Greetje van Heezik
Advocaat | Counsel
Languages
Dutch
English
French
German
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Greetje van Heezik specialises in EU law and competition law, including State aid and the Public Enterprises (Market Activities) Act. She joined Houthoff in 2008 and regularly advises companies and public entities on various State aid matters, including strategic projects and public private partnerships. Furthermore, she advises on EU law and various EU regulatory matters relating to agricultural law, food law, market access and product requirements for biocides, pesticides, pharmaceuticals, medical devices and chemical substances (REACH). Greetje also has specific expertise on the interface of agricultural law and competition law. She represents clients in proceedings before the European Commission, European agencies, and national and European courts in matters pertaining to her fields of expertise.
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"A client mentioned that 'She has a hands-on mentality, a good strategic approach and a good knowledge of EU law'.”Chambers Europe, Competition/European Law: Lawyers Based Abroad (2024 Edition) -
"She is very pleasant to work with."Chambers Europe, Competition / European Law: Expertise Based Abroad Netherlands (2023 Edition)
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"One client said: ‘Greetje van Heezik makes sure she has a thorough understanding of the client’s wishes and is therefore able to give the best practical, hands-on advice'."Legal 500, EU and Competition (2023 Edition)
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“A client reports: ‘We continue to be impressed by the intelligence and cleverness of Greetje van Heezik’.”Chambers Europe, Competition / European Law: Expertise Based Abroad Netherlands (2022 Edition)
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RecommendedLegal 500, EU and Competition (2022 Edition)
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“Her customer-centric approach is acknowledged by clients, recommending her for ‘thinking along with the client.’”Chambers Europe, Competition / European Law: Expertise Based Abroad Netherlands (2021 Edition)
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RecommendedLegal 500, EU and Competition (2021 Edition)
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“She has the ability to bring back complicated legal matters to the heart of the matter.’”Chambers Europe, Competition / European Law: Lawyers Based Abroad Netherlands (2020 Edition)
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“Clients also appreciate that she ‘showed a great drive to find as many convincing arguments for the client as possible.’”Chambers Europe, Competition / European Law: Lawyers Based Abroad Netherlands (2020 Edition)
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RecommendedLegal 500, EU and Competition (2020 Edition)
Before joining Houthoff, Greetje gained eight years of experience in EU law and agricultural and fisheries law at the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality and at the Legal Service of the European Commission. At the Ministry, she was responsible for advising on matters pertaining to European law and State aid. She was also responsible for devising subsidy schemes and legislation. At the European Commission’s Legal Service, Greetje advised the Commission services and the Commissioners on proposals for new legislation. She acted as an agent of the European Commission in legal proceedings before the Court of Justice of the EU and the General Court. As an agent, she was involved in the field of agriculture, and food and fisheries, including matters pertaining to the fundamental principles of EU law and the non-contractual liability of the European Commission.
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Represented Fortenova Group, the largest food producer and retailer in South-Eastern Europe with an annual turnover of EUR 5 billion and 47.500 employees, in the implementation of a comprehensive restructuring resulting from the presence of sanctioned debt and equity holders in its capital structure and cross-border litigation in connection therewith.
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Advised Provincie Zeeland on the unbundling of Evides B.V. from PZEM N.V. and the related sale of the shares held by PZEM N.V. in Evides N.V. to GBE Aqua B.V. and the financing thereof by BNG.
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Advised Castik Capital S.à r.l., a Luxembourg-based private equity firm, on its acquisition of a majority stake in Customs Support Group (CSG).
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Advised publicly traded Swedish company XVIVO Perfusion AB on the acquisition of 100% of the shares in Organ Assist BV for a purchase price of EUR 24 million. Organ Assist’s business focuses on developing machines and disposable components for liver and kidney perfusion.
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Represented, together with Nishimura & Asahi, OAT Agrio Co. Ltd. ("OAT") in the acquisition of Blue Wave Holding B.V., the holding company of Chrysal International. Chrysal is engaged in the field of producing, selling and distributing branded and private label post-harvest flower care and nutrient products.
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Represented Simadan in the sale of its businesses to Parcom Capital and John Swire & Sons. Parcom Capital will acquire the businesses Noba and Rotie. John Swire & Sons will acquire Biodiesel Amsterdam, Tankstorage Amsterdam and Cleaning & Services Amsterdam, a cleaning terminal for (bulk) trucks. The transactions are subject to Dutch and UK antitrust clearance.
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Advising on the establishment of internet pharmacies including various regulatory and competition aspects of internet sales of pharmaceutical products.
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Advising both public bodies and large construction companies on state aid rules in relation to contracts for the realisation of various prestigious projects. In many cases, the financial impact of the application of the state aid rules in the concerned multimillion projects can be considerable.
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Representing a subsidiary of the Royal Dutch Pharmacists Association before a Dutch court against YO Medical B.V. regarding the reimbursement of the costs for specific medical devices by health care insurers.
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Advising pharmaceutical wholesale companies on various regulatory aspects of the distribution of pharmaceuticals and medical devices including the notification, packaging/labelling requirements and CE-marking.
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Advising public bodies and renowned companies on the state aid rules applicable to the roll-out of broadband, environmental taxes, sustainable energy, major regional investment projects and agriculture.
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Representing Nationale-Nederlanden, a major insurance company in a preliminary procedure (case C-51/13) before the EU Court. The case concerns questions from the Rotterdam court on the interpretation of EU directives on the life insurance sector and more specifically the pre-contractual information requirements imposed on insurers. The EU Court has ruled in favour of Nationale-Nederlanden.
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Represented of the municipality of Eindhoven in the formal investigation of the European Commission on presumed state aid to footballclub PSV.
