Dimitris Vallindas

Dimitris Vallindas is counsel in the Antitrust and Competition Practice Group in the firm's Brussels office.

Areas of Practice

Dimitris advises on all areas of European and Greek competition law. He is a responsive lawyer focusing on the clients’ needs to provide cost-effective and tailor-made solutions that work.

In particular, he has significant experience in handling and coordinating complex multi-jurisdictional cartel and merger cases. Having frequently worked with top quality local counsel, he knows how to navigate through the complex issues that arise in such situations. Dimitris also has in-depth expertise in all types of State aid matters, including R&D, environmental, rescue and restructuring, risk-capital and privatisation cases. He has been frequently involved in litigation both at national and EU level. Dimitris’ expertise covers several industry specific sectors, including the sectors of aviation, telecommunications, rail transport and energy.

Prior to joining Sheppard Mullin, Dimitris was an academic assistant in EU law at the University of Aix en Provence in France.  He then moved to Brussels, where he spent some time in a State aid unit of DG Competition (European Commission). After DG Competition, he switched to private practice and worked for three international law firms specializing in competition law before joining Sheppard Mullin.

Experience

Advised ALSTOM in several transactions:

• acquisition by GE of ALSTOM Energy businesses
• State aid and merger issues on a project of construction of a CCS power plant in the UK
• application of the private investor test and of State aid rules for R&D from the preparation of requests for to the approval of R&D support in the power generation sector (hydro and off shore transmission, SuperGrid)
• EU/non-EU gas insulated switchgears and power transformers cases
• acquisition of Areva T&D's transmission activities

Advised Air France-KLM in securing the European Commission’s approval for up to €4 billion in French State aid to recapitalise Air France to help it overcome the impact of the COVID-19 crisis and plan for the future.

Advising in the State aid and restructuring/privatization processes concerning Greece’s railway infrastructure manager and rail transport operator

Obtained landmark litigation victory after challenging an unprecedented European Commission decision on State aid through an ICSID arbitration award for damages. In June 2019, the General Court of the EU annulled the Commission’s State aid decision, allowing client Viorel Micula to pursue the hundreds euro million damages by Romania that were awarded to them by an ICSID arbitral tribunal.

Advised a power exchange in the Commission’s investigation in the Power Exchanges case, which resulted in a decision following a settlement procedure

Advised a multinational conglomerate in the creation and approval of a JV with a large pharmaceutical company in several jurisdictions including the EU

Advised the Greek Public Power Corporation (PPC) in Article 102 & 106 TFEU proceedings before the European Commission and EU Courts regarding in particular lignite-based electricity generation, in several State aids proceedings and in various processes during which the Greek State reviewed the regulatory framework to comply with EU rules.

Advised ADEME (a French Environment and Energy Management Agency with the Ministry of the Energy) in designing and implementing a risk protection scheme which the geothermal industry could benefit to provide guarantees on prospection and exploitation risks.

Advised EREA (the Estonian renewable energy producers association) the financial support Estonia had granted and would grant in the future to renewable energy producers

Advised the Syndicat des Energies Renouvelables (the French renewable energy producers association) on certain renewable energy aid schemes and in particular regarding their compatibility with the 2008 and the 2014 EU Energy and Environmental Aid Guidelines

Assisted in the privatization process of Olympic Airways Services and Olympic Airlines, from the design of the process to its notification and approval by the Commission

Advised a large online gaming operator in the context of the liberalization of the Greek gaming sector

Assisted in the preparation of an application of annulment of the Commission’s Decision on behalf of an important marine hoses producer

Assisted in the defense of a major market operator from the early stages of the Commission's investigation to the proceedings before the General Court of the EU.

Honors

• Thought Leader, Antitrust/Competition Law, Mondaq, Autumn 2023

• Legal 500 Belgium, EU and Global Competition Law, 2020-2024
• The Best Lawyers in Belgium, 2021-2023

Articles

Case Law Editor, CoRe (European Competition and Regulatory Law Review), 2017

“State aid in power purchase agreements concluded pre-accession: the requirement for the Commission to carry out a global assessment in the context of the private investor test”, to be published.

“Stanleybet v Commission: The Inadmissibility of Actions for Annulment Against Rejection of Complaints Based on Article 106(1) TFEU, Read in Conjunction with Article 102 TFEU”, Journal of European Competition Law & Practice, vol. 6, no 3, March 2015

P. Anestis and D. Vallindas, “The Greek lignite case - The General Court overturns two key European Commission decisions”, Competition Law Insight, 13 November 2012, p. 11.

B. Kurcz and D. Vallindas, “Can general measures be … selective? Some thoughts on the interpretation of a State aid definition”, Common Market Law Review, volume 45 (2008), issue 1, pp. 159-182.

“The French Judiciary Supreme Court accepted, in principle, that violation of EC State aid provisions may constitute unfair competition, paving the way to State aid damages proceedings”, commentary of Cour de cassation, chambre commerciale, 15 Juin 1999, Etablissements J. Richard Ducros v. Société Construzioni Metalliche Finsider Sud, e-Competitions, State Aids-I, N° 13359, 2007, available at www.concurrences.com

“The Paris Commercial Tribunal ruled that a recipient of State aid could not be held liable for not having verified whether the aid had been notified”, commentary of Tribunal de commerce de Paris, 7ème chambre, 07 Décembre 1999, Union française de l'express international v. La Poste, e-Competitions, State Aids-I, N° 13359, 2007, available at www.concurrences.com

Antitrust Law Blog Posts

• "The EU Foreign Subsidies Regulation: New Rules for All Companies Active in the EU," August 2, 2023

• "COVID-19 is Not a “Get Out of Jail Free Card” from EU Competition Law," March 24, 2020

• "COVID-19 Outbreak and Adjusted EU State Aid Control," March 23, 2020

• "International Arbitration, Investment Protection and EU State Aid Rules: the General Court of the EU Annuls the European Commission’s State Aid Decision in the Micula Case," June 24, 2019

Global Trade Law Blog Posts

• "The EU Commission Gets Serious About FDI Screening," February 5, 2024
• "2018 EU Trade, Regulatory and Competition Trends," February 8, 2018 

Media Mentions

Events