Sven De Knop

SVEN DE KNOP leads the firms EU trade team and the firm’s investment screening work outside the U.S. He focuses his practice on international trade law and EU law and regulations, with a particular focus on: 

• Trade controls (economic sanctions and export controls)
• Subsidy controls (under the EU’s Anti-Subsidy and Foreign Subsidies Regulations) and (other) trade defense proceedings (anti-dumping and safeguard measures)
• Investment controls (foreign direct investment screening)
• Trade restrictive measures affecting free movement in the EU and general market access (including supply chain due diligence and reporting requirements, forced labor, the European Green Deal, and emissions and battery regulation)
• Customs

Sven regularly advises clients on international enforcement actions. He also assists clients in understanding how the relevant legal framework applies to their businesses, in the design and implementation of compliance programs, and with internal investigations and compliance audits.

A significant part of his practice concerns transactional work, where he assists in identifying and mitigating trade, investment, and subsidy controls risks. In that regard, he coordinates multi-jurisdictional due diligence and filings. 

Sven further represents clients in administrative proceedings involving the European institutions, as well as in judicial proceedings before the EU and Member State authorities and courts.

Sven has notable experience representing clients before the European Commission, having represented clients before a wide range of Directorate-Generals, including Trade, COMP, GROW, MOVE, AGRI, SANTE, SG, TAXUD, and the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF).

Sven regularly represents clients in judicial proceedings before the Court of Justice of the European Union and Member State courts. He has represented clients before the Court of Justice in cases concerning anti-subsidy and anti-dumping regulation, free movement, customs, environment, life sciences regulation, access to documents, competition law, and damages actions in direct actions, interventions, references for preliminary rulings from national courts, appeals, and interim measures. He also has experience pleading before the courts of Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, and the UK.

Sven has been recognized by Chambers as a leading practitioner since 2013. Additional recent praise for his client service and legal acumen includes:

• In the 2025 editions of Chambers Europe and Chambers Global for International Trade/WTO, a client notes that “Sven De Knop is very good at seeing the big picture of trade issues.”
• In the 2024 editions of Chambers Europe and Chambers Global for International Trade/WTO, a client comments that “Sven provides very strong and precise advice. He handles the coordination inside the firm and communication very efficiently and professionally” and he is "responsive, provides good practical advice and is a great overall lawyer."
• In the 2023 editions of Chambers Europe and Global for International Trade/WTO, a client notes that Sven “supports our cases with great commitment.”
• In the 2022 editions of Chambers Europe and Global for International Trade/WTO, a client describes him as “business-oriented, practical, and calm in crisis,” further noting that he is “good at pointing out gaps to prevent potential future problems.”
• In Chambers Europe 2021, clients commented that his “advice on contract negotiation and compliance terms was extremely practical, and married with processes we already had in place.”
• In the International Trade/WTO chapter of Chambers Europe and Chambers Global 2020, clients note that “he has a razor-sharp mind and his analytical abilities are simply astounding, resulting in the perfect litigator and debater.”
• In Chambers Europe and Chambers Global 2019, Sven is highlighted for his “brilliant legal mind” and for being “extremely efficient.”
• Who’s Who Legal 2021-2024 — Recommended for Trade. A client comments that he “deserves the nomination for being a great lawyer with special expertise in international and EU trade law” (2020).

Representative work includes advising:

• Rivean Capital on the FDI aspects of the majority investment in Engelmann Sensor GmbH.
• GE HealthCare on the FDI and FSR aspects of its US$2.3 Billion Acquisition of Intelerad.
• GIC in the investment screening aspects of the US$18.3 Billion Take-Private of Hologic.
• Geotab on investment screening aspects of its acquisition of Verizon’s telematics business in Europe and Australia, its joint venture with Vitality to combine telematics and behavioral science for commercial fleet management, and in other strategic transactions.
• Pepper Advantage, a leading international credit management and technology firm backed by J.C. Flowers & Co., on the investment screening aspects of its pending acquisition of Computer Loan Services.
• Newfold Digital in the investment screening aspects of the Sale of Markmonitor.
• Stellex Capital Management LLC on the acquisition of the environmental technology business from Dürr Group.
• Arsenal Capital Partners in the foreign direct investment screening aspects of its sale of Applied Products.
• Ridgeview Partners in the foreign direct investment screening aspects of its growth investment in Radiant Logic.
• Apollo and certain other shareholders on FSR matters in relation to the sale of the share capital of German bank Oldenburgische Landesbank (OLB) to TARGO Deutschland GmbH, a subsidiary of leading French cooperative bank Crédit Mutuel Alliance Fédérale.
• Gallagher in the investment screening, subsidy control and sanctions compliance aspects of its US$13.45 Billion acquisition of AssuredPartners.
• Rivean Capital on investment and subsidy control aspects of the Acquisition of Perbility GmbH.
• Siris Capital Group in the foreign direct investment screening aspects of its US$591 Million Sale of Fiery.
• DigiCert in its Acquisition of Vercara
• IDEX Corporation in its US$1 billion acquisition of Mott Corporation.
• Clearlake Capital on the FDI aspects of its Strategic Investment in Aptean.
• Clearlake Capital and Francisco Partners on investment screening and trade controls aspects of their US$2.1 Billion Acquisition of Software Integrity Group.
• Rexel USA on investment and trade controls aspects of its acquisition of Talley, Inc., a distributor of wireless infrastructure products, services, and solution in the U.S.
• Funds managed by affiliates of Apollo Global Management, Inc. on the Foreign Subsidies Regulation aspects of their minority equity investment in AUTODOC SE.
• One Equity Partners and Buckthorn Partners on the FDI and FSR aspects of their Acquisition of Acteon Group.
• International Game Technology PLC on the ex-US FDI aspects of the spinoff of its Global Gaming and PlayDigital businesses in a deal valued at approximately US$6.2 billion.
• Perforce Software on the trade and investment controls aspects of its Acquisition of Delphix.
• ShoreView Industries in Its Sale of Portfolio Company Avidity Science.
• Lottomatica Group S.p.A (formerly known as Gamenet Group S.p.A.), a portfolio company of funds managed by affiliates of Apollo Global Management, Inc., in its €639 million acquisition of SKS365.
• Clearlake Capital and Motive Partners-backed BetaNXT in its acquisition of Mediant Communications.
• Recharge Industries, a portfolio company of Scale Facilitation, on its acquisition of Britishvolt Limited.
• Achieve Partners on its acquisition of a majority stake in Boclips.
• Advising on the investment screening and trade controls aspects of Clearlake Capital Group, L.P.'s US$1.875 billion sale of Brightly Software, a cloud-based asset management software platform, to Siemens.
• Clearlake Capital Group on the trade aspects of L.P.'s acquisition of Chelsea Football Club and related affiliates in a consortium co-led with Todd Boehly, Chairman and CEO of Eldridge, in particular advising on sanctions risks and mitigating measures. The acquisition was named “Private Equity Deal of the Year” at The Deal Awards 2022.
• On the EU’s Green Deal.
• On the EU's Blocking Regulation.
• Conducting internal investigations into suspected violations of economic sanctions and export controls resulting from the divergence of goods and technology to prohibited persons, and advising on compliance enhancements.
• Assisting in coordinating global foreign direct investment screening analysis and with regulatory filings.
• Clients under investigation for customs fraud by Member State authorities, and OLAF.
• Clients before the European Commission and Member State administrative authorities on environmental, automotive, biotechnology, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, and waste issues.
• Obtaining a landmark ruling from the Court of Justice of the European Union concerning the effects of judgments (Case C-365/15 Wortmann).
• Two of the world’s three largest solar panel manufacturers in the biggest ever EU trade investigation and representing the world’s largest steel manufacturer in the first ever Russian anti-dumping investigation.
• Assisting one of the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies during a good clinical practice investigation.
• Representing clients in Member State litigation on issues such as product liability, other non-contractual liability, customs matters, and competition law. He has participated in a landmark ruling from the Brussels Court of Appeal relating to non-contractual liability for violations of EU law, and he coordinated a pan-European litigation strategy for active litigation in Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom.

• Commission on External Trade of the American Chamber of Commerce to the European Union
• International Law Association
• International Bar Association (EU Trade Committee)