dissemination of results:
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Activities: project management and dissemination and dissemination of project results.
Project Results: Events
Roundtable: International legal dimensions of the conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza and the responses of international organizations
(10 June 2024)
Experts from the Faculty of Law of the University of Ljubljana, the European External Action Service (EEAS), the Institute of Criminology at the Faculty of Law of the University of Ljubljana, and the European External Action Service (EEAS) held a roundtable discussion to shed light on the international legal dimensions of the conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza, and in particular the responses of international organizations such as the European Union (EU) and the United Nations (UN).
Ljubljana - Olomouc workshop: National implementation of EU sanctions (restrictive measures) concerning the situation in Ukraine: Legal and practical challenges
(7 to 8 March 2024)
The workshop focused on the national implementation of EU sanctions concerning Ukraine and the related legal and practical challenges. It gathered experts from across Europe to exchange national experiences and discuss current developments through presentations and a public roundtable.
Round table: Reparations and the confiscation of property in the context of the situation in Ukraine: Perspectives from the Council of Europe and the European Union
(12 March 2025)
The event examined reparations and the confiscation of property in the context of the situation in Ukraine, focusing on perspectives from the Council of Europe and the European Union. It brought together experts to discuss legal frameworks and policy developments, including asset recovery, sovereign assets, and the role of sanctions in securing reparations.
Ljubljana Sanctions Conference
(25 to 26 September 2025)
The conference was co-organized by the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Republic of Slovenia, the Multidisciplinary Network on Sanctions (MINOS) at Ghent University and the Centre for International Humanitarian and Operational Law at Palacký University in Olomouc. The conference brought together more than 150 participants and featured 14 panels, 2 round tables and 21 poster presentations over two days.
Project Results: Publications
Tekavčič Veber, Maruša
The inter-relational concept of regionalism in international institutional law. In: ZICCARDI CAPALDO, Giuliana (ed.). The global community yearbook of international law and jurisprudence 2024. Leiden; Boston: Brill, [2026]. Str. 185-223. ISBN 978-90-04-75828-5. ISSN 1535-9468. [COBISS.SI-ID 280108035]
Tekavčič Veber, Maruša
Pravne, politične, ekonomske in praktične razsežnosti sankcij : vpogledi z Ljubljanske konference o sankcijah. Pravnik : revija za pravno teorijo in prakso. [Tiskana izd.]. 2026, letn. 81, št. 3/4, str. 247-255, 293-294. ISSN 0032-6976. [COBISS.SI-ID 280093699]
Tekavčič Veber, Maruša, Hafner, Miha
Kršitev omejevalnih ukrepov Evropske unije kot "evropsko kaznivo dejanje" in zaseg zasebnega premoženja za zagotovitev reparacij Ukrajini. Teorija in praksa: revija za družbena vprašanja. 2025, letn. 62, št. 3, str. 527-556. ISSN 0040-3598., DOI: 10.51936/tip.62.3.527. [COBISS.SI-ID 254447875]
Tekavčič Veber, Maruša
The notion of regionalism in the context of sanctions adopted by regional international organizations in the defence of the general interest. In: KASSOTI, Eva (ed.), CABRITA, Teresa (ed.), IDRIZ, Narin (ed.). The European Union and regionalism : conceptual and contextual perspectives. Leiden; Boston: Brill Nijhoff, cop. 2026. Str. 142-169. Nijhoff studies in EU law (Print), vol. 27. ISBN 978-90-04-70064-2. ISSN 2210-9765. DOI: 10.1163/9789004700659_008. [COBISS.SI-ID 252091395].
Tekavčič Veber, Maruša
EU sanctions and Russia's frozen assets. Brussels: European Union, cop. 2025. XI, 95 str., ilustr. ISBN 978-92-848-3171-5. DOI: 10.2861/2806936. [COBISS.SI-ID 268076035].
Tekavčič Veber, Maruša, Challet, Celia
Navigating legal, political, economic, and practical dimensions of sanctions insights from the Ljubljana Sanctions Conference. Zeitschrift für das Recht der Außenwirtschaft, Sanktionen und Auslandsinvestitionen. 2026, jg. 4, 4, str. 214-222. ISSN 2940-9845.
Tekavčič Veber, Maruša
Odziv Sveta Evrope in Evropske unije na situacijo v Ukrajini s poudarkom na zagotovitvi reparacij za nastalo škodo, povzročeno z agresijo. Javna uprava. 2025, letn. 61, št. 1/2, str. 67-84, 115-116. ISSN 1318-2277 [COBISS.SI-ID 241053699].
Tekavčič Veber, Maruša
Reparacije in zaseg premoženja z vidika razmer v Ukrajini. TFL glasnik. 1. apr. 2025, letn. 17, št. 12, z avtorj. sl. ISSN 2350-5753. [COBISS.SI-ID 231078403].
Tekavčič Veber, Maruša
Tekavčič Veber, M., Sankcije EU in zaseg zamrznjenega ruskega premoženja. TFL glasnik. 16. apr. 2024, letn. 16, št. 14, z avtorj. sl. ISSN 2350-5753. [COBISS.SI-ID 192791811].
Project Results: Lectures
Tekavčič Veber, Maruša
EU sanctions and Russia frozen assets: European Parliament, 2 Dec. 2025. [COBISS.SI-ID 260461827].
Tekavčič Veber, Maruša
Confiscation or management of state property to secure reparations: interplay between primary, secondary and procedural rules: contribution at the "Seminar on Developments in the Law of State Immunity", UiT Faculty of Law, Tromsø, 20 Nov. 2025. [COBISS.SI-ID 258908163].
Tekavčič Veber, Maruša
Sanctions of the European Union: towards a new confiscation regime: lecture at the Faculty of Law, University of Auckland, 25 Jun. 2024. [COBISS.SI-ID 218648579].
Tekavčič Veber, Maruša
Sankcije EU in zaseg premoženja: predavanje na srečanju "Mednarodnopravne dimenzije konfliktov v Ukrajini in Gazi ter odzivi mednarodnih organizacij", Pravna fakulteta v Ljubljani, 10. jun. 2024. [COBISS.SI-ID 198644995]
Tekavčič Veber, Maruša
Confiscation of state property with the aim of securing reparations: some legal insights: contribution at the roundtable "Reparations and the confiscation of property in the context of the situation in Ukraine: perspectives from the Council of Europe and the European Union", Pravna fakulteta Univerze v Ljubljani, 12. mar. 2025. [COBISS.SI-ID 229830659]
Tekavčič Veber, Maruša
EU sanctions and current developments: towards a new confiscation regime?: contribution at the roundtable "EU sanctions: legal and practical challenges", Ljubljana in online, 8 Mar. 2024. [COBISS.SI-ID 189113859]
Tekavčič Veber, Maruša
EU sanctions implementation and the confiscation of property: lecture at the "National implementation of EU sanctions (restrictive measures) concerning the situation in Ukraine: legal and practical challenges" (Ljubljana - Olomouc workshop), Faculty of Law, University of Ljubljana, 8 Mar. 2024. [COBISS.SI-ID 189100803]
Tekavčič Veber, Maruša
Sanctions as the R2P Toolbox Measures: lecture at the conference "7th Biennal Conference Responsibility to Protect in Theory and Practice", Faculty of Law, University of Ljubljana, 6-7 May 2025. [COBISS.SI-ID 236296707].