The ‘specialised, well-coordinated’ trade and customs team at Van Bael & Bellis regularly acts for multinational industrial companies and major industry organisations across trade defence cases and WTO disputes. Philippe De Baere, an EU and WTO trade law expert, co-heads the practice alongside Fabrizio Di Gianni, who brings deep experience in high-value trade defence investigations and reviews. The firm boasts a deep bench in trade defence matters, including longstanding customs law powerhouse Richard Luff, anti-dumping and anti-subsidy case stalwart Benoît Servais, metals and minerals trade specialist Yuriy Rudyuk, and third-country trade defence investigation expert Gabriele Coppo. Customs practice head Pablo Muñiz leads the firm’s advice concerning EU customs law and tariff classification. WTO law expert Isabelle Van Damme left the partnership in August 2024, though remains Of Counsel within the team.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
‘Van Bael & Bellis has a very diverse team which means there is always someone available with the necessary expertise to handle complex and urgent cases quickly. They understand business realities and try to find compatible and goal-oriented legal solutions.’
‘Van Bael & Bellis' team provides extensive legal expertise based on a deep understanding of our company's needs.’
- ‘Fabrizio Di Gianni manages a team with a lot of expertise and reacts quickly and to the point. He delivers high quality legal advice and understands the needs of the business. He finds adjusted solutions for any problem relating to his field of expertise.’
- ‘Richard Luff is very knowledgeable in customs law, explains matters very clearly, has very good contacts with the European Commission teams, and delivers excellent work.’
‘A large, specialised, well-coordinated team which is capable of delivering quality work even when deadlines are short.’
‘Perfect knowledge on trade defence instruments, financial analysis, and the industrial sector.’
‘Strong insights based on long experience and longstanding relations with relevant stakeholders.’
- ‘Gabriele Coppo offers maximum availability and effective support in problem solving, conveying a sense of security during the decision-making process.'
Key clients
- AGP Glass
- Canon Europa NV
- Dingsheng Group
- Duferco
- Duracell
- Europacable
- European Parliament
- Fincantieri S.p.A.
- General Electric
- Giant Electric Vehicle
Work highlights
- Representing the EU industry in one of the rare instances where the Commission accepted to initiate an anti-absorption investigation against Chinese imports following the imposition of definitive anti-dumping duties.
- Assisting Martell & Co, a well-known brand in the brandy market, with an anti-dumping investigation initiated by China on imports of brandy from the EU.
- Advised the Government of Indonesia on the WTO dispute settlement proceeding concerning certain measures imposed by the EU and its Member States in the framework of its renewable energy directives limiting the use of palm oil and oil palm crop-based biofuels.
Lawyers
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Practice head
Philippe De Baere; Fabrizio Di Gianni
Other key lawyers
Benoît Servais; Yuriy Rudyuk; Richard Luff; Gabriele Coppo; Pablo Muñiz; Isabelle Van Damme