University
Université Catholique de
Louvain

Université de Liège

Law Office
Janson-Baugniet (Brussels)
/ KrisWauters
PRACTICE AREAS
/ Administrative law
/ Public and other Government contracts
Kris Wauters (born in Halle, 1968, Belgian nationality) specializes in public law and within that field of expertise he handles both constitutional law and administrative law cases. This involves advising and defending authorities and companies as well as private individuals. (see also separate document) Is mothertongue is Dutch. However, he also advises clients in French and English.
Kris Wauters holds both a Master of Law (Catholic University Leuven, 1991, Dutch speaking) and a Master of International and European Law degree (University Louvain, 1992, French speaking). He also obtained a DEUG AES degree (Université du Havre, 1991). He started his professional career as a trainee with the renowned Brussels law firm Cambier (1993-1997). He was Member of the Brussels Bar from 1993 until 2000 and he became member for the second time in 2012. Between 2000 and 2012, he was member of the Hasselt bar, where he ended as Partner of a big independent law firm Monard-D’Hulst. Since 2012, he is working in one of the biggest independent law offices in Belgium: Janson-Baugniet. He is the only lawyer (at least 100 lawyers) in the office specialized in public contract law. This also includes advice on PPP.
Kris Wauters is a member of the Fellowship of Public Law Attorneys and of the Forum of Environmental Lawyers. He is member of PLAN, of Public Contracts in Globalization and RENeual. He is the only foreign member of the Dutch Academic group of experts on public procurement (AGA).
Since 2010 Kris has been appointed professor at the Université Catholique de Louvain, where he is a member of the public law sector and where he teaches various courses in public law in French.One of the courses is ‘Le droit des marches publics’. He was invited by China-EU School of Law to teach at the University of Political Science and Law in Bejing (China) in English on the subject of public undertakings and EU law (January 2012). He is also one of the initiators of a new Master degree in Public Finances organized by the Universities of Louvain and Liège, where he teaches the course ‘public contracts’.
Since June 2013 Kris is appointed as a Visiting Professor at the Université de Liège, where heteaches in Dutch a course on ‘Local government’. Kris also has been invited by the University of Glasgow in 2013 and 2014 to give in English an 8 hour Seminar on Public procurement law in the EU. In 2016 is invited at the Universities of Oslo and Reijkjavik to give in English a seminar on the new Directives on public procurement.
Kris Wauters regularly writes on public contract law. He completed a doctoral thesis at MaastrichtUniversity on the subject, which was published under the title: ‘Rechtsbescherming en overheidsovereenkomsten' (Legal protection and government contracts). The thesis addresses the award of public contracts (procurement contracts, domain concessions, public service concessions, PPP etc.) and more in particular the relevant legal protection under Belgian, Dutch, French and EU law.
In 2009 he was also admitted as a researcher to the University of Glasgow under the mentorship of Prof. R. Greaves, in order to obtain a Ph.D. on the issue of in-house jurisprudence (public procurement) of the Court of Justice and its influence on the cooperation between public authorities in France and England. Kris completed in 2014 this second Phd at the University of Glasgow which was published under the title ‘Cooperative agreements between public authorities’ (Intersentia, Antwerp/Cambridge, 2015). Kris compared the French and English legal system related to the provision of public services and more in particular the cooperation between public authorities. The Phd examined to what extend EU law influenced those two systems and it tries to explain this influence through EU primary law.
He is since 2011 chief editor with Prof.dr. Ann Lawrence Durviaux of a new Belgian Review (the first one) on public procurement and other government contracts (Marchés et contrats publics). Since 2014, he is member of the Law Comittee of het National Building Organisation giving advice on public procurement to the Federal Government. Kris had the possibility to give its opinion on the new law proposals to implement the 2014 public procurement Directives.
He regularly publishes articles on government and public contracts. He also regulary gives or organizes conferences on public procurement.
Languages
Dutch (active and passive fluent), French (active and passive fluent), English (active and passive fluent), German (passive rather fluent, active less fluent)
Bibliography
  • With FLAMEY, P., “Le partenariat public-privé et les marchés publics. La situation belge dans le contexte européen”, C.D.P.K., 1999, 62-73. (PPP and public contrats. The Belgian situation in EU context)
  • With FLAMEY, P., “De interpretatieve mededeling in ontwerp 1999/C94/04 (Publicatieblad E.G., 7 april 1999): een eerste aanzet voor een nieuw wettelijk kader inzake publieke private samenwerking”, C.D.P.K., 1999, 427-428. (Interpretative communication on PPP of the EU Commission)
  • With FLAMEY, P. en GHYSELS, J., “Bekendmakings-, selectie- en gunningsvoorschriften in de klassieke sectoren voor overheidsopdrachten”, C.D.P.K., 2000, 456-486 (part 2). (Qualification Criteria in Belgian and EU law)
  • With FLAMEY, P. en GHYSELS, J., “Bekendmakings-, selectie- en gunningsvoorschriften in de klassieke sectoren voor overheidsopdrachten”, C.D.P.K., 2003, 64-92 (part 3) (Tender Criteria in Belgian and EU law)
  • With FLAMEY, P., Overheidsopdrachten. Overzicht van rechtspraak Raad van State 1997- 2005, Brugge, Vandenbroele, 2006, 135 p. (Case law of the Belgian Council of State 1997-2004 on public contracts)
  • With GHYSELS, J. en ANTHIERENS, J., Overheidsopdrachten. Overzicht van rechtspraak Hof van Justitie 2001-2007, Brussel, Larcier, 2008. (CJEU Case law on public contracts 2001-2007)
  • “In house: tussen hamer en aambeeld”, in Het Jaarboek Overheidsopdrachten 2007-2008, Brussel, EBP, 2008. (contribution on in house case law)
  • With E. LONCKE, “Public contract”: what’s in a name ?”, in C. DE KONINCK, P. FLAMEY, P. THIEL en B. DEMEULENAERE, Jaarboek Overheidsopdrachten 2008-2009, Brussel, EBP, 533-558.
  • Rechtsbescherming en overheidsovereenkomsten, Antwerpen, Intersentia, 2009, 394 p (Phd).
  • With E. CAN, “De “in house”-rechtspraak van het Hof van Justitie en het recht op zelfbestuur van gemeenten”, noot onder HVJ, 13 november 2008, Coditel, R.W., 2009-2010, 233-236. (Comment on the Coditel decision)
  • In-House provision and the case law of the European Court of Justice, paper for International Congres on public procurement 2009 University of Nottingham
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  • With S. WAUTHIER, «La directive ‘recours’ 2007/66/CE: un aperçu de la transposition européenne en droit français, néerlandais et belge’, in Hommage Maurice-André Flamme, Bijz.nr. T.Aann., 2010.(directive on judicial review: its implementation in France, Belgium and the Netherlands)
  • “Zin of onzin van een leer van het administratief contract in België?”, in Liber Amicorum Marc Boes, Brugge, Die Keure (theory of ‘contrat administratif’ in Belgium?)
  • With K. MAN, “De wijzigingen van overheidsopdrachten en andere overheidsovereenkomsten : een Europees sausje ?”, CDPK, 2010, 142-158 (contribution on Pressetext and Wall Ag and the implications for Belgian law on public contracts and concessions)
  • With K. MAN, “Samenwerking tussen overheden : ziekenhuizen en universiteiten”, in C. DE KONINCK, P. FLAMEY, P. THIEL en B. DEMEULENAERE, Jaarboek Overheidsopdrachten 2010-2011, Brussel, EBP, 2011. (cooperation between hospitals and public contract law)
  • «La complexification du droit des contrats et marchés publics”, OoO-MCP, 2011, 147-150
  • With Thomas Cambier, “La distinction droit privé – droit public et les marchés publics”, Ann.Louvain, 2012.(Public private divide and public contracts in EU law and Belgian law)
  • «Remedy bodies and corruption» in R. Caranta, M. Trybus and G. Edelstam (dir.), EU public contract law, Brussels, Bruylant, 2013.
  • «Concessie van diensten: een begrip in evolutie binnen het Europees Unierecht», in M. Boes, J. Ghysels, D. Lindemans en R. Palmans (eds.), Vijftig jaar bescherming van het eigendomsrecht, Antwerpen, Intersentia, 2012, 349-367. (Concessions of services: evolutions in CJEU case law)
  • «Contractualisation et régulation: avancées des dernières 20 années», in Countrybook Belgium, 2012 (met R. Andersen, F. Delpérée, H. Simonart, F. Dopagne, T. Bombois, D. De Roy)
  • * Samen met CAMBIER, T., La concession de service public sous l’empire du droit européen, OOO 2013, afl. 1, 49-57. (concession of public service under EU law influence)
  • * With CAMBIER, T. “Illégalité de l’acte détachable : quels sont les effets une fois le contrat conclu ?” in Le temps et le droit. Hommage au Professeur Closset-Marchal, Bruylant, Brussel, 2013, 708 p.
  • * “Overheidsopdrachten” in DUJARDIN, J., SOMERS, W. (eds.), Gemeentelijke verzelfstandiging en intergemeentelijke samenwerking, Die Keure, Brugge, 2013, 475 p. (chapter on public contracts in a book on cooperation between public authorities)
  • * With NIHOUL, P. en WILLEMART, E., Marchés publics pour débutants, La Charte, Brussel, 2014, 232 p. (book on public contracts in Belgium)
  • * Invloed van het EU-recht op het Belgisch bestuursrecht, Brugge, die Keure, 2014, 331 p. (Influence EU law on Belgian administrative law)
  • * “Cooperative agreements between public authorities, Antwerpen/Cambridge, 2015. (2nd Phd)