Yves Melin

Yves Melin

Partner / Brussels

Yves Melin is an international trade and customs lawyer with over 20 years of experience in Brussels. He specializes in customs laws and procedures; sanctions, export and import controls; carbon trading and border adjustment/taxes; and trade defense investigations.

In the customs area, Mr. Melin helps clients reduce duty exposure through customs compliance programs, customs duty suspension filings, and customs litigation. He has extensive experience in coordinating customs recovery actions across multiple EU member states. He is the founder of Greenlane.eu, a unique alliance of specialized customs practitioners located throughout the European Union and in other jurisdictions, providing clients with a one-stop-shop, seamless advice and assistance for customs questions and investigations globally. He is the Vice President of CONFIAD, the European association of customs representatives, and an active member of the Trade Contact Group of the European Commission’s DG Taxud.

Mr. Melin has represented clients in more than 100 trade defense investigations and over 30 disputes before EU Courts, including the landmark case Ikea Wholesale (C-351/04).

His expertise is recognized by clients and peers. Chambers Global and Chambers Europe noted his “in-depth knowledge of EU trade defense instruments,” observed that he “is reputed for his expertise in advising clients on customs compliance and export controls,” and quoted commentary that “Yves is a visionary leader in the customs and trade space.” Legal 500 EMEA highlights that he is “extremely knowledgeable” and “provides pragmatic advice on trade defense, customs, and sanctions matters.” Who’s Who Legal recognizes him as a Global Elite Thought Leader in Trade & Customs.

In addition to his legal practice, Mr. Melin is active in academia. He serves on the Editorial Board of the Global Trade and Customs Journal (Kluwer), is a research fellow and member of the steering committee of the customs law academy of the University of Liège, and lectures at several universities, including Antwerp and Porto.

Honors

  • Who’s Who Legal, Trade & Customs, Global Elite Thought Leaders
  • Chambers Global and Chambers Europe, International Trade/WTO, Europe/Belgium
  • Legal 500 EMEA, Customs, Trade, WTO & Anti-Dumping
  • Best Lawyers in Belgium, Trade Law, European Union Law
  • Lexology, Client Choice Award, EU International Trade

Representative Matters

  • Representing the European ceramic tiles industry before the EU Courts: successfully assisting Cerame-Unie and European producers of ceramic tiles, intervening in support of the European Commission, against a challenge by Chinese exporting producers against the anti-dumping duties imposed by the EU to protect domestic producers from unfair trade (case T-633/11).
  • Carbon border adjustment mechanism: Advising European Union producers, foreign producers, importers and customs representatives on the functioning of the EU and the UK’s carbon border adjustment mechanism (CBAM). Meeting the European Commission, and the UK’s HMRC, to highlight concerns with the architecture of the CBAM, review contractual arrangement to ensure that the compliance function is properly allocated and risks associated with underreporting of emissions are identified and mitigated.
  • Customs investigations and compliance. Assisted the Belgian subsidiary of a large plastic film group in relation to customs investigations regarding the classification of products, the preferential rules of origin certified in supplier declarations, and the rates of duties payable. The investigation focused on whether the goods fulfilled the criteria for acquiring preferential origin under several EU free trade agreements.
  • Customs valuation: provided advice concerning products sold on e-commerce platforms. Represented customs representative in investigations by the Belgian customs concerning the alleged undervaluation of products sold through online platforms, including successful litigation before the Belgian criminal courts (cases on appeal).
  • Advising platform and logistics clients on the reform of the EU’s customs code, including outreach to European institutions and Member States.
  • Assisting the EU food industry importing frozen meat and poultry in investigations concerning the EU’s tariff rate quotas. Advice concerning the functioning of the new EU licensing system for the importation of frozen poultry meat.
  • Sanctions: Advised a large European energy group on how to structure its transactions in compliance with EU sanctions against Russia and Iran.
  • Export controls: Assisted a large U.S. chemical group on the licensing requirements in several EU member states for the importation, transit and exportation of dual-use items.
  • Drafted and lodged complaints (petitions) on behalf of EU industries seeking the protection of anti-dumping and anti-subsidy duties against imports of various products into the EU, and assistance throughout the investigations by the European Commission. Those industries have been enjoying many years of protection from unfair trade.
  • Proactive anti-dumping prevention: Assisting a large European manufacturer of glass products in ensuring that the products manufactured by one of its Asian plants are sold in the EU at prices that are not dumped.
  • Advising embassies in Brussels on EU trade, customs and regulatory matters.

Professional Affiliations

  • Co-chair of the International Trade and Customs Committee of the International Bar Association
  • Founder of Greenlane, the Alliance of Customs and Trade Law Firms
  • Vice-President of CONFIAD, the European Association of Customs Representatives
  • Founder of Customspliance, the community of responsible customs practitioners, customs representatives and traders in French-speaking Belgium
  • Founding member of the steering committee of the Customs & Trade Law Academy of the University of Liège
  • Rapporteur of the special committee set up by Belgium’s minister of finance for the reform of the sanction policy of Belgium in customs matters

Recent Speaking Engagements

  • Crowe UK Retail Customs Forum, London, 8 October 2024
  • Speaker, “Is foreign trade only trade? Proposals for sustainable trade and development,” IBA Annual Conference Mexico City, 19 September 2024
  • Speaker, “Trade considerations in the nearshoring and friendshoring of supply chains,” IBA Annual Conference Mexico City, 17 September 2024
  • “The EU’s CBAM,” training organized by Customspliance. Liège, 21 June 2024
  • “CBAM – status of implementation and preparedness, experiences relating to sanctions,” Conference organized by Greenlane in Gothenburg, 23 May 2024
  • Speaker, ACITA Annual Conference, concerning EU reforms update and new developments, London, 26 March 2024
  • Speaker, Roundtable on Sanctions and Export Controls organised by Customspliance. Namur, 31 January 2024
  • Speaker, “Abuse of Law under European Customs Law,” at the Conference Co-organised by the Universities of Liège and Louvain and the Max Planck Institute of Munich, 21-22 November 2023
  • Panelist, International Trade Forum “Made in Italy: Challenges and Opportunities in Import-Export during the Era of Major Reforms,” Milan, 8 November 2023
  • Speaker, ACITA Annual Conference, concerning the EU’s carbon border adjustment mechanism. London, 17 October 2023.
  • Speaker, Greenlane Conference “Logistics Challenged: Supply Chain Due Diligence and Carbon Content Reporting at the EU’s Border,” Brussels, 24 November 2022

Education

  • LL.M., International Trade Law, University of Essex
  • Master of Laws, University of Liège

Languages

  • English
  • French
  • Dutch (conversant)

Bar Memberships

  • Brussels Bar (French)