LEADERSHIP
Management Board
The Association is led by its Management Board, using the formal titles established by IATL’s governance structure: Chairperson of the Management Board, Vice-Chairperson, and Member of the Management Board. Each profile should include a professional photograph, name, professional title, country/jurisdiction and a concise biography focusing on transport law, international work and relevant professional experience.
Ventsislav Trendafilov
Expert in International Transport Law, EU Law, and International Relations
Ventsislav Trendafilov is a highly qualified lawyer with extensive experience in international transport law, European Union law, and International Relations. Specializing in commercial and transport law, as well as EU law, his in-depth knowledge of transport regulatory frameworks positions him as one of the leading experts in the sector.
Specialization and Expertise
Ventsislav Trendafilov is specializing in International Private Law, enabling him to provide strategic legal solutions with a global reach. He is a key participant in analyzing European transport legislation, actively supporting the development of the transport sector both within EU member states and in third countries.
His international qualifications and professional experience in commercial law allow him to play a crucial role in creating sustainable solutions and delivering legal assistance to transport companies across the European Union.
Education and Certifications
Certificate – The European Programme for Human Rights Education for Legal Professionals (HELP)
Certificate in International Relations from the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences
Ventsislav Trendafilov is committed to providing high-quality legal consultations and advice, leveraging his certifications and expertise to guide clients through complex legal issues. He is also an active contributor to Truck Mobility Info, a blog where he shares analyses and commentary on current EU transport legislation.
Sançar Sefer Süer
Vice-Chairperson
Education
Born in Çanakkale, Süer completed his primary, middle and high school education in this city. He graduated from Ankara University Faculty of Law in 1999. He completed his master’s degree at the same university with a thesis entitled “Preventing the Financing of Terrorism in International Law.” He graduated first in his class from the one-year Postgraduate Certificate Programme in Law of Obligations and Commercial Law at the Institute of Banking and Commercial Law. His other academic achievements include ranking first among bachelor’s degree holders in Türkiye’s first central civil service examination (DMS) in 1999, placing among the top 10 in four score categories in the 2004 Public Personnel Selection Examination (KPSS), and ranking among the top 1,000 candidates in the 1995 Student Selection Examination (ÖYS).
In addition to numerous certificates in law, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Management Information Systems from Anadolu University Open Education Faculty. He also successfully passed the examinations for Dangerous Goods Safety Consultancy (TMGD) under ADR and ODY3, earning the relevant qualifications. His other certificates include Foreign Trade and Finance, Mini MBA (TOBB ETÜ), Compliance Management (Bilgi University), Sustainability Strategy for Executives (Boğaziçi University), and GS1 System & Barcode Courses (GS1). He also successfully completed Information Technology courses at METU IDE-A.
Professional Experience
Süer began his career of more than 20 years as a judge in the civil and criminal judiciary (2000–2005). From 2005 to 2015, he served at the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Türkiye (TOBB), within the Department of Trade and TIR. Between 2016 and 2019, he held the positions of Executive Board Chairperson and Chief Legal Counsel at TOBBUND Logistics Investment Inc. From 2020 to 2023, he served as Deputy Secretary General and Acting Secretary General of the Ankara Chamber of Commerce (ATO). He also served as a member of the TOBB TIR Committee and the GS1 Türkiye Committee. During these assignments, he contributed to numerous national and international projects in the transportation and logistics sectors, including eTIR, GEBOS, STAUM, GDSN, and 100% Life in Traffic. He represented Türkiye’s transportation sector before various international organisations, including IRU, GS1, the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO), and the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC). He was admitted to the Istanbul Bar Association in 2017. Since 2024, he has been providing legal consultancy services in Ankara, with a particular focus on arbitration, mediation, and other forms of alternative dispute resolution.
Alternative Dispute Resolution
Süer is a registered mediator under registration number 2994. His areas of specialisation in mediation are Employment Law and Commercial Law. He is a TOBBUYUM-accredited mediator and a Mediation-Arbitration (Med-Arb) arbitrator. He actively serves as an arbitrator at the Istanbul Arbitration Centre (ISTAC) and within the TOBBUYUM Internet Domain Name Dispute Resolution Provider.
Publications
Peer-Reviewed Article
SÜER, Sançar Sefer, “Catch-All Political Parties,” Journal of the Union of Turkish Bar Associations, Issue 96, September–October 2011.
Non-Peer-Reviewed Articles
SÜER, Sançar Sefer, “Article 39 of the New Turkish Commercial Code (Information to Be Included in Documents): A Translation Blunder?” Terazi Law Journal, Year 7, Issue 71, July 2012.
SÜER, Sançar Sefer / ÇETİNTAŞ, Öznur, “The Digital Tachograph System and Its Implementation in Türkiye,” Economic Forum, October 2010.
SÜER, Sançar Sefer, “The International Court of Justice’s Advisory Opinion on the Legal Consequences of the Construction of a Wall in the Occupied Palestinian Territory,” Yasama Journal, Issue 14, January–April 2010.
SÜER, Sançar Sefer / OKUR, Mustafa, “The Obligation to Prove a Written Instrument by Another Written Instrument,” Kayseri Bar Association Journal, Issue 21, May 2001.
Case and Book Summaries, Translations and Compilations
European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), Cazan v. Romania (Prohibition of Torture and Ill-Treatment; Right to Liberty and Security), TürkHukuk, 2016:3, p. 149. http://hudoc.echr.coe.int/eng?i=001-169525
European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), Haldimann and Others v. Switzerland (Freedom of Expression; Right to Respect for Private Life), TürkHukuk, 2016:2, p. 148. http://hudoc.echr.coe.int/eng?i=001-169526
European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), Peruzzi v. Italy (Lawyer’s Statements Concerning a Judge and Freedom of Expression), Türk Hukuk, September 2015, Issue 146, pp. 58–62. http://hudoc.echr.coe.int/eng?i=001-169527y
European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), Konstantin Stefanov v. Bulgaria (Defence Counsel’s Duties; Monetary Penalty; Right to Property), Türk Hukuk, January 2016, Issue 147, pp. 60–62. http://hudoc.echr.coe.int/eng?i=001-169528
Ministry of Transport, Maritime Affairs and Communications (UDHB) / TOBB / TOBB ETÜ, Workshop on Transport Law Practices and Their Economic Impacts, 28 February 2014, Ankara, TOBB Publication No. 2015/264 (Editor).
United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), TIR Handbook, incorporating amendments dated 1 January 2012 and 13 September 2012 to the 1975 TIR Convention, Ministry of Customs and Trade Publication Series No. 006, Ankara, 2013 (translation of Chapter 1, “The TIR Customs Transit System,” pp. 11–30).
Languages
English (very good), French (intermediate), Japanese (beginner).
Areas of Expertise
Road Transport Law, Customs Law, Foreign Trade Law, Traffic Law, International Law, Human Rights Law, Criminal Law, Contract Law, Corporate Law, Information Technology Law, Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR), Compliance Management, and Sustainability.