Lourdes Catrain

Representative experience

Acting for a leading polysilicon manufacturer in the EU anti-dumping and anti-subsidy investigations against solar panels originating from China.

Assisting a sovereign government in Latin America in its successful free trade agreement negotiations with the EU.

Assisting a global industrial group in connection with Iran and Russian sanctions.

Assisting a major U.S. conglomerate on a voluntary self disclosure in connection with a breach of export control laws in several EU jurisdictions.

Assisting a major U.S. services provider on addressing export control issues in its acquisition of assets in the EU.

Assisting a major U.S. conglomerate on a voluntary disclosure in connection with breach of export control.

Assisting an EU subsidiary of a U.S. aerospace manufacturer on exports of civilian-certified aircraft parts that are listed as defence items.

Representing DelSolar Ltd. in the EU anti-dumping and anti-subsidy investigations against solar panels originating from China.

Successful representation of the Government of Indonesia in the EU's first anti-subsidy investigation concerning imports of biodiesel.

Obtaining annulment before the General Court of the European Union of the acts that included Qualitest FZE within the list in the EU Iran Sanctions Regulation which resulted in the freezing of the company's assets (T-421/11).

Advising Alcatel-Lucent regarding U.S. and EU export control and sanctions issues in connection to the sale of Alcatel-Lucent to Nokia. In particular, we handled the due diligence and regulatory filings.

Providing one of the world’s leading diversified mining and smelting groups an on-going operational legal advice on economic sanctions including sensitive questions relating to operational and financial questions.

Advising an American multinational technology and social media company on the export control and import aspects respectively of their products into the EU from the US and China.

Assisting a leading Chinese telecommunication company with the implementation of its global economic sanctions/export controls compliance program.

Secured a significant customs victory for global biopharmaceutical group Pfizer in a case before the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU), case C-182/19,  in relation to the customs classification of Pfizer’s Thermacare range of products used to treat joint and muscle pain. As a result of our legal advice, these products can now be classified as a medical product under customs classification CN 3005, subject to a zero duty. 
 

Advising an oil and gas company on the customs classification of certain of their products in the EU and Saudi Arabia and the potential risks involved with misclassification of the products under EU and Belgian customs laws.
 

Advising various EU and non-EU based clients on the consequences of Brexit on EU export controls legislation.
 

Advising various clients on EU customs requirements, including customs classification, customs valuation and rules of origin, and on the optimal design of their internal procedures to ensure the highest level of compliance with applicable rules, including in light of Brexit.
 

Advising a global pharmaceutical corporate with respect to the review of its customs valuation practices following the ruling of the Court of Justice of the EU in Hamamatsu (C-529/16). This ruling prohibited the use of the transaction value method, which is the standard means of determining the customs value, in cases where a company conducts retrospective adjustments of its intra-group transfer prices.
 

Assisted the customs authorities of a Middle East country on a customs valuation matter  concerning whether fees paid under an exclusive distribution agreement should be added to the customs value of imported goods.  The value of the claim of unpaid duties was in  excess of €40 million. 
 

Provided a NYSE-listed diversified global manufacturer with legal advice tailored to the specific situations of its EU subsidiaries concerning all EU customs rules applicable to the importation and exportation of goods.