European and international law

Our European and international law practice is unmatched in Europe. With academic rigour, political sensitivity and a thorough understanding of commercial issues, our highly skilled lawyers have been advising and representing companies of all sizes, associations, and European and international institutions for decades. Our clients benefit from our in‑​depth knowledge and our dedicated lawyers who are able to draw on the contacts we maintain with key decision‑​makers.

Our areas of practice (selection)

We have been and still are involved in almost all major European developments, be it the reform of Economic and Monetary Union, the regulation of the financial markets and of internet platforms, the single market, climate and environmental protection, security legislation or Brexit. In over a hundred cases, we have represented governments, European institutions and companies before the European courts.

EU law:

  • Institutional law
  • Fundamental freedoms and fundamental rights
  • European environmental, energy and product law
  • European financial market regulation
  • TMT, privacy and copyright
  • Antitrust, state aid and foreign trade law
  • National implementation and enforcement of EU law

International law:

  • Institutional law
  • Fundamental and human rights
  • International economic, trade and investment protection law

Credentials¹

ECJ and ECJ proceedings

  • Acting as counsel for a party involving the prohibition of legal advice in connection with sanctions against Russia (Case C‑109/23)
  • Acting as counsel for the European Central Bank involving access to monetary policy documents (Case T‑675/22)
  • Acting as counsel for the Republic of Austria involving classification of nuclear energy under the Taxonomy Regulation (Case T‑625/22)
  • Acting as counsel for Europol involving file access rights (Case T‑620/22)
  • Acting as counsel for Europol involving claims for damages for allegedly unlawful data processing (C‑444/22 P, C‑755/21 P, T‑436/21, T‑528/20)
  • Acting as counsel for Condor involving COVID‑19 aid (Case T‑366/22)
  • Acting as counsel for Condor involving restructuring aid (Case T‑28/22)
  • Acting as counsel for the Hessian Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information involving “scoring” by credit reference agencies (Cases C‑26/22,
    C‑64/22, C‑768/21, C‑552‑21)
  • Acting as counsel for the European Central Bank involving the winding up of Banco Popular Español (Cases C‑782/21 P, T‑442/18, T‑15/18, T‑827/17).
  • Acting as counsel for the Bundesnetzagentur (German Federal Network Agency) involving the cost‑​sharing method in connection with redispatching and countertrading (Case T‑485/21)
  • Acting as counsel for a solar glass manufacturer involving aiding and abetting a competitor (Case T‑530/20)
  • Acting as counsel for the Federal Republic of Germany involving the processing of passenger data (Cases C‑215/20 and C‑222/20)
  • Acting as counsel for the Federal Republic of Germany involving the Construction Products Regulation (Cases C‑688/19 P, C‑475/19, T‑53/18, T‑229/17)
  • Acting as counsel for the Land of North Rhine‑​Westphalia involving access to tax‑​related documents (Case C‑620/19)
  • Acting as counsel for CEN, DIN and other national standardisation organisations in a basic procedure involving document access to, and copyright protection for, harmonised technical standards (T185/19 ; C588/21  P)
  • Acting as counsel for the German Federal Government as intervener in a dispute involving state aid proceedings concerning a transfer of land for youth welfare purposes (Case T‑578/17)
  • Acting as counsel for the city of Solingen involving the tendering of rescue services (Case C‑465/17)
  • Acting as legal advisor for the German Federal Chamber of Architects and the German Federal Chamber of Engineers on HOAI proceedings (Case C‑377/17)
  • Acting as counsel for ArcelorMittal and ThyssenKrupp in a dispute with the European Chemicals Agency (Case T‑762/16)
  • Representation of a collecting society on the notification of ancillary copyright (Case C‑299/17).
  • Representation of the Federal Government in infringement actions brought by the Commission for exceeding limit values for nitrogen dioxide in Germany (Case C‑635/18) and the United Kingdom (Case C‑664/18).
  • Representation of the German Red Cross and other charitable organisations on a competitor's action concerning state aid (Case T‑69/18)
  • Representation of an energy supply company in an action for annulment based on state aid law in connection with the German nuclear phase‑​out (Case T‑674/18)
  • Representation of CEN and other standardisation organisations in proceedings for the issuance of harmonised technical standards (Case T‑185/19)
  • Representation of a manufacturer of solar glass in an action for annulment of the Commission's decision to close a state aid investigation (Case T‑530/20).
  • Representation of the Bundesnetzagentur in an action for annulment against the European Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators (ACER) concerning the bearing of costs for redispatch and countertrading (Case T‑485/21).
  • Representation of a Slovak raw material producer in a case of investment aid grated to a competitor (T‑745/17).
  • Representation of a Danish parallel importer of pharmaceutical products in a preliminary ruling procedure on European law interpretation of the so‑​called Special Mechanism as an exception to the free movement of goods in the accession treaties of Eastern European countries to the EU by the ECJ (C‑681/16).
  • Representation of the Independent Centre for Privacy Protection Schleswig‑​Holstein in proceedings relating to the data protection responsibility of operators of a Facebook page (Case C‐210/16).
  • Representation of the Federal Government in proceedings relating to the extradition of a Union citizen to the US (Case C‐191/16).
  • Representation of the Federal Government in proceedings relating to the conformity of national data retention with EU law (Case C‐203/15, C‐698/15).
  • Representation of companies from the lignite industry in the context of an action for annulment of the Commission decision on the EEG 2014 (Case T‐750/15).
  • Representation of a telecommunications company in an action for annulment brought against the EU Commission for refusing an application for access to documents in connection with proceedings under Article 102 TFEU (T‑210/15).
  • Representation of the Gesellschaft zur Verwertung von Leistungsschutzrechten (GVL) in proceedings relating to the public reproduction of protected works (Case C‐117/15).
  • Representation of the Free State of Saxony in proceedings relating to the “Waldschlösschen Bridge” (Case C‐399/14).
  • Representation of the Free State of Bavaria in proceedings relating to database protection for maps (Case C‐490/14).
  • Representation of the Federal Government in appeal proceedings relating to certain limit values of the Toys Directive (Case C‐360/14 P).
  • Representation of the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) in a lawsuit concerning certification of a helicopter (Case T‐102/13).
  • Representation of several aluminium producers in the aid review procedure on the EEG's Special Compensation Scheme (Case T‐263/14).
  • Representation of Vattenfall in the European Court of Justice lawsuit regarding the EEG aid review procedure (Case T‐260/14).
  • Representation of the refinery Heide GmbH in an ECJ suit on hardship case provisions in the Emissions Trading Act (Case T‐631/13).
  • Representation of the Deutscher Sparkassen- und Giroverband in preliminary ruling proceedings relating to the “distinctive character red” (Case C‐ 217/13 and C‐218/13).
  • Representation of Eugen Ulmer Verlag in ECJ proceedings relating to “electronic reading points” in copyright law (Case C‐117/13).
  • Representation of the Federal Government in the infringement proceedings relating to data retention (Case C‐329/12).
  • Representation of Saria in ECJ proceedings relating to contributions for Zweckverband Tierkörperbeseitigung in Rhineland Palatinate (Case T‐309/12).
  • Representation of agricultural cooperatives in ECJ proceedings relating to direct payments and the protection of legitimate expectations in EU agricultural law (Case C‐545/11 – “Neuzelle”).
  • Representation of VG Wort in several ECJ and Federal Constitutional Court proceedings relating to remuneration for equipment and intellectual property (joint cases C‐457/11 to C‐460/11 – Hewlett Packard u. a.).
  • Representation of MSD Sharp & Dohme in ECJ proceedings relating to rights to information of patients with respect to prescription drugs (Case C‐316/09).
  • Representation of Trianel in ECJ proceedings relating to the rights of environmental associations to sue (Case C‐115/09 – “Trianel”).
  • Representation of the Federal Government and various federal states before the ECJ and the ECJ regarding Structural Funds (inter alia, Case T‐265/08, Case T‐ 114/10, Case T‐ 116/10, Case C‐549/12 P).
  • Representation of the Federal Government in ECJ proceedings relating to the application of the EU fundamental freedoms to notaries and the nationality requirement for notaries (Case C‐54/08).
  • Representation of a chemical company concerning the validity of REACH regulations (Case C‐558/07).
  • Representation of a company in an ECJ preliminary ruling procedure on public procurement law in the health sector (Case C‐300/07 – “Oymanns”).
  • Representation of the Federal Government in ECJ proceedings on the failure to fulfil obligations regarding fees in EU agricultural law (Case C‐270/07).
  • Representation of the persons concerned in ECJ proceedings relating to the electronic identification of individual animals (Case C‐101/12)
  • Representation of Deutsche Telekom in various ECJ references for a preliminary ruling on European telecommunications law (joint cases C‐152/07 to C‐154/07; Case C‐262/06; Case C‐55/06 – “Arcor”).
  • Representation of a media company in ECJ lawsuits on Community support programmes (Case T‐122/06).
  • Representation of companies concerning registration of Community trade marks before the ECJ (e. g. Case T‐441/05).
  • Representation of a company in an ECJ preliminary ruling procedure relating to Brussels I Regulation (Case C‑14/07 – “Weiss und Partner”).
  • Representation of the Federal Government in an ECJ suit brought by Switzerland on the approach and departure routes into/​from Zurich (ECJ T‑319/05, ECJ Case C‐547/10 P).
  • Representation of the Federal Government in various legal disputes before the ECJ on emissions trading (Case T‐374/04, Case T‐387/04)
  • Representation of the Federal Government in a competition law suit before the European Court of Justice on the toll system (Case T‐48/04)
  • Representation of the Federal Government in ECJ references for a preliminary ruling on tax law and the principle of fiscal neutrality (joint cases C‐453/02 and C‐462/02 – “Linneweber” inter alia).
  • Representation of the Federal Government in various infringement proceedings of the European Commission relating to customs and foreign trade law (inter alia, Case C‐104/02, Case C‐105/02).
  • Representation of the utility companies in a lawsuit before the ECJ and the CJEU concerning the so‑​called nuclear provisions (Case T‐92/02 and Case C‐176/06 P).
  • Representation of the Federal Government and regional governments in various ECJ preliminary ruling and infringement proceedings relating to EU waste legislation, e. g. the Regulation on the Avoidance and Recovery of Packaging Waste (Case C‑463/01 – “Re‑​Use Quota”), the compulsory deposit (Case C‑309/03 – “Radlberger Spitz”) “independent national initiatives” (Case C‑6/03 – “Zweckverband Eiterköpfe”) and on waste shipment (Case C‑228/00 – “Belgian Cement Works”).
  • Representation of the Federal Government in a state aid lawsuit before the ECJ on border area support and the ECSC Treaty (Case T‐308/00).
  • Representation of a utility company in the ECJ reference for a preliminary ruling regarding compliance of the promotion of renewable energies with EU law (Case C‐379/98 – “PreußenElektra”).
  • Representation of the Federal Government in proceedings relating to access to environmental information (Case C‐217/97 and C‐321/96).
  • Representation of the Federal Government in infringement proceedings relating to environmental impact assessment (Case C‐301/95 and C‐431/92 – “Großkrotzenburg”).
  • Representation of a manufacturer of fuel elements in an action for annulment under the Euratom Treaty (Case C‐308/90).

¹ With regard to our commitment to professional discretion, the list of credentials is restricted to representation cases published by the courts/that are public knowledge (section 43a (2) of BRAO

lawyers in European and international law

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