Prof Dr Geert VAN CALSTER, LL.M., Ph.D.
Short biography:
Blog and full CV at at gavclaw.com
An alumnus of the College of Europe, Bruges (promotion Stefan Zweig), Geert Van Calster is professor in the University of Leuven and Head of Leuven Law's department of European and international law.
Geert is also senior fellow at Leuven's Centre for Global Governance Studies.
Prof Van Calster is a visiting professor at Monash University (Melbourne) and at the China-EU School of Law in Beijing, and a visiting lecturer at King's College, London. He was previously i.a. a visiting lecturer at Oxford University. He was called to the Bar in 1999 after having worked as of counsel to a City law firm since 1995, and continues to practice from the Brussels Bar.
Finally Geert is on the board of Academische Stichting Leuven, an academic charity.
Prospective PhD students: prof Van Calster has limited capacity for PhD supervision in the areas indicated under current research interest. Please refer to the faculty's PhD research pages.
Recent presentations and publications (for full list, please refer to the CV above):
Sample of recent presentations
16 May 2013
'The Brussels I Regulation: Jurisdiction for civil and commercial matters in the EU', European Judicial Network in Civil and Commercial Matters, Brussels;
22 March 2013
'Laws of fear or laws of reason?', 75th Anniversary Symposium of the Belgian Royal Academy of Medicine, Brussels;
7 March 2013
'The legal obstacles to Sustainable Materials Management', Antwerp University (with Bob Martens);
18 January 2013
'Smart or smirk? The regulation of nanotechnology', Smart Regulation of European private law, Maastricht University;
6 December 2012
‘Bevoegdheid: Ontwikkelingen in de EEX-Verordening’. THEMIS, KU Leuven; (Developments in the Jurisdiction Regulation);
30 November 2012
‘Civil Liability for Environmental Damage – The contribution of private international law’, Ius Commune Conference, Amsterdam;
8 May 2012
‘ “Sustainable development” needs development – not sustainment’, Paleis der Academieën, Brussels, Strategic Challenges in the EU-Brazil Relationship Conference;
15 March 2012
‘Arbitration, obviously. Or is it?’, Hanenburg-Yntema Fonds, Leuven;
8 March 2012
‘Extraterritorialiteit in EU IPR’, VRG-Alumni, Leuven (Extraterritoriality in EU private international law);Sample of recent publications
Authored books
G. VAN CALSTER, European Private International Law, Oxford, Hart, 2013, 340p.;
Peer-reviewed articles in international journals
G. VAN CALSTER, ‘China, Minerals Export, Raw Materials and Rare Earth Materials: A perfect storm for World Trade Organisation Dispute Settlement’, RECIEL 2013, 117-122;
G. VAN CALSTER, 'Kerpow! The United Kingdom Courts, West Tankers, and the arbitration ‘exception’ in the Brussels I Regulation', European Review of Private Law, 2013, 21 (1), 205-220;
G. VAN CALSTER, D. BOWMAN, J. D'SILVA, 'Protecting consumers or failing them? The Regulation of nanotechnologies in the EU', Revue Européenne de Droit de la Consommation 2011 (1), 85-113;
B. DORBECK-JUNG, D. BOWMAN, G. VAN CALSTER, ‘Governing nanomedicine: Lessons from within, and for, the EU Medical Technology regulatory framework’, Law and Policy, Vol.33, No.2, April 2011, 215-224;
D. BOWMAN, G. VAN CALSTER, and S. FRIEDRICHS, 'Nanomaterials and regulation of cosmetics', Nature Nanotechnology, 2010, Vol.5, issue 2, 92;
Chapters in books
G. VAN CALSTER, L. REINS, ‘The Environmental Liability Directive’s background’, in L. Bergkamp and B. Goldsmith (eds.), The EU Environmental Liability Directive – A Commentary, Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2013, 9-30;
G. VAN CALSTER, ‘To unity and beyond? The boundaries of European Private International Law and the European Ius Commune’, in A. Verbeke et al (eds.), Liber Amicorum Walter Pintens, Cambridge, Intersentia, 2012, 1459-1485;
G. VAN CALSTER, CHARLOTTE LUKS, ‘Extraterritoriality and private international law’, in Recht in Beweging, 19de VRG Alumni-dag, Antwerpen, Maklu, 2012, 119-135;
W. VANDENBERGHE, G. VAN CALSTER, 'Cartel enforcement - Belgium', in M. REES (ed.), Cartel enforcement worldwide, London, Cameron May, 2011, 35-67;
MONICA, J., and VAN CALSTER, G., 'A nanotechnology legal framework', in Hull and Bowman (eds.), Nanotechnology risk management: Perspectives and progress, Burlington, William Andrew /Elsevier, 2010, 97-140 (update forthcoming 2013);
Current research interests:
In the standard reference guide the EU Legal 500, Geert is named as being “well regarded for the interface between economic and regulatory law”, and as having an “excellent academic background aligned to pragmatic experience in both public and private sectors.” The most recent edition refers to Geert’s advice as being ‘practical, fast and relevant’. Prof van Calster's unique research and teaching proposition lies indeed in the combination of a solid knowledge and know-how of core European institutional and economic law, with conflict of laws and regulatory law, in particular environmental law.
Conflict of laws
In conflict of laws /private international law, Geert is specifically interested in the impact of the dramatic increase in European harmonisation of all stages of private international law, on the law of the Member States, and in the tensions between common and civil law approaches to conflict of laws. His Handbook on European Private International Law was published with Hart (Oxford) in February 2013.
Environment, health and safety
Geert's specific expertise in environmental and natural resources law is best illustrated by his being the co-founder and, for 10 years, director of studies of KU Leuven's successful and unique Master of Energy and Environmental Law program. . Geert was recently (November 2012) appointed ad hoc expert to the compliance review mechanism of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development - EBRD.
Trade law
Geert was one of the first analysts of the impact of international trade law (GATT and WTO Agreements) on regulatory autonomy, including environmental protection. He has built up specific expertise on the trade /regulation interface, looking especially at the GATT (including border tax adjustments, customs and excise), TBT and SPS Agreements. He has recently been appointed as member of the Panel of Experts for the Trade and Sustainable Development Chapter of the EU-Korea Free Trade Agreement.
Nanotechnology regulation
Building on earlier work on legal issues surrounding risk analysis harmonisation, Geert has extensively researched the legal framework for embedding the technology. Prof van Calster and his team (Dr Diana Bowman, Monash University and K.U. Leuven, and Drs Cheryl Micallef-Borg, K.U. Leuven) have reviewed in particular the 'SHE' (safety, health and environment) aspects of the technology, looking also however at international trade, intellectual property, governance and sustainable development concerns.
Prof van Calster's work on the issues has been published in Nature – Nanotechnology, Nanoethics, Environmental Reporter, and Nanotechnology – Law and Business – amongst others.
Climate change law
Prof van Calster has advised a variety of States and stakeholders on the impact of international trade law on climate change, including climate change levies. More generally he researches the optimal design of climate change responses, over and above and /or indeed outside of emission trading schemes. Regulatory innovation, including in the climate change area, was the cornerstone of the research that earned him a tenured research chair at KU Leuven.