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Fabrizio Di Gianni

Partner

Fabrizio Di Gianni

Overview

Fabrizio Di Gianni practises competition and trade law. He also assists clients on other aspects of EU law, including sanctions, free movement of goods and regulatory law, with a particular focus on the automotive and packaging industry.

EU and International Trade Law

Fabrizio has decades of experience assisting a wide range of clients, including governments, industry associations, producers and importers in trade investigations. His practice covers investigations initiated both by the EU and by third countries.

Since the early nineties, Fabrizio has been involved in several major EU anti-dumping and anti-subsidy cases as well as safeguard investigations. He also represents companies and associations in investigations initiated by third countries. In recent years, he has been involved in investigations initiated by, e.g., Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Colombia, Korea, Mexico, Morocco, New Zealand, South Africa, Thailand, Turkey and the US. His expertise extends to trade-related matters involving the WTO.

In the area of customs investigations, his activities focus on representing the interests of clients at all stages of proceedings before the investigating authorities as well as litigating before the competent jurisdictional bodies. 

EU and Italian Competition Law

Fabrizio has a wealth of experience in advising clients on all aspects of EU and Italian competition law. His experience covers a wide range of sectors and includes cartel investigations as well as merger filings, in which he regularly represents clients before the European Commission and the Italian competition authority. His practice also covers pre-investigation contacts which have proven to be successful in bringing certain cases to a favourable conclusion for his clients.

Fabrizio is particularly experienced in the area of State aid and has successfully assisted clients in Commission investigations and before the EU Courts. In this area, he has acted as lead counsel for complainants and alleged beneficiaries as well as public authorities suspected of having granted State aid. 

Fabrizio regularly represents clients before the European Commission and the EU Court of Justice as well as the Italian Antitrust Authority and the Italian Civil and Administrative Courts (TAR and Consiglio di Stato). 

Other areas of expertise relating to EU law

Fabrizio advises clients in various complex areas of EU legislation relating to the trading of goods and services, such as export control, dual use and sanctions. In this area, he advises clients on the compliance side as well as representing them in litigation. With particular emphasis on sanctions, he represents clients (both governments and listed persons) in numerous cases before the ECJ.

As a result of his expertise, he is often involved in cases concerning the free movement of goods and services, where he normally advises undertakings complaining of Member States’ violations and represents clients’ interests before the Court of Justice, particularly in cases regarding transport. In the EU regulatory realm, his practice covers Green Deal and environmental matters, where he advises clients with regard to, e.g., CO2 emission, single-use plastic directive, and waste shipment regulation.   

He is also particularly active in new and emerging areas of EU law, such as Foreign Subsidies, CBAM, Blocking Statute, and Anti-Coercion. In this respect, he advises clients on the possible implications of these forthcoming pieces of legislation and regularly speaks at conferences and workshops on their impact on the business community.        

Languages

Italian, English, French, Spanish

Recommendations

  • Best Lawyers – Competition/Antitrust Law
  • ​Best Lawyers – European Union Law 
  • Best Lawyers – Trade Law
  • Chambers Global and Chambers Europe – ‘Leaders In Their Field’ (International Trade/WTO)
  • Chambers Global – ‘Foreign Expert’ (Competition/European Law)
  • Expert Guides – Guide to the World’s Leading Competition and Antitrust Lawyers
  • Expert Guides – Guide to the World’s Leading Trade and Customs Lawyers
  • Legal 500 – ‘Hall of Fame’ (Customs, Trade, WTO and Anti-dumping)
  • Legal 500 (Competition: EU and Global) 
  • Who’s Who Legal: Trade & Customs Lawyers

Education

  • Georgetown University, Washington, DC, Master of Common Law Studies, Thomas Bradbury Chetwood, S.J. Prize, 1995
  • College of Europe, Bruges, Post-graduate studies in EC law, 1989
  • University of Naples Federico II, Bachelor of Law, magna cum laude, 1987

Publications

Contributor to Il Diritto della Concorrenza nella Comunità Europea, Van Bael & Bellis (2009).

Contributor to Van Bael & Bellis, EU Anti-Dumping and Other Trade Defence Instruments (fifth edition, Kluwer, 2011), the standard work of reference in the field of EU trade law.

Bar Admissions

Naples
Brussels
Supreme Court of Italy

Expertise