GBS Disputes

INCLUDES REPRESENTATION OF:

Investment Arbitration

• Georgia, Respondent in an SCC arbitration initiated by Mr. Zaza Okuashvili under the Georgia-U.K. bilateral investment treaty. The dispute relates to taxes owed to the State by various companies owned by the Claimant.
• The Arab Republic of Egypt, Respondent in an ICSID arbitration brought by Tantalum International, Ltd. and Emerge Gaming, Ltd. (ICSID Case No. ARB/18/22). The dispute arose from a mining enterprise and the claims were brought under the Egypt-Australia bilateral investment treaty.
• The People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria, Respondent in an ICSID arbitration initiated by Société des Parcs d’Alger and Emirates International Investment Company LLC (ICSID Case No. ARB/18/11). The dispute arose from a contract for the development of a USD 5 billion urban park project.
• The majority shareholders in the former Yukos Oil Company, Claimants in a series of three UNCITRAL arbitrations in The Hague against the Russian Federation in relation to the expropriation of their investment in the company. The claims were brought under the Energy Charter Treaty. The Tribunal ordered the Russian Federation to pay over USD 50 billion in damages to our clients, the largest award ever rendered by an arbitral tribunal.
• Electricité de France (EDF), Claimant in an UNCITRAL arbitration against the Republic of Hungary. The dispute arose out of the termination, by Hungary, of a long-term Power Purchase Agreement in compliance with European Commission Decision No. 2009/609/EC. The claims were brought under the Energy Charter Treaty.

Commercial Arbitration

• A high net-worth individual, Claimant, in a Luxembourg Arbitration Center (LAC) arbitration in Luxembourg against another high net-worth individual regarding breaches of two settlement agreements governed by Luxembourg law. Over EUR 3.9 billion is at stake.
• Irish and Honduran subsidiaries of an electrical distribution systems major, Respondents, in a LAC arbitration in Luxembourg initiated by a South-East European company and a Honduran company. The dispute arose from the termination of contracts concluded for the development of a real estate project in Honduras. Over EUR 100 million is at stake.
• Sportfive EMEA (formerly Lagardère Sports) and a European marketing agency, Claimants in an ICC arbitration in Geneva against the Confederation of African Football (CAF). The dispute arose from the termination by CAF of two exclusive media and marketing rights agreements, one of which guaranteed the CAF a minimum revenue of USD 1 billion. Swiss law applied.

EU Litigation

• Reibel NV, Claimant in proceedings before the SVEA Court of Appeal and the Court of Justice of the European Union in Case C-802/24 regarding an action to annul and set aside a SCC award. The dispute arose from a contract for the delivery of goods whose performance was affected by EU sanctions against Russia.
• Infrastructure Services LP (Infrastructure Services Luxembourg Sàrl) and Energia Termosolar (formerly Energia Termosolar BV), Applicants in proceedings before the General Court of the European Union to annul the EU Commission Decision of 24 March 2025 declaring the Antin v Spain award to constitute unlawful and incompatible State aid (Case T-365/25).
• Ioan Micula and European Food, Appellants in an appeal before the Court of Justice of the European Union (C-890/24 P) seeking to reverse the judgment of the General Court in T-624/15 RENV, European Food and Others v Commission. The General Court upheld the Commission’s Decision 2015/1470 declaring the Micula v Romania award to constitute State aid.
• Athena Investments and NovEnergia, Respondents in proceedings before the Svea Court of Appeal and the Court of Justice of the European Union regarding an action to annul and set aside an SCC award ordering Italy to pay more than EUR 20 million for the reduction of tariff incentives for the production of energy from renewable sources in breach of Article 10(1) ECT.
• PL Holdings, Respondent in proceedings before the Swedish Supreme Court and the Court of Justice of the European Union (C-109/20) regarding an action to annul and set aside an SCC award ordering Poland to pay more than EUR 150 million in compensation for the expropriation of PL Holdings’ investment in the Polish banking sector.

Education

• University of Oxford, Doctorate of Philosophy (DPhil) in Law
• University of Oxford, Master of Philosophy (MPhil) in Law
• University of Oxford, Magister Juris (MJur)
• Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Bachelor in Law (LL.B.)

Admissions & Courts

• Luxembourg
• Thessaloniki

Languages

• English
• French
• Greek
• Luxembourgish

Nationalities

• Greece
• Luxembourg

• Associate Professor of Public Law, University of Lyon 3 “Jean Moulin” (2021-2024)
• Ambassador (Luxembourg), Vienna International Arbitral Center (VIAC)
• Member, List of arbitrators of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS)
• Member, Panel of arbitrators of the Shenzhen Court of International Arbitration
• Member, Panel of arbitrators of the China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission (CIETAC) (2026-2030)
• Member, European Commission’s List of Candidates suitable for Appointment as Arbitrators (2022–)
• Member of the Board of the Luxembourg Arbitration Association (2018–)

• Co-editor, L’Europe au present – Liber Amicorum Melchior Wathelet (Bruylant, 2018)
• “The Decline and Fall of ISDS in the European Union,” in The System of International Arbitration – Liber Amicorum Emmanuel Gaillard (Y. Banifatemi, M.-E. Ancel, J.-B. Racine eds., Martinus Nijhoff, forthcoming)
• “Jurisdiction over Claims for Expropriation Arising Out of USSR and First-Generation Chinese BITs: An Endless Debate?,” 52(4) Legal Issues of Economic Integration 319 (co-author)
• “The Meaning and Scope of the Commercial-Arbitration Exception in Achmea,” in Stockholm Arbitration Yearbook 2024, at 37
• “The New Luxembourg Arbitration Law: Salient Aspects,” 2024(1) Belgian Review of Arbitration 259 (co-author)
• “The 2019 BLEU Model Bilateral Investment Treaty: An Overview of Belgium and Luxembourg’s Vision of the Future of Foreign Investment Protection,” 9(1) European Investment Law and Arbitration Review 41 (co-author)
• “ISU v Commission: Arbitration as a Reinforcement of Infringements of EU Competition Law,” Kluwer Competition Law Blog, 9 January 2024
• “L’autonomie du droit de l’Union comme quête d’espace constitutionnel : une évaluation critique de la revendication de souveraineté par la Cour de justice,” in Selected Issues in European Business Law: 60 Years of European Legal Studies in Liège 161 (P. Van Cleynenbreugel and J. Wildemeersch eds, Bruylant, 2023)
• “From Achmea to PL Holdings, Republic of Moldova, and Opinion 1/20: The End of Intra-EU Investment Treaty Arbitration,” in Yearbook on Procedural Law of the Court of Justice of the European Union – Fourth edition – 2022, at 45 (D. Sarmiento, H. Ruiz Fabri and B. Hess eds, 2023)
• “The Intra-EU Application of the Energy Charter Treaty: A Critical Analysis of the CJEU’s Ruling in Republic of Moldova,” 7(1) European Investment Law and Arbitration Review 3 (2022)
• “Le mode de règlement de différends instauré par l’Accord de Commerce et de Coopération conclu entre l’UE et le Royaume-Uni [The dispute settlement mechanism established by the Trade and Cooperation Agreement concluded between the EU and the United Kingdom],” 2021 Journal de droit européen 334 (co-author)
• “Regulation (EU) 2019/452: the legal framework for the screening of foreign investments in the European Union,” 2020(2) Hellenic Review of European Law 147 (co-author) (in Greek)
• “Case management at the Court of Justice of the European Union,” in Max Planck Encyclopedia of International Procedural Law (H. Ruiz Fabri ed., OUP, 2019)
• “CETA : une nouvelle ère pour la protection des investissements [CETA: a new era for investment protection],” 2019 Journal de droit européen 241
• “Issues of compatibility arising from the application of international investment law and arbitration in the area of EU state aid law,” in International Investment Law and Competition Law 179 (K. Fach Gómez, A. Gourgourinis, C. Titi eds., Springer, 2020)
• “Challenges under EU Law to the enforcement of arbitral awards under the New York Convention,” in 60 Years of the New York Convention: Key Issues and Future Challenges 219 (K. Fach Gómez and A.M. López Rodríguez eds., Kluwer, 2019)
• “International investment law and arbitration confronted with EU law: are there systemic conflicts and incompatibilities?,” in EU Law and International Investment Arbitration, IAI International Arbitration Series No. 11, at 5 (H. Ruiz Fabri & E. Gaillard eds., Juris, 2018)
• “Arbitral tribunals and preliminary references to the EU Court of Justice,” 33(4) Arbitration International 663 (2017)
• “The Future of Anti-Suit Injunctions in Support of Arbitration After the EU Court of Justice’s Judgment in the Gazprom Case,” 34(2) Journal of International Arbitration 333
• “Commentaire sur l’avis 2/15 (Accord de libre-échange avec Singapour), du 16 mai 2017 (EU:C:2017:376) rendu par la Cour de justice de l’Union européenne [Comment on Opinion 2/15 (Free Trade Agreement with Singapore), of 16 May 2017 (EU:C:2017:376) rendered by the Court of Justice of the European Union],” 2017(3) Cahiers de l’arbitrage / Paris Journal of International Arbitration 473
• “Case C-567/14 Genentech: EU law confronted with international arbitration,” 5(1) European International Arbitration Review 59 (2016)