Lia Athanassiou
LLB (Athens Law School), LLM (Aix-Marseille III), LLM (Paris II), Ph.D. (Univ. Paris I-Panthéon-Sorbonne)
Dr Lia Athanassiou is the co-founder and partner at “ATHANASSIOU-GERAPETRITIS [Suspended – Minister for Cabinet] & Associates – Law Firm”.
She serves as a Professor of Commercial Law with full tenure at the Law School of the University Athens and Attorney-at-Law, member of the Piraeus Association Bar. She holds a PhD Degree at the University of Paris I-Sorbonne (honored with five international prizes, inter alia Prize Albert Lilar CMI) and authorization by the same to supervise academic research. She has been a Visiting Scholar at Harvard Law School (2007-08), a Fulbright Scholar, a member of the Hellenic Competition Commission, an external Legal Advisor of several Authorities, public bodies and corporations, and also a member of Legislative Committees on various commercial law issues (L. 4058/2012, Agreement with the Shipping Community on the voluntary tax contribution, Directive 1/2019 on competition ECN+, etc). She has lectured and effectuated academic research in major foreign Institutions (USA, Malta, UK, Italy, France, Germany) and is currently the President of the Organizing Committee of the International Conference of Maritime Law.
Having been entitled to plead before the Supreme Court, she specializes in Commercial and European Law (maritime, competition, energy, company and transport law), areas on which she has published extensively in Greek, English and French. Professor Athanassiou also heads the litigation of the Firm regarding the above matters. She has a long and recognized expertise in consulting, directing legal projects as well as in arbitrations, domestic and international, acting either as an arbitrator or a legal counselor. She is enlisted in the Arbitration Panels of institutional chambers in various commercial sectors. She is also an appointed member of the Committee of Experts of the International Labor Organization (ILO).
EDUCATION
- 1994: Ph.D. in European Maritime Law at the University of Paris I-Panthéon-Sorbonne. Doctoral dissertation under the title: Legal aspects of competition in maritime transport (comparative study based on EC Law) – summa cum laude and first class honors (“très honorable avec félicitations”).
- 1994: Academic Authorization by the University of Paris I-Panthéon-Sorbonne to supervise University research (habilitation à diriger des recherches universitaires).
- 1990: LL.M. in General Private Law from the University of Paris II- Panthéon-Assas (“Assez Bien”- Honors).
- 1989: LL.M. in Commercial Law from the University of Aix-Marseille III – Institute of Commercial Law (“Bien-Major de la promotion” – High Honors, Graduated first in the LL.M. Class).
- 1987: J.D. Degree (4-year duration) from the University of Athens (Degree grade: Excellent).
ACADEMIC EXPERIENCE
- 2015: Full Professor in Maritime and Commercial Law, University of Athens (School of Law); head of the LLM of “Maritime Law” – responsible for the course of “Maritime Law”, thus participating in the teaching of the following courses: “Industrial Property and Competition Law” (undergraduate and post-graduate level) and “Negotiable Instruments” (undergraduate level) – Director of the LLM Program of the Athens School of Law, Teaching of “International Maritime Law”, “Maritime contracts: carriage & charterparties”, “EU State aid Law”, co-teaching “Law of cross-border insolvency” (post-graduate level).
Member of the Board of the Hellenic NARIC (National Recognition and Information Centre – appointed for three years, as from 13.2.2020)
Visiting Professor- National School of the Judiciary.
Member of the Examining Committee – Entrance Exams (criminal Justice – 2019). - 2010-14: Associate Professor in Maritime & Commercial Law, University of Athens (School of Law).
- 2005-10: Assistant Professor in Maritime and Commercial Law with full-time tenure, University of Athens (Law Faculty).
- 2000-05:Lecturer in Commercial Law at the University of Athens (Law Faculty).
- 2017-19: Examiner on Maritime Law – Special Examination for the Foreign Ministry’s
Diplomatic Academy (Embassy Attachés). - 2017-19: Member of the Deanship of the Law School of the University of Athens.
- 2015-: Director of the LLM Program of the Athens School of Law.
- 2014 -16: Member of the Deanship of the Law School of the University of Athens.
- 2014: Visiting Professor – University of Lorraine (Nancy – lectures at the LLM Program of JAIE).
- 2013 -18: Visiting Professor at the International Maritime Law Institute (Malta) on EU Shipping Law.
- 2003: Visiting Lecturer – University of Bologna (lectures at the LLM program of Commercial Law).
- 2003: Member of the examining committee of the Piraeus Bar Association (responsible for the examination on business law).
- 2000 -: Associate Researcher – Hellenic Institute of International and Foreign Law.
- 1999: Lectures at the European Institute of Public Administration (Maastricht-Holland) on EC law (the state aids regime).
- 1998: Visiting Lecturer – Law Faculty of Demokritus University of Thrace.
- 1997-00: Member of the Jury for the selection of the Coast Guard Officers.
- 1995 -: Lectures of Community Law to trainee lawyers, in the context of regular seminars organized by the Piraeus Bar Association.
SCIENTIFIC EXPERIENCE - RESEARCH
- 2020-: Member of the Legislative Committee on the transposition of Directive (EU) 2019/1 to empower the competition authorities of the Member States to be more effective enforcers and to ensure the proper functioning of the internal market and the transposition of Directive (EU) 2019/633 on unfair trading practices in business-to-business relationships in the agricultural and food supply chain.
- 2013 -: President of the Organizing Committee-10th International Conference of Maritime Law. President of the Organizing Committee – 9th International Conference of Maritime Law – “Maritime safety and security: Legal implications to ships, cargo and the human element”. President of the Organizing Committee-8th International Conference of Maritime Law “Shipping in periods of economic distress: financing – ship’s operation – enforcement”.
- 2016: Member of the Society on the Study of Commercial and Financial Law (EMEOD).
- 2015: Board Member of the Aegean Institute of the Law of the Sea & Maritime Law, appointed Vice President for 2017-2018.
- 2015 -: Member of the Committee of Experts- International Labor Organization (ILO).
- 2014-19: President of the Organizing Committee and key speaker at the 1st, the 2nd and the 3rd Advanced Seminars on International Maritime Law (organized by the Law School of Athens in cooperation with foreign Universities: Swansea, Malmö, Singapore, Dalian, Oslo, Texas).
- 2013: Visiting Scholar – Institute of Advance Legal Studies (IALS- University of London).
- 2010: Member of the Legislative Committee for the incorporation into the Greek legal order of EU Directive on Criminal Sanctions for Ship-Source Pollution.
- 2007-08: Visiting Scholar- Harvard Law School – Fulbright Scholarship (research on corporate law).
- 2008: President of the Organizing Committee – 5th ECMLR (European Colloquium on Maritime Law Research).
- 2005 -: Member of the scientific committee of the law review “Dikaio Epixeiriseon kai etairion”, (Corporate and Business Law)
- 2004-11: Member of the Legislative Committee for the reform of the Consumer Law. Member of the Legislative Committee for the update of the Greek Code of Private Maritime Law. Member of the Legislative Committee for the incorporation into the Greek legal order of EU Directive on Criminal Sanctions for Ship-Source Pollution.
- 2004: Participation in a research program of the Demokritus University of Thrace on the subject: “Enforcement of the new liberalization framework regarding rail transport”.
- 2003-: National reporter on maritime law issues to the review «Annuario de Derecho Maritimo».
- 2003: Research stay at the Swiss Institute of Comparative Law, Lausanne, Switzerland.
- 2002-03: Participation in a research program of the above University, assigned by the Ministry of Transport and Communications, concerning “Proposals for the reform of the institutional framework of the rail transport”.
- 2000 -: Member of the Legislative Committee of the Ministry of Transport and Communications.
- 1999: Associate Researcher – Academy of Athens.
- 1999- : Research Fellow- European Institute of Public Administration.
- 1997-98: Legal Consultant of Erasmus University (Rotterdam).
- 1997-98: Member of the drafting Committee of the European Commission’s. Research and preparation of a study for the European Commission entitled: “The legal regime and the functioning of stevedoring services in the organizational context of the European ports”.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Attorney-at-Law, member of the Piraeus Association Bar, entitled to plead before the Supreme Court.
She specializes in European and Commercial Law (maritime, competition, transport and corporate law). She is enlisted in the Arbitration Panel of the Hellenic Naval Chamber and in the Regulatory Authority for Energy Arbitration Panel and she participates as either an arbitrator or a legal counselor in national and international commercial and maritime arbitrations.
She has participated in the drafting of laws [e.g. Law 4058/2012 provision on security services by armed guards on commercial, Agreement with the Maritime Community on the voluntary tax contribution] and Energy codes drafts on behalf of the Regulatory Authority for Energy. She is expert in international organizations (ILO).
- 2022-: Registered arbitrator- Chambre Maritime Arbitrale de Paris (C.A.M.P.)
- 2008-: Registered arbitrator- Hellenic Chamber of Shipping.
- 2008-14: External Legal Advisor to the Energy Regulatory Authority – secondary legislation on the liberalization of the gas market.
- 2006-08: Full Member of the Hellenic Competition Commission.
- 2003-06: Alternate Member of the Hellenic Competition Commission – Participation to a Work Group on the incorporation of Regulation 1/2003 into the national legal order.
- 2003: Member of the Study and Support Committee for Road Traffic in the context of the preparation and holding of the Presidency of the European Union by Greece in the first semester of 2003.
- 2002-04: Participation as a consultant of Energy and Investment Consultants Company in a program on “Reform of the legal framework of the natural gas market”, on behalf of RAE.
- 2000-01: Legal advisor of the Greek Minister of Transport and Communications.
- 1999-04: Legal representation of the European Commission before the TFI and the European Court of Justice in the cases T-65/99 and C-110/04P.
- 1999-02: Legal Service of the National Bank of Greece.
- 1998-99: Legal Advisor of Cyprus Bank of Development on EC Transportation and Corporate Law.
- 1996: Member of Piraeus Association Bar.
- 1995-96: Legal Expert at the European Commission (DG VII/Directorate D) – giving advice on matters concerning competition, State aids, freedom to provide services and International Law as well as social questions.
- 1995: Authorization for inscription to the Paris Bar Association (Aptitude test passed with distinction).
- 1991-92: Legal Expert at the European Commission (DG VII/Directorate D) – giving advice on questions concerning competition, freedom to provide services and private law).
- 1991: Stagiaire (trainee) at the European Commission (DG VII/Directorate D).
- 1989: Piraeus Bar Exam (passed with distinction and first Prize).
PUBLICATIONS
Monographs / Contributions to collective works
Shipping Operators’ Obligations and Liabilities Under the International and EU Emission Reduction Strategy
L. Athanassiou, “Shipping Operators' Obligations and Liabilities Under the International and EU Emission Reduction Strategy” Soyer, B., Damages, Recoveries and Remedies in Shipping Law, Informa, Routledge 2023.
The impact of COVID-19 on maritime law institutions: Legal assessment
L. Athanassiou, “The impact of COVID-19 on maritime law institutions: Legal assessment” “Protecting maritime operators in a changing regulatory and technological environment”, Reports of the 10th International Conference of Maritime Law, 2023, p. 13- 54
Main Articles - European and Maritime Law
Shipping Operators’ Obligations and Liabilities Under the International and EU Emission Reduction Strategy
L. Athanassiou, “Shipping Operators' Obligations and Liabilities Under the International and EU Emission Reduction Strategy” Soyer, B., Damages, Recoveries and Remedies in Shipping Law, Informa, Routledge 2023.
Charterer’s liability for pollution damages, in “Maritime Safety and Security: legal implications to ships, cargo and the human element”
Charterer’s liability for pollution damages, in “Maritime Safety and Security: legal implications to ships, cargo and the human element” Reports of the 9th International Conference of Maritime Law, 2017, p. 407-439
Competition in Liner and Tramp Maritime Transport Services: Uniform Regulation, Divergent Application?
Competition in Liner and Tramp Maritime Transport Services: Uniform Regulation, Divergent Application?, in A. Antapassis, L. Athanassiou, E. Rosaeg, “Competition and Regulation in Shipping and Shipping Related Industries”. Martinus Nijhoff 2009, p. 70-93.
Main Articles - Competition Law
The Modernization of European Competition Law, Initial Experiences with Regulation 1/2003
Country Report (Greece) in Η. F. Koeck & M.M. Karollus (eds): “The Modernization of European Competition Law, Initial Experiences with Regulation 1/2003”, FIDE XXII Congress Linz 2008. Congress Publications vol. 2, p. 121-14
The notion of Undertaking, cartels, Imposition of fines, Structural and behavioral measures, actions for damages
The notion of Undertaking, cartels, Imposition of fines, Structural and behavioral measures, actions for damages, (chapters to the collective book edited by D. Tzouganatos. Competition Law, 2nd edition (forthcoming)
“The misuse of acquisition and protection procedures of patent rights as an abuse of dominant position: comments on the Astra Zeneca case”
L. Athanassiou (in co-operation with M. Mastromanolis), “The misuse of acquisition and protection procedures of patent rights as an abuse of dominant position: comments on the Astra Zeneca case” in Liber Amicorum Professor Rokas, 2012, p. 1-26
Imputation of competition law breaches of a subsidiary company to its parent: Current trends and comparative approach
Imputation of competition law breaches of a subsidiary company to its parent: Current trends and comparative approach, in co-operation with Dr. M. Mastromanolis. Dikaio Epixeirisseon kai Etairion 2009, 1301-1315
Delimitation of exclusionary abuses: thoughts on the European Commission’s proposal relating to the economic interpretation of Art. 82EC
Delimitation of exclusionary abuses: thoughts on the European Commission’s proposal relating to the economic interpretation of Art. 82EC. Dikaio Epixeirisseon kai Etairion 2006, 1241
Main Articles - Corporate Law
