Geert Van Calster
gavclaw.bsky.social
Geert Van Calster
@gavclaw.bsky.social

Geert is a practising lawyer and full professor at KU Leuven, and a visiting prof i.a. at Monash University, Melbourne. Mostly law. Just law. Blogs at www.gavclaw.com

Geert Van Calster is a Belgian lawyer and legal scholar, focusing on conflict of laws, international trade law, EU and international environmental law, EU economic law, and investment and commercial arbitration. He is full professor of Law at KU Leuven, was the head of its department of European and International Law for 11 years between 2009 and 2020, and is a senior fellow at KU Leuven's Centre for Global Governance Studies. He is a former director of the Centre for Advanced Legal Studies at KU Leuven and former program director for the Master of Energy and Environmental Law (2002-2012). He is also a visiting professor at Monash University (Melbourne), at King's College London, and a senior fellow at Melbourne University School of Law. He is adjunct professor at American University, a former visiting lecturer at the University of Oxford and a former visiting professor at the China-EU School of Law in Beijing and Erasmus University, Rotterdam. Between 1994 and 2015, he was affiliated as of counsel (practising) with international law firms, respectively SJ Berwin; Andersen Legal; Dibb, Lupton, Alsop; and DLA Piper. He now runs his own, independent legal practice. He was called to the bar in 1999. He hosts a blog posting mostly on international dispute resolution at www.gavclaw.com. .. more

Political science 30%
Law 23%

Sanctions-Related Litigation in Russian Courts: The Euroclear Cases and Private international law. Guest blog by Dr Mykola Lazarenko

gavclaw.com/2026/01/30/s...
Sanctions-Related Litigation in Russian Courts: The Euroclear Cases and Private international law. Guest blog by Dr Mykola Lazeranko
This post has been written by Dr Mykola Lazeranko, postdoctoral fellow at KU Leuven Law. I am most grateful for his contribution. Of note is that Mykola’s aim is not to highlight whether the Russia…
gavclaw.com

Reposted by Steve Peers

Court of Appeal on UK-EU Withdrawal Agreement
Extent to which EU law continues to apply to deportation of EU citisens
A20, 21 WA
Whether UK authorities need to apply EU proportionality principle

Molnar v [HMG] [2026] EWCA Civ 31 www.bailii.org/ew/cases/EWC...

paging @stevepeers.bsky.social
Access denied
www.bailii.org

Reposted by Geert Van Calster

Of much note
Re Adani Mining at Carmichael Coal Mine affecting springs of indigenous significance
Action for failure to act
Ia whether decision not to exercise power, itself confers, alters or affects rights or obligations

[DESI] v [Nagana] [2026] QCA 7
lnkd.in/e3SceA7f
LinkedIn
This link will take you to a page that’s not on LinkedIn
lnkd.in

Classic(ish) conflicts brain fog
Dutch first instance judge holds Brussels Ia does not apply to enforcement of low emission zones LEZ fine ('administrative' matter) yet decides applicable law on basis of Rome II
First instance Overijssel Stad Antwerpen v X deeplink.rechtspraak.nl/uitspraak?id...
Rechtspraak.nl - Zoeken in uitspraken
Zoeken in uitspraken
deeplink.rechtspraak.nl

Cartels, competition law, jurisdiction
AG Ibili at Dutch SC suggests the Court confirm jurisdiction v (ia) UK co-defendants class action re Libor fixing
Anchor defendant mechanism in A8(1) BIa: claim was filed pre-Brexit

ICAP Europe v Stichting Elco deeplink.rechtspraak.nl/uitspraak?id...
Rechtspraak.nl - Zoeken in uitspraken
Zoeken in uitspraken
deeplink.rechtspraak.nl

Good Financial Times summaryof yesterday’s Dutch court Bonair climate duty of care ruling. giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/...
English copy of judgment here deeplink.rechtspraak.nl/uitspraak?id...
Court orders Dutch government to cut emissions faster and protect former colony from climate change
Hague court tells Netherlands to create plan to help Caribbean island of Bonaire adapt to climate change risks
giftarticle.ft.com

The judgment setting out the reasons to refuse permission to BHP to appeal judgment in Municipio (for background see gavclaw.com/2025/12/23/m...)

Município De Mariana v BHP Group (UK) Ltd & Anor [2026] EWHC 73 (TCC)
www.bailii.org/ew/cases/EWH...
Municipio de Mariana v BHP. An add-on re municipalities’ capacity to sue under lex incorporationis as it were.
[If you do use the blog for research, practice submission or database purposes, citation would be appreciated, to the blog as a whole and /or to specific blog posts. Many have suggested I should tu…
gavclaw.com

A bit of colonial history viz migration, nationality laws
Child born in the UK of Northern Rodesian, later Zambia parents
Whether Uk citisenship was lost upon Zambian independence

Sinkala v [HMG] [2026] EWHC 59 (KB)
www.bailii.org/ew/cases/EWH...
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Successful 'modern' (why do we call it modern slavery nb; what is modern about it?) slavery claim against London-based UAE diplomat
Claim was undefended

COL v The United Arab Emirates [2026] EWHC 86 (KB) www.bailii.org/ew/cases/EWH...
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Kompetenz Kompetenz
Whether arbitral tribunal has jurisdiction over dispute re noncontractual tortious claims governed by foreign laws in courts of that state, by assigned /subrogated party
Derived obligations doctrine
MS V1 GmbH v SY [2026] EWHC 52 (Comm)
www.bailii.org/ew/cases/EWH...
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Costs law claxon
Appeal dismissed: judge was right to stay application for third party costs order until after conclusion of proceedings for the detailed assessment of Nigeria's (very high) costs

Nigeria v VR Global Partners [2026] EWCA Civ 25
www.bailii.org/ew/cases/EWC...
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Rare now: 'acquired' EU law
Directive 77/187
Transfer of undertakings, rights of employees,
Definition of 'economic activity', whether CJEU reasoning in competition cases should be read across to cases about employees

Bicknell v [NHS][2026] EWCA Civ 21
www.bailii.org/ew/cases/EWC...
Bicknell & Anor v NHS Nottingham And Nottinghamshire Integrated Commissioning Board [2026] EWCA Civ 21 (21 January 2026)
www.bailii.org

Blogged.

Limbu v Dyson – continued. The High Court emphasises relevance of early disclosure to guarantee proper access to justice, equality of arms in bizhuman rights cases.

gavclaw.com/2026/01/26/l...
Limbu v Dyson – continued. The High Court emphasises relevance of early disclosure to guarantee proper access to justice, equality of arms in bizhuman rights cases.
If you do use the blog for research or database purposes, citation would be appreciated, to the blog as a whole and /or to specific blog posts. Many have suggested I should turn the blog into a pai…
gavclaw.com

Reposted by Geert Van Calster