Georg M. Berrisch

Dr. Georg Berrisch is a German Rechtsanwalt in our Brussels office.  He has practiced in Brussels since 1991, and prior to joining Covington & Burling in 2001 served as the Managing Partner of the Brussels Office of a large German firm.  Mr. Berrisch's practice concentrates on litigation before the Court of Justice and the General Court of the EU and the representation of clients in proceedings before the European Commission and national authorities.

Dr. Berrisch has represented public and private sector clients in more than 100 cases over the past several years before the Court of Justice and the General Court of the EU.  His litigation experience before the two EU Courts covers the whole spectrum of cases (e.g., direct actions for annulment, actions for damages, appeals against judgments of the General Court, and interim measures) as well as a broad range of subject matters (e.g., competition, merger control, state aid, anti-dumping and anti-subsidy, pharmaceuticals, air transport, agriculture, access to documents, passenger rights, EU constitutional law).

In addition to his litigation practice before the EU Courts, Dr. Berrisch represents clients in proceedings before the European Commission and national authorities.  He has particular expertise in cases concerning the interplay of law, economics and politics such as trade defence proceedings, where he has successfully represented EU industries in several anti-dumping investigations concerning imports from China.  Most recently, he represented the European Wheels Association to secure the imposition of anti-dumping duties on imports of aluminum road wheels from China.  Dr Berrisch also has significant expertise in EU state aid and competition investigations.

Dr Berrisch also advises clients on wide range of EU law matters, notably external trade, including export control of Dual Use Goods and the operation economic sanctions against Iran and other countries.  He is further active in assisting clients on issues arising in the World Trade Organization.

Representative Matters

• Representing European industries, including the European Wheels Association, the European Steel Tubes Association and several European candle producers in several anti-dumping investigations concerning imports of products from China, all of which resulted in the imposition of anti-dumping duties.
• Counsel to Ryanair in its appeal against the European Commission's decision to block its proposed acquisition of Ireland's national carrier, Aer Lingus and in ongoing proceedings before the Office of Fair Trading and the Competition Appeals Tribunal in the UK regarding Ryanair’s minority stake in Aer Lingus.
• Representing Microsoft in its dispute with the European Commission concerning the compliance with the Commission’s March 2004 Decision ordering Microsoft to make available interoperability information for its work group server operating systems and in ensuing litigation before the General Court.
• Representing the Council of the European Union in more than 80 anti-dumping and anti-subsidy cases before the Court of Justice and the General Court of the EU.
• Representing an intervener supporting Microsoft’s challenge of the Commission's competition decision (Case T-201/04 and Case T-201/04 R).
• Advising several European and international companies on the enhanced trade sanctions adopted by the EU against Iran. 
• Representing Merck and Schering Plough in two cases involving marketing authorizations for medicinal products (Case T-273/03 and Case T-133/03).

Honors and Rankings

• PLC as a leading practitioner in the field of EU Competition (2008-2010).
• Legal 500 EMEA as a leading practitioner in the fields of Competition and Customs, Trade, WTO, and Anti-dumping - Belgium (2010-2011).
• Legal Experts UK (2010)
• Chambers Europe as a leading practitioner in the field of Competition/European Law (2011).
• Chambers Europe as a leading practitioner in the field of WTO/International Trade and Competition/European Law (2008-2011).
• Chambers Global as a leading practitioner in the field of WTO/International Trade and Competition/European Law (2009-2011).
• JUVE, Customs & Trade, Leading WTO Lawyer (2008-2010)
• JUVE, Customs & Trade, Leading EU Market Regulations Lawyer (2010)
• Who's Who Legal, Trade & Customs, Recommended (2008-2010)
• Best Lawyers (Belgium)
• The World's Leading International Trade Lawyers (2010)

Pro Bono

• Representing Transparency International in a libel case before the Landgericht Berlin against former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic.
• Representing the Association of Corporate Counsel Europe as intervener in a case concerning the scope of legal privilege for in-house counsel in EU cartel investigations (Case T-253/03).

Memberships and Affiliations

• Member of the Permanent Delegation of the CCBE to the European Court of Justice and the Court of First Instance of the European Communities.  The CCBE is the official representation of the bars and law societies in the EU Member States.
• Studienvereinigung Kartellrecht (German Antitrust Lawyers Association)

Publications and Speeches

• Publishes numerous articles in German and English and lectures regularly on European Community and trade law matters.

• "Anti Dumping & Anti Subsidy – Trade Barriers for the Tire Industry," 5th CEE Rubber & Tire Markets (10/21/2011)
• "What Arguments Work in Luxembourg and What Arguments Don't: Substantive Review," EU Litigation 2011 (10/7/2011)
• "EU Imposes Further Economic Sanctions Against Libya," Covington E-Alert (3/28/2011), Co-Author