Overview
Philip Bentley focuses his practice principally on EU antitrust and EU anti-dumping, and also extends to related matters such as state aid, subsidies, customs and judicial review litigation before the EU General Court and Court of Justice.
For nearly four decades, Philip has experienced the significant evolution of competition and state aid law, the implementation of the European Commission’s ambitious 1992 program for the creation of the Single Internal Market, and the visionary enlargement of the scope of EU law brought about by the successive treaties of Maastricht, Amsterdam, Nice and Lisbon. He was involved in landmark court cases during this period, including William Cook, on the standing of a competitor to make a complaint about illegal state aid, Petrotub on zeroing in anti-dumping investigations, and Eurocoton on the obligation of the Council to state reasons for not acting on a commission proposal for trade defense action.
Results
- Represented two European chemical companies in obtaining renewal of EU anti-dumping protection for a speciality chemical in a sunset review (2019-20)
- Represented a European chemical company in obtaining renewal of EU anti-dumping protection for a speciality chemical in a sunset review (2017-18)
- Represented a multinational chemical company in obtaining EU anti-dumping protection for a food additive (2014-15)
- Co-counselled a financial institution in relation to the Commission’s antitrust investigation into credit and debit interchange fees (2013-17)
- Advised one of the shareholders of a 50:50 Asian joint venture in the context of a cartel investigation conducted by the European Commission (2011 to 2012)
- Co-represented the European subsidiaries of a US multinational in customs and anti-dumping matters arising out of the import of mini-compressors from China (2011 to 2012)
- Represented a US exporter in anti-dumping proceedings brought by the European Commission against imports of vinyl acetate imports from the United States (2010 to 2011)
- Represented a Japanese company in the first cartel settlement procedure (DRAMs) conducted by the European Commission (2009 to 2010)
- Represented a trade union in making a complaint to the European Commission about illegal state aid in the maritime shipping sector and subsequent challenge of the Commission’s negative decision before the General Court – with an intervening appeal to the Court of Justice on the question of standing (1997 to 2010)
