International Economic Criminal Law Debate Brings Experts Together at ULusófona

On 27 May, ULusófona – Porto University Centre hosted the workshop “Current Challenges in Economic Criminal Law: A Comparative Perspective Between Portugal and Spain”, organised by the CEAD Francisco Suárez.

The workshop brought together researchers, academics, and legal professionals for a discussion on some of the key challenges currently facing Economic Criminal Law, in a context marked by the increasing complexity of economic relations and the strengthening of international legal cooperation. Through a comparative approach to the Portuguese and Spanish legal systems, participants examined current trends, practical difficulties, and possible future developments in this field.

Moderated by Alexandra Vilela, a lecturer at Lusófona University, the workshop was structured around three thematic panels. The first, dedicated to “Negotiated Justice and Plea Bargaining”, featured presentations by Bruno de Oliveira Moura, from Lusófona University, who addressed negotiated criminal justice in Portugal, and Miguel Bustos Rubio, from the Universidad Internacional de La Rioja, who presented a comparative perspective on criminal cooperation and plea mechanisms in Portugal and Spain.

The second panel focused on “Corporate Criminal Liability”, with contributions from Inês Fernandes Godinho, from Lusófona University, who discussed “Corporate Criminal Liability in Portugal: Between Friendships and Conflicts”, and María Soledad Gil Nobajas, from the Universidad de Deusto, who reflected on corporate criminal liability in Spain and the concept of “Derecho penal del amigo” (“criminal law of the friend”).

The final panel addressed “Environment and Corruption in Criminal Law”, featuring presentations by Carlos Ferreira da Silva, from ULusófona, on the challenges and complexities of environmental criminal law in Portugal, and Demelsa Benito Sánchez, from the Universidad de Deusto, who analysed environmental corruption under the Spanish Criminal Code.

The growing complexity of these issues requires increasingly effective responses from legal systems. Lecturer Inês Godinho highlighted that matters such as corruption, corporate criminal liability, and environmental justice present significant challenges for contemporary legal systems, making it essential to seek solutions capable of addressing emerging forms of criminal activity.

Among the invited speakers, Demelsa Benito Sánchez, from the Universidad de Deusto (Spain), emphasised that areas such as corporate criminal liability, corruption, and criminal prosecution continue to hold particular relevance. She noted that corporate criminal liability is currently one of the topics attracting the greatest attention in Portugal, Spain, and other European countries.

The initiative reinforced the importance of international scientific cooperation and comparative legal analysis in developing responses to the contemporary challenges of Economic Criminal Law. It also provided an opportunity to deepen knowledge and encourage discussion on topics of significant relevance to both academic research and modern legal practice.

View Event Photos on ULusófona's Facebook Page

Text
Bruna Pereira and Susana A. Oliveira

Photography
Susana A. Oliveira

Video (Coverage)
Susana A. Oliveira

Video and Photography (Editing)
Paulo Renato