Van Bael & Bellis

Competition, Regulatory

Partner Kris Van Hove focuses on EU and national competition law, as well as regulatory law.

He specialises in competition law, with particular expertise in cartels, merger control, dominant market positions, distribution and technology transfer.

Kris also specialises in regulatory matters in the area of aviation law. 

Kris’s practice covers a wide variety of sectors, including car parts, aviation, consumer products, basic industries, steel, energy, chemicals, construction equipment, building materials, electronics, music, and information and communications technology. He handles notifications and investigations as well as litigation before the EU and national courts. 

Kris’s notable experience includes the appeal to the EU General Court which led to the annulment of the Commission CISAC decision.

Kris has extensive experience in representing clients in cartel defence cases, including leniency and settlement proceedings and litigation. He led the team that assisted one of the parties in the Commission’s first-ever direct settlement case (DRAM). Since then, he has been involved in several other settlement procedures (such as automotive bearings) and standard procedures (such as smart card chips).

Kris acted as counsel for Japan Airlines in the proceeding before the EU General Court which overturned the Commission 2010 Air Freight decision and annulled Japan Airlines’ €35.7 million fine. He was part of the team that received the Global Competition Review Matter of the Year award in 2016 for his involvement in the case, which also won the American Lawyer’s Global Dispute of the Year: International Litigation award for 2016.

In 2017, Global Competition Review 100 noted Kris as one of “the firm’s lawyers [who] excel in European court appeals stemming from DG Comp decisions”.  He was named as one of 20 of the world’s foremost competition practitioners by Who’s Who Legal for Competition – Thought Leaders for 2018 and again for 2019. According to Who’s Who Legal 2020: Kris “is highlighted as ‘an excellent competition lawyer who ranks among the best’.”  And also in Chambers Global 2021, he is described as "an excellent competition lawyer" who "stays calm and makes the right judgement calls."

He regularly lectures and writes on competition law matters.

Kris Van Hove has been a partner at Van Bael & Bellis since 2001.

Kris Van Hove speaks English, Dutch and French.

Member of the Brussels Bar

Duke University, USA, LL.M., 1992Sorbonne (Paris II), Master of European Law, 1990University of Leuven, Law Degree, 1989