ANNOUNCEMENTS

Kristof Wauters is a Belgian lawyer at the Limburg Bar Association and Partner at Vensius, a boutique law firm based in Hasselt (Belgium), with a specific focus on (international) tax and corporate matters. He is also a lecturer at the AP University of Applied Sciences and Arts Antwerp, where he teaches personal and corporate income taxation. Previously, Kristof worked as a research and teaching assistant at the University of Hasselt (Belgium), where he successfully defended his doctoral dissertation on tax compliance by large corporates in November 2021.

Lydia Sofrona (a Greek national) is a tax partner at Koutalidis Law Firm, based in Athens, Greece, and a senior tax expert for the IMF, providing technical assistance on all aspects of tax reform (legal, tax policy and tax administration) across a wide number of countries, including in the MENA region, Sub-Saharan Africa, Europe, the CARICOM and Asia. Prior to this role, Lydia has worked as a Senior Counsel in the Financial and Fiscal Law Unit of the Legal Department of the IMF, based in Washington D.C., as the Director of Legal Services for the Greek Revenue Authority, and as legal counsel to the Greek Alternate Minister of Finance. Lydia is also a member of the UN Roster of Experts on Tax and SDGs.

This guest lecture will delve into the intricate landscape of environmental taxes as well as corporate compliance from an international point of view.

Drawing on the international initiatives on tax for SDGs, the general framework of environmental taxation will be discussed, providing a comprehensive understanding of its purpose and significance. Focusing primarily on the European Union’s approach and policies, various types of environmental taxes implemented across EU member states will be discussed, highlighting their mechanisms and intended environmental and economic outcomes. Furthermore, the challenges faced by the EU in designing and enforcing cohesive environmental tax policies across diverse member states will be addressed. Opportunities for improving the effectiveness of these policies through enhanced coordination, innovation and integration with broader EU climate strategies will be explored.

The second part of the lecture will focus on corporate compliance with environmental tax measures and the emerging trend towards voluntary compliance and environmental, social and governance (ESG) reporting. The increasing importance of ESG reporting in corporate governance will be discussed, with a particular focus on how companies disclose their environmental impact and tax strategies. In addition, the lecture will focus on the growing trend towards voluntary compliance, where companies go beyond regulatory requirements to adopt proactive environmental and sustainable practices.

Finally, some future trends in environmental taxation and corporate compliance will be explored, anticipating new regulations and the heightened emphasis on sustainability and ethical business practice.