Photo, Dr. Bregt Natens

Dr. Bregt Natens

Counsel
Baker & McKenzie CVBA/SCRL

Biography

Dr. Bregt Natens is a counsel in the IC&T Practice Group in the Brussels office. He joined Baker McKenzie in 2022. Bregt advises clients on European Union and international trade law and regulations, with a focus on trade remedies, customs rules, market access, and regulatory barriers. Bregt has significant experience representing clients in litigation before the EU courts and the WTO, and before EU and EU Member State authorities in the context of trade remedies and customs matters.

Practice Focus

Bregt regularly represents clients in litigation before the EU courts and EU Member State courts, and at the World Trade Organization (WTO). In particular, Bregt has been involved in over 25 cases before the Court of Justice of the EU in the areas of trade remedies, chemicals, and life sciences regulation. He also has extensive experience representing clients before EU and EU Member State authorities, such as the European Commission and customs authorities.

As part of his trade remedies work, Bregt has assisted clients in more than 15 anti-dumping, anti-subsidy, and safeguard cases in the EU and in third countries. Notably, Bregt has experience from the initial, administrative phase of trade remedies proceedings up until litigation before the Court of Justice of the EU and the WTO Appellate Body.

Bregt also regularly teaches on trade law and his research has been published in leading journals.

Representative Legal Matters

  • Represented a major steel producer in EU anti-dumping and anti-subsidy investigations.
  • Represented several major apparel importers in pan-European litigation against customs authorities and the European Commission.
  • Represented a sovereign in a WTO dispute concerning trade in goods, trade in services, and trade-related aspects of intellectual property rights.
  • Advised a major services company on a sector-specific annex in an FTA.
  • Advised a global nuclear energy company in connection with developing an anti-subsidy risk assessment incl. a compliance manual.
  • Advised a global raw materials company with respect to setting up an anti-dumping compliance program, including assistance in monitoring potential dumping margins.
  • Acted for a major apparel importer to obtain significant duty refunds on a retroactive application of origin as laid down in the EU-Vietnam FTA.
  • Assisted a Fortune 100 technology company with respect to developing a policy to manage changes in the EU political landscape.

Professional Associations and Memberships

  • Guest lecturer GATS and WTO Dispute Settlement, University of Stellenbosch

Admissions

  • Brussels~Belgium (2015)

Education

  • KU Leuven (Ph.D) (2015)
  • KU Leuven (LL.M.) (2012)

Languages

  • Dutch
  • English
  • Author, "Article VIII GATS" and "Article X GATS", Max Planck Commentaries on World Trade Law – General Agreement on Trade in Services, forthcoming
  • Author, "Article 1 Anti-Dumping Agreement" and "Article 9 Anti-Dumping Agreement", Max Planck Commentaries on World Trade Law – Anti-Dumping Agreement, forthcoming
  • Co-author, "The EU’s ‘Greened’ Injury Margin: a Closer Look at Law and Practice", International Trade Law and Regulation, June 2022

International Trade Law & Regulation

  • Co-author, "Hurdles to Litigating Trade Defence Measures Before the EU Courts", Journal of World Trade, December 2020
  • Co-author, "Prudential Carve-Outs for Financial Services in EU FTAs", Law and Practice of the Common Commercial Policy: The First Ten Years after the Lisbon Treaty, December 2020
  • Co-author, "Effect of and Compliance with Judgments of the Court of Justice of the European Union: The Case of Trade Defense Measures", Global Trade and Customs Journal, February 2020