Photo of Vassilis Akritidis

To maximize trade-related benefits, get customs advice, or ensure robust representation before the European Commission and EU courts in trade and EU matters, clients turn to Vassilis Akritidis and his team for clear advice and dedication to a positive result. Beyond disputes, proactive compliance and proper corporate governance are essential for success. Vassilis organizes compliance training programs for executives to ensure smooth and cost-effective navigation through the complex web of EU and World Trade Organization regulations.

Vassilis has been practicing EU and international trade law in Brussels since 1991. He qualified in Athens as a maritime lawyer and then pursued graduate studies in European law at the Institute of European Studies in Brussels. An internship at the State Aid Directorate-General for Competition convinced Vassilis that EU and supranational law are hugely interesting. He started as an EU competition and public procurement lawyer and over the years focused increasingly on international trade and WTO law. Vassilis is regularly quoted by renowned legal directories as an expert in these fields.

Vassilis helps his clients win trade investigations, achieve and improve market access, maximize trade benefits, and be trade-compliant wherever they operate. He advises and represents private clients, professional associations, and governments in trade defense investigations (anti-dumping, anti-subsidy, safeguards), customs investigations and litigation, trade sanctions/export controls, and EU anti-fraud investigations led by the European Anti-Fraud Office and the European Public Prosecutor's Office. Vassilis also advises on EU State aid and EU internal market and public procurement.

Vassilis has worked for clients active in the steel, chemicals, high-tech, transport, defense and aerospace, automotive, and agriculture/food sectors. He represents clients before the EC and other non-EU trade defense authorities.

Should things get contentious, Vassilis is an experienced litigator, representing parties before EU courts in Luxembourg as well as national customs and administrative tribunals.

Vassilis works with his colleagues at Crowell Global Advisors, our global government relations, public policy, and public affairs affiliate, in matters involving EU public policy and lobbying.

On 7 April 2026, the Commission published the first quarterly CBAM price at EUR 75.36 per certificate for the first quarter of 2026. The prices for the remaining quarters will be released on 6 July 2026, 5 October 2026, and 4 January 2027, respectively. Each quarterly price will apply to the sale of CBAM

The Council of the European Union (EU) and the European Parliament have reached a long-awaited political agreement to reform the Union Customs Code (UCC). The European Commission presented the UCC reform proposal in May 2023, and the European Parliament adopted its position at first reading in March 2024. The text has since been pending the

As part of ongoing EU customs reform, the EU’s Council has agreed to remove the duty-free entry of goods valued below €150, formerly known as de minimis, to address the surge in low-value e-commerce shipments. Noticing large volumes imported from foreign marketplaces, the Netherlands proposed in January 2025 to remove simplifications for individual e-commerce

On November 15, 2025, the implementing regulation updating the EU’s Dual-Use Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2021/821) came into force. The update incorporates editorial refinements for greater clarity and coherence, introduces new entries, and further clarifies some existing ones.

These updates reflect the EU’s efforts to harmonize its export controls with recent decisions and commitments

The European Commission recently adopted its first-ever measures under the International Procurement Instrument Regulation (IPI), restricting Chinese access to the EU public procurement market for medical devices. In this client alert, we take a closer look at the IPI and the measures that the Commission decided to adopt with regard to China, and we consider

On October 7, 2025, the European Commission published a Proposal for a Regulation that imposes further trade restrictions on imports of steel products from non-EU countries. This Proposal is part of the implementation of the Commission’s Steel and Metals Action Plan unveiled in March 2025, and aims to address the concerns of the EU steel

Today, the U.S. and the EU have concluded a framework agreement that covers trade-related areas, as well as broader discussions on regulatory and economic policies.

With regard to tariffs, the EU will eliminate tariffs on all U.S. industrial goods and provide preferential market access for U.S. seafood and agricultural products. Additionally, the EU committed not

On July 24, 2025, the European Commission announced the imposition of new EU countermeasures in response to U.S. tariffs further to an agreement reached among EU Member States. These measures take the form of additional customs duties on U.S. products as well as export restrictions for certain EU products. In total, these measures concern about