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References

has accumulated an impressive list of references since 1988.

Eric Van Hooydonk has provided legal advice to numerous authorities, enterprises and professional organisations on matters relating to economic administrative law and transport law. Often, it concerned cases of considerable policy-related or financial impact.

Some of the cases and projects in which he has provided legal assistance are:

• the creation of the autonomous municipal Port Authority of Antwerp
• the establishment of autonomous municipal enterprises for urban development projects, real property management and the management and exploitation of parking facilities in various cities and municipalities
• the establishment of an autonomous provincial enterprise for real property management
• concessions for parking spaces in various cities and municipalities
• the establishment of a PPP for the construction of a museum in Antwerp
• the Flemish public funding of the four port authorities on the basis of the Ports Decree
• state aid control of the Flemish Ports Decree by the European Commission
• the legislative procedures following proposals by the European Commission for a Port Services Directive, including the drafting of amendments
• the flagging in of foreign seagoing vessels in Belgium
• the regime of the deepening of the Scheldt and the reactivation of the Iron Rhine under international and European law
• the regime of navigation on the Mekong River and negotiations between the Royal Government of Cambodia and the Government of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam.

He has produced various preparatory studies for policymaking purposes, including studies on the impact of European policy on Flemish Ports at the request of the Flemish Port Commission, on the environmental status of seaports at the request of the Ministry the Flemish Community (Aminal), on the impact of EU environmental law on waterways and ports at the request of the European Commission and on the strengths and weaknesses of Belgian maritime law and policy at the request of the Royal Belgian Shipowners’ Association.

Eric Van Hooydonk was also actively involved in the preparation and drafting of various innovative regulatory tools such as:

• the Flemish Decree of 19 April 1995 concerning the organisation and functioning of the pilotage service of the Flemish Region and concerning the pilot licence
• the Flemish Decree of 31 January 2003 concerning the creation of a legal personality for "Flanders Hydraulics"
• the Flemish Decree of 21 February 2003 amending article 263(6), par.1, of the Revised Municipalities Act, concerning the power of expropriation of autonomous municipal enterprises
• the Flemish Decree of 18 July 2003 concerning public-private partnerships
• the Ordinance of 6 November 2003 amending the Ordinance of 3 December 1992 concerning the exploitation and development of the canal, the port, the outport and their infrastructure and facilities in the Brussels Capital Region, and of the Act of 5 May 1936 concerning the legal status of harbour masters
• the preliminary draft of the Flemish decree on Vessel Traffic Services
• the articles of the autonomous Municipal Port Authority of Antwerp, which constituted the basis for numerous subsequent autonomous municipal enterprises in Flanders
• management and cooperation agreements between municipalities and autonomous municipal enterprises
• the public service concession for parking on public roads in a Flemish town, which constituted the basis for similar concessions in other Flemish towns and municipalities

Eric Van Hooydonk’s comments on the status of autonomous municipal undertakings were recommended as a guideline by the Flemish Ministry in its publication BinnenBand (in Dutch).

Under the Flemish deontological code for the legal profession, further details about cases and clients cannot be provided on this website. A more extensive list of references is available upon request.