CERIL

The 4th CERIL International Conference on European Restructuring and Insolvency Law took place on Thursday 26 and Friday 27 March 2026, in Leuven, Belgium. Building on the momentum of the previous edition held in Leiden in May 2025, the fourth conference convened scholars, practitioners, judges and policymakers to examine the rapidly evolving landscape of EU restructuring and insolvency law. The two-day programme centred on recent interrelated legislative developments: the implications of the new EU Insolvency Directive (Insolvency III) for legislators, courts and practitioners, the forthcoming revision of the European Insolvency Regulation 2015 (EIR 2015), while also looking ahead towards a 28th EU Insolvency Regime and the growing impact of digitalisation on the restructuring and insolvency practice.

After the Big Bang

The conference theme, 'After the Big Bang!', invited reflection on whether the constellation of EU legislative initiatives launched in recent years collectively represents a transformative moment for European insolvency law or whether the promised explosion of reform had, in practice, produced more ‘light than heat’. As Reinout Vriesendorp, CERIL Chair, asked in his opening address: should the 'Big Bang' be followed by an exclamation mark or a question mark? The choice of KU Leuven as host university added an additional layer of symbolic significance. KU Leuven, celebrating its 600th anniversary, is one of Europe's oldest universities and home to Georges Lemaître, the priest-scientist who laid the first foundations for the Big Bang theory.

Program

The CERIL Conference 2026 unfolded over two days at KU Leuven’s Irish College. Thursday 26 March opened with welcome addresses by Prof. Joeri Vananroye (KU Leuven) and CERIL Chair Prof. em. Reinout Vriesendorp (Leiden University), followed by a keynote address by René Repasi, Member of the European Parliament. The afternoon featured also two panel sessions examining the substance and practical implications of the new Insolvency Directive and was concluded by a closing address delivered by Nora Wouters (Dentons, Belgium). The evening programme included a reception, dinner and the prize ceremony of the Bob Wessels Insolvency Law Collection (BWILC).

Friday 27 March opened with a welcome from CERIL Vice Chair Prof. Ignacio Tirado (UNIDROIT), followed by a joint presentation on the proposed EU Inc. Regulation and its insolvency implications. The afternoon featured two further panel sessions reviewing the EIR 2015 and a dedicated panel on digitalisation.

Report

Click here for the full report.