Genevra Forwood

Partner, Brussels, London

Biography

Overview

Genevra Forwood advises and litigates on a broad range of areas of EU law, across a variety of industrial sectors ranging from energy and manufacturing to pharmaceutical and chemicals. As a seasoned litigator, Genevra has pleaded a number of high-profile cases before the EU courts.

One particular area of focus is the EU's economic sanctions against third countries. She co-leads the Firm's EU and UK Sanctions teams, and over the years has handled hundreds of queries on this topic, spanning advisory and transactional work through to investigations and contentious matters.

Genevra also advises on other aspects of EU regulatory compliance, including in the areas of public procurement, EU public contracts, environmental laws and consumer protection. She assists clients with their own compliance, and has drafted a number of complaints to the European Commission in respect of failures of Member States to comply with their obligations under EU law.

Genevra also advises and litigates on EU antitrust and State aid law. She frequently advises on the rules and procedures governing the grant of State aid, and has acted for both beneficiaries and complainants in proceedings before the European Commission and EU courts. She is currently involved in cutting-edge cases on the interface between EU law and international investment protection treaties.

Bars and Courts
Brussels Bar
England and Wales
Education
Postgraduate Diploma in EU Competition Law
King's College London
Bar Vocational Course
BPP Law School
London
Graduate Diploma in Law
City University
London
Masters
College of Europe, Bruges
MA
University of Edinburgh
Languages
English
French

Experience

Selected Experience

Front Polisario v. Council (Interventions concerning various EU-Morocco agreements and their application to Western Sahara)

Ioan Micula & Others v. Commission (Actions before the General Court and ECJ concerning State aid and Investor-State arbitration)

Eurofer v. Commission (annulment of Commission decision to terminate anti-dumping proceeding)

SAS v. Commission (successful annulment action of EC's Airfreight decision).

Shanxi/Yusco v. Commission (Intervention in anti-dumping cases before General Court and ECJ)

Mellifera v. Commission (Intervention in actions before the General Court and ECJ concerning the internal review mechanism under the Aarhus Regulation)

Nexans v. Commission (various actions before the General Court and the ECJ concerning to Commission dawn raid powers, publication of EC Decision and the EC fining decision in Power Cables).

TestBioTech v. Commission (Intervention in action concerning the internal review mechanism under the Aarhus Regulation)

NC v. Commission (annulment of decision under EU Early Detection and Exclusion System)

Uralita v. Commission (Re-adopted Commission Decision imposing a competition fine).

Netherlands Maritime Technology v. Commission (EC State aid decision on the Spanish Tax Lease scheme).

1.garantovaná v. Commission (successful interim measures application in appeal of the EC's Calcium Carbide decision).

Forum 187 v. Commission (State aid rules and the Belgian fiscal scheme for Coordination Centres)

Labate v. Commission (Compensation under the EC Staff Insurance Rules)

Publications

Buyer beware: Parental liability for EU competition law infringements, Competition Law Insight, April 2021 (with Alexandra Rogers, Mark Powell and Marc Israel)

"EU Restrictive Measures" in The Guide to Sanctions, Global Investigations Review, August 2020 (with Sara Nordin, Matthias Vangenechten and Fabienne Vermeeren)

Co-author, "EU Restrictive Measures" in Global Investigations Review Guide to Sanctions, 2020 (co-author, with Sara Nordin, Matthias Vangenechten and Fabienne Vermeeren)

Co-author, "EU State aid and Arbitration" in Research Handbook on European State Aid Law (2nd edn, Edward Elgar, 2020), forthcoming, (co-author, with Kai Struckmann, Aqeel Kadri, Irina Trichkovska)

Co-author, Environment and climate change in the European Union, Lexology Navigator, June 12, 2018, (co-author, with Jacquelyn MacLennan, Emma Bichet, Julio-Felipe Pantazis)

Co-author, "Investor-State Arbitrations and EU State Aid Rules: Conflict or Coexistence?", European State Aid Law Quarterly (EStAL), Volume 15 (2016), Issue 2, pp. 258-269 (with K. Struckmann, A. Kadri)

Co-author, "Promoting the Off-Label Use of Medicines: Where to Draw the Line?", Bio-Science Law Review, Volume 15, Issue 1, February 2016, and European Journal of Risk Regulation, February 2016 (with James Killick)

Co-author, "(Not) breaking the bank" in The Commercial Litigation Journal, May/June 2011, Number 37 (with Kai Struckmann)

Co-author, "EU's Highest Court Says 'No' (For Now) To EU-Wide Patent Court" in Thomas Reuters/World Trade Executive (Eds) EuroWatch, p.3, March 2011 (with James Killick, Anthony Dawes)

Co-author, "Legal privilege for in-house lawyers in EU competition investigation: the End of the Road?" in The Commercial Litigation Journal, November/December 2010, Number 34 (with Mark Powell)

Awards and Recognition

Awarded a Client Choice Award 2022 by Lexology

Recommended, Competition: EU and global, Legal 500 EMEA 2020

Recommended, Customs, trade, WTO and anti-dumping, Legal 500 EMEA 2020

Recommended, EU Regulatory: Pharma, Medical Devices and Biotech, Legal 500 EMEA 2020

Named one of the 40 in their 40s Notable Women Competition Professionals in Europe, 2019

Future Leader: Competition, Who's Who Legal 2017, 2018, 2019

Shortlisted as Rising star: Litigation, Euromoney Women in Business Awards – Europe, 2017