Biography • Trade & Customs

Arnoud Willems is a partner in Sidley's Brussels office and leads the EU trade and customs team. He advises companies on how to benefit from trade and customs rules, as well as from the negotiation, conclusion and implementation of trade agreements, including the World Trade Organization (WTO). In this capacity, Arnoud regularly represents clients before European, Dutch and Belgian administrative authorities, courts and arbitration panels. He is a thought leader on competitiveness, the application of WTO rules to the energy sector, climate change, and the impact of the new EU energy regulation, particularly with respect to BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India, China) companies and governments.

Arnoud is a leading challenger of EU anti dumping regulations, with an unmatched success rate in such cases before the European courts, enabling his clients to obtain significant duty refunds. In addition, he helps companies understand the concrete implications of the WTO rules and treaty (trade) provisions for their business. Such understanding has helped his clients improve competitiveness and financial performance.

Mr Willems publishes and speaks widely on trade topics such as anti-dumping, customs, the WTO accession of Russia and China, trade rules in energy, climate change, export controls and sanctions. His articles have been published in Asian, European and American journals.

Before entering private practice, Mr. Willems was a lieutenant in the Royal Dutch Navy and served as a legal officer at Royal Philips Electronics. Mr Willems received his Meester in de Rechten from the University of Leiden in 1992. He is a member of the Brussels bar - A list.