Michael Honoré

Practice Areas

Michael is specialized in competition law, state aid law, and general EU law (free movement law, EU procedural law, etc.). Michael is an experienced litigator and regularly represents clients in cases before the Danish courts and the European Court of Justice. Michael is authorized to appear before the Danish Supreme Court of Justice.

Career

Honoré, Fallesen & Andersen 2019-2024 (partner)

Bech-Bruun 2005-2019 (partner 2013-2019)

European Court of Justice 2002-2005 (référandaire in Cabinet Vesterdorf)

Ashurst Morris Crisp 2000-2002 (mainly working for Denis Waelbroeck)

Danish Bar and Law Society ("Advokatsamfundet") 2008 - present

Lexxion, Academic Director 2018 - present

Member of Editorial Board, European State Aid Law Quarterly 2015 - present

Managing Editor of European State Aid Law Quarterly 2014-2015

Professional Memberships

Danish State Aid Law Association (Founder and Board Member) 2014 - present

Danish Competition Law Association

Danish EU Law Association

Danish Bar and Law Society

Publications

“The Long-Running TV 2 Saga Concludes with a Settlement”, European State Aid Law Review 2022, issue 4, p. 453 et seq.

”State Aid and COVID-19 – Hot Topics (Editorial)", European State Aid Law Review 2020, issue 2, p. 111 et seq.

“COVID-19 Measures Adopted by Denmark”, European State Aid Law Review 2020, issue 1, p. 81 et seq.

“Public Activities on Commercial Markets: The Issue of Cross-Subsidisation”, European State Aid Law Quarterly No. 2/2017, pp. 181-192

'Selectivity, Chapter 4 in ‘EU State Aid Control - Law and Economics’, Edited by Philipp Werner & Vincent Verouden, Wolters Kluwers (2017)

Fiscal Aid – All Clear? (Editorial), European State Aid law Quarterly 3/2015

EU's statsstøtteregler - udfordringer og muligheder; Erhvervsjuridisk tidsskrift, 2015

”Recent Danish legislation – strengthening the Danish rules on State aid”, Erhvervs­juridisk Tidsskrift, 2013

“Report from the Autumn Conference on European State Aid Law 2011”, European State Aid Law Quarterly, (4 pages), 2012

”Effektiv tilbagesøgning af statsstøtte – en kommentar til Kastrup Strandpark-sagen”, Erhvervsjuridisk Tidsskrift, (2 pages), 2011

”Statsstøtte til havneinfrastruktur – konsekvenserne af Kommissionens nye kurs”, Erhvervsjuridisk Tidsskrift, (9 pages), 2011

“Damages in State Aid Cases”, European State Aid Law Quarterly (21 pages), 2011

”Normaliseringen af EU's statsstøtteregler udskudt”, Erhvervsjuridisk Tidsskrift, (5 pages), 2011

EU Karnov – Chapter 5 ("Statshandelsmonopoler") and Chapter 17 ("Statsstøtte"), Thomson, 2010

“Damages in State Aid Cases”, European State Aid Quarterly, 2010

“Enforcement of EU State Aid Law at National Level” (Lovells Study, commissioned by the European Commission), Lexxion, 2010

“Selectivity and Taxation – Reflections in the Light of Case C-487/06 P, British Aggregates Association”, European State Aid Law Quarterly (10 pages), 2009

EU Karnov 2008 – Chapter 7 ("Statshandelsmonopoler"), Chapter 20 ("Statsstøtte"), Chapter 46 ("Domstolens beføjelser") and Chapter 58 ("Unionstraktatens afsluttende bestemmelser"), Thomson, 2008,

“Annotation of Case T-442/03, SIC versus Commission”, European State Aid Law Quarterly (11 pages), 2008

”Tilbagesøgning af ulovlig og forenelig statsstøtte ved de nationale domstole”, Erhvervsjuridisk Tidsskrift, (15 pages), 2008

“The problem of Cross-Subsidisation in Newly Liberalised Sectors”, Published in connection with Proceedings of the 5th Experts' Forum held in Brussels on 21 and 22 May 2007, 2007

“Labour and Employment Law in the New EU Member and Candidate States”, edited by Anders Etgen Reitz – Chapter 1 ("EU Law"), ABA Publishing, 2007, medforfatter

“The Standing of Third Parties in State Aid Cases, European State Aid Law Quarterly”, (15 pages), 2006

“Fiscal Policy and State Aid – Recent Developments in the Case Law of the ECJ”, Proceedings of the 3rd Experts' Forum held in Brussels on 26 and 27 May 2005

EU Karnov 2005 – Chapter 7 ("Statshandelsmonopoler"), Chapter 20 ("Statsstøtte"), Chapter 46 ("Domstolens beføjelser") and Chapter 58 ("Unionstraktatens afsluttende bestemmelser"), Thomson, 2005

”EF-Patentretten og retssikkerhed”, Lov & Ret, 2003

EU Karnov 2003 – Chapter 7 (”Statshandelsmonopoler”), Chapter 46 (”Domstolens beføjelser”) and Chapter 58 (”Unionstraktatens afsluttende bestemmelser”), Thomson 2003

“Slot Allocation and EC Competition Law – Getting Airport Access Right – The principle of Grandfather Rights – an Insurmountable Barrier to Entry?”, Forlaget Kontrast, 2001

Languages Spoken

Danish (native)

English (fluent)

French (fluent)

German

Italian

Norwegian

Swedish

Industry Sector Expertise

Michael advices within many sectors, but has over the years worked particularly extensively within the areas of food and agriculture, infrastructure (transport, energy, IT and telecommunications, payment services), R&D&I (research, development and innovation) and taxation (direct and indirect).

Expert in these Jurisdictions

European Court of Justice

Danish Supreme Court

Work Highlights

Represented Nokas Værdihåndtering A/S in a follow-on case for damages before the Eastern High Court (Østre Landsret) against the dominant operator, Loomis Danmark, involving complex competition law issues (including exclusive purchasing and below cost pricing).

Represented the ferry operator Nordö-Link AB before the European Court of Justice in an appeal case concerning very significant aid amounts granted by the Danish state to finance of the construction of the fixed link (Fehmarn Belt) between Germany and Denmark.

Represented the pan-Nordic media company Nordic Entertainment Group (formerly Viasat Broadcasting/Modern Times Group) in the largest Danish State aid case before the Danish High Court concerning a claim for TV 2 to pay DKK1.75bn to the Danish state in so-called illegality interest.

Clients

Landbrug & Fødevarer

Vækstfonden – The Danish Growth Fund

Danish Technical University (DTU)

Copenhagen Business School

Green Power Denmark

Confederation of Danish Industry

Nokas Danmark A/S

Kopenhagen Fur / Dansk Pelsdyravlerforening

HK Handel

Rederi Aktiebolaget Nordö-Link

Moesgaard Meat 2012 A/S

Awards