Representative matters

1. Assisted ACT and subsequently Intel in the proceedings before the General Court and Court of Justice which led to the annulment of the 2009 EU decision imposing a fine of EUR 1.06 billion on Intel for alleged infringements of Article 102 TFEU (abuse of dominance).
2. Assisted Microsoft in the Commission proceeding and subsequent litigation before the EU General Court concerning alleged abuses of dominance related to the Windows operating system for PCs (interoperability and tying).
3. Assisted the International Skating Union (ISU) in litigation before the EU General Court and Court of Justice concerning the application of EU competition law to sport.
4. Acted as expert on EU competition law in an international arbitration proceeding concerning the enforceability of post-patent expiry royalty payment obligations in an IP licensing agreement in the pharma sector.
5. Assists Nuctech in the first proceeding before the EU General Court concerning the legality of the first dawn raids carried out by the European Commission under the EU Foreign Subsidy Regulation (FSR).
6. Assists a number of Belgian football clubs in challenging the consistency with competition law of new rules concerning relegation in the Belgian Pro League adopted by the Belgian Football Federation.

Professional

1. Admitted to Brussels Bar, 1972

Academic

1. University of Brussels (ULB), Master of Laws, 1972
2. University of Michigan Law School, LL.M., 1974

1. Brussels Bar
2. International Bar Association (IBA)

Jean-François Bellis has written numerous books and articles on competition and trade law and regularly speaks on both of these subjects at international conferences and seminars.

1. Chambers Global Guide 2026, International Trade/ WTO – “Senior Statesperson’’
2. “Jean-François Bellis is one of the masterminds of trade law.” “Jean-François Bellis is a trade     pioneer for the EU.’’ Clients, Chambers Global Guide             2026, International Trade/WTO
3. Chambers Global Guide 2026,  Competition: EU  – “Senior Statesperson’’
4. Legal 500 EMEA 2025, Competition: EU & Global – “Hall of Fame
5. Chambers Global and Chambers Europe 2024, Competition: EU  – “Notable practitioner’’ “Jean-François Bellis remains one of the most outstanding lawyers in the field.”
6. Chambers Europe 2024,  International Trade/WTO – “Notable practitioner’’
7. Legal 500 EMEA 2024, Competition: EU & Global –  “Hall of Fame’’ and “Recommended’’ “Jean-Francois Bellis remains strongly involved in the practice and there is little he does not know in the field of competition law.’’
8. Chambers Global 2023, Competition: EU and International Trade/WTO – “Senior Statesperson’’ – “Jean-François Bellis is an excellent competition lawyer.’’
9. Chambers Europe 2023, Competition: Domestic and International Trade/WTO – “Senior Statesperson’’
10. International Who’s Who of Business Lawyers for Competition and Trade
11. Expert Guides – Guide to the World’s Leading Competition and Antitrust Lawyers
12. Expert Guides – Guide to the World’s Leading Trade Lawyers
13. Expert Guides – Best of the Best Top Competition Lawyers Worldwide
14. PLC for Competition Law
15. IFLR1000 – EU Competition (Leading Lawyer)
16. European Legal Experts for Competition Law
17. Best Lawyers – Competition/Antitrust
18. Best Lawyers – Government Practice
19. Best Lawyers – Trade Law

1. Emerging Challenges and Opportunities in International Commercial Arbitration, Arbitration and EU competition law, Slovenian Arbitration Conference 2025, Ljubljana, 25 November 2025 (keynote speaker)
2. Playing by the rules: the intersection of competition law and sports, University of Lausanne – CEDIDAC,  Lausanne, 12 September 2025 (panellist, Sports governance: unilateral conduct)
3. The Reform of Article 102 TFEU: Evolution or Revolution, UCL, Brussels, June 27 September 2024 (panellist)
4. Sports and competition law before the EUCJ, 22nd Annual Meeting of the Association of European Competition Law Judges, Berlin-Germany, 31 May 2024 (speaker)
5. The new geopolitical dimension of the EU competition and trade policies, FIDE Congress, Sofia-Bulgaria, June 2023 (panellist)
6. The Rise of Global Regulation of Online Platforms: Positive v. Negative Obligations, European University Institute, Florence-Italy, 13 June 2022 (panellist)
7. New trends in EU competition policy and enforcement, 30^th Treviso Antitrust Conference, Treviso-Italy, 16 June 2022 (speaker)
8. Classics Revisited: Market Definition, Horizontal and Vertical Agreements, Autumn Conference of the European University Institute, Florence-Italy, 8 October 2021 (panellist)
9. Tackling Unfair Pricing in the Pharma Sector, Advanced EU Competition Law, Digital Edition 2020, London-UK, 7 September 2020 (panellist)

In 2014, Jean-François was honoured by Chambers & Partners for his “Outstanding Contribution to the Legal Profession”.

Previously, in 2011, the Global Competition Review (GCR) granted him a “Lifetime Achievement Award” in recognition of his longstanding experience in competition law. He has also been named by Best Lawyers as a “Lawyer of the Year” for 2010, 2013, 2014 and 2015.

Jean-François Bellis lectures on EU competition law at the Institute of European Studies of the University of Brussels (ULB) and on abuse of dominance at the Brussels School of Competition (BSC).