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Report from the Nordic Conference on Construction Law “Regulating Disruptions in Nordic Construction Contracts” 
On January 30 and 31, 2025, a Nordic conference on construction law was held at the Faculty of Law in Lund. The conference was organized by Lund University Centre for Business Law (Swedish abbreviation ACLU) in collaboration with researchers from the law faculties at Stockholm University, University of Copenhagen, University of Helsinki, University of Iceland and University of Oslo. The conference was partially funded by generous contributions from Birger Ekebergs fond, Rune och Lena Lavins stiftelse för rättsvetenskaplig forskning vid den Juridiska fakulteten i Lund and Stiftelsen för stöd till verksamhet vid ACLU.

Overview of the Conference 
Despite differences in the regulation of construction contracts across the Nordic countries, there are also many similarities. A common feature is the absence of statutory regulations on the rights and obligations of the parties in construction contracts (where the client is not a consumer). Instead, construction contracts are regulated by standard contracts. Each Nordic country has its own standard contracts. The conference aimed to connect Nordic legal scholars and practicing lawyers with an interest in the field of construction law and to academically explore the potential for deeper Nordic cooperation within the field. The conference was based on the assumption that closer collaboration between academics and practitioners can enrich and develop construction law in the Nordic countries. Enhanced Nordic cooperation may also form the basis for interaction with a wider international construction law environment. 
    The conference attracted nearly 140 registered participants, including legal scholars, attorneys and other practitioners from all five Nordic countries. To eliminate language barriers, the conference was conducted in English. The program began on the morning of January 30 and concluded at lunchtime on January 31. 
    The conference’s theme focused on the regulation of disruptions in the dominant Nordic standard contracts and what is constituted as a claim under the standard contracts. However, some other aspects were also addressed, such as “global claims”. 
    Lectures and panel debates were conducted under the following headings: • How are disruptions regulated in Nordic standard forms? • What can we learn from comparing Nordic standard form regulations? • Grounds for disruption claims: Ground conditions • Grounds for disruption claims: Force majeure • Grounds for disruption claims: Cooperation deficiency • Structuring disruption claims: “Global claims”